Sages On the Making Of “Happy”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your song "Happy" and the story it tells?
Sure. It was inspired by two people who were in a relationship together, they loved each other, but there were just too many fears and outside influences that were putting ideas and doubts in both of their heads, and eventually it all resulted with an end to the relationship.
What do you like the best about "Happy?"
I think it's pretty relatable and has the potential to get people to feel something and connect to something that we all need at some point in life. Experiencing loss is inevitable, grief is inevitable, and sometimes music can help us process those circumstances, and I feel like "Happy" is one of those pieces of music.
Have you noticed any particular interpretations or connections that listeners have made with "Happy?"
Even though the song is a breakup song, I noticed that it still hits home for people who have experienced other forms of loss in their life, whether it's with a parent or sibling, or whatever, it's just one of those songs that if it finds you at the right time, it has the potential to move some emotional energy around, and people tend to connect with things that can move them that way.
Can you walk us through your creative process when writing and composing music?
I almost always write and compose music alone in my home studio. It's just an efficient way for me to get ideas out and work quickly. That being said, the first thing I'll do when I'm feeling creative is click the record button on Pro Tools before I even play a single note. That's always number one for me because you never know what kind of riff or idea can come through right out the gate, and if I'm not recording, the chances of me forgetting what I played are highly likely, so hitting the record button is number one. After that, I'll just let loose on the guitar or program some drums to jam to, and more often than not, whatever comes out randomly in the first five minutes tends to end up being a major part of the new song, which again, is why I always make sure to hit record in the very beginning. Once there's a riff or a progression I feel like I can build off of, I'll sort of plug that idea into "the formula" and then the rest of the instrumental is usually written and arranged with all the instruments recorded and the session ready for vocals to be tracked within a couple of hours. The whole process goes fairly quickly after the initial idea is there. Once the instrumental is done and it's time for vocals, I'll record myself ad-libbing the vocal melodies and the phrasing I think sounds cool, then I'll go back and fill all those melodies and phrases in with lyrics that I feel fit the vibe of the music. That's pretty much it.
Are there any upcoming projects or releases that you are particularly excited about?
Well, I'm definitely excited about the upcoming release of our new EP, haha! We've been chipping away at it for quite some time so it's exciting to finally let it loose, and "Happy" will of course be on the EP. As far as other upcoming releases go, there are just too many to name! The new Crosses album, the new VRSTY album, the new Blink album! Super stoked for all of those.
