YD, you’ve been gaining a lot of momentum with your viral content lately! How does it feel to see your music resonating with so many people?
It’s really interesting because a lot of the songs people gravitated towards are the ones I just made for fun or because they amused me. I'm glad people find comfort in my music, it's cool to watch.
Your music is influenced by artists like Solange, Varnish La Piscine, Tyler the Creator, and Tatsuro Yamashita. How have these artists shaped your sound, and what do you take from each of them?
I’d actually say my main influences are not artists at all, but the soundtracks of my favorite childhood games. Little Big Planet and Minecraft, as well as some older funk bands like Sly and The Family Stone, the Sylvers, and Pleasure. I tend to gravitate towards the same types of synths and chord changes used in LBP & Minecraft, they both have a very cutesy, calming soundstyle and I feel like that explains where a lot of the quirky-ness comes from in my sound.
You’re not just a singer—you also play instruments, produce, and engineer some (*most to all) of your music. How does wearing all these hats help you connect with your creative process?
It helps me to get my point across- there’s no middle man trying to guess what i meant when i said i wanted a song to be “happy sad” i can just do it myself, in most of my songs, when i'm producing i like for everything to have purpose, so the cowbell hitting on the 3 reverbed in the background is there for a reason. Producing my own music better helps me create the world my brain lives in musically.
Your lyrics often reflect themes of self-discovery, love, and empowerment. How do personal experiences shape the stories you tell through your music?
A lot of my lyrics come from my imagination. There are some songs I pull from personal experience and some songs are like manifestations of what could happen, or they are written from the perspective of a daydream.
Can you share what inspires your colorful Y2K style, and how important is it for you to blend fashion and music in your creative expression?
I’d say my style is more retro futuristic, i believe i have a form of synesthesia, so it’s just natural for me to come up with visuals in many senses for my music, whether it's the clothes i wear, album art, in the future music videos, just can't wait until i have to budget to really show you guys what's in my head!
Your latest release has been making waves! Can you walk us through the process of creating this song, from writing to production?
I remember i got the idea right before i had to go to work i believe, i had ten minutes before i had to leave but i loved the idea so i made the initial chords, drums, first verse and chorus, in those ten minutes, then i completely forgot about the song until a few years later when i was looking through my old songs, i decided to revamp it, partially because i lost the project file but also so i could release it with my artistic style now, and now here we are!
What’s been the most surreal moment of your career so far? Any fan interactions or milestones that really stand out?
I think the most surreal moment has been seeing that people want to listen to my music- i never thought people would like my style, which was part of the reason i didn't release for so long, it just feels very validating to post a clip and then have people yelling at me in the comments to post it LOL
You’ve been consistent in releasing new music—what’s your process for staying creative and inspired over time?
I’m always making music or doing something creative, it’s just how I am. I pull inspiration from almost anything, if i see a leaf fall in a specific way that might catalyze a whole album idea, this isn't an exaggeration LOL. If I ever do start to hit a creative block- I switch my mindset and treat it like it's a job, then I'll create a few new ideas and everytime i end up liking at least one of them and then I'm inspired again.
What can fans expect from you in the coming months? Any exciting new projects or collaborations in the works?
They can definitely be expecting more releases and hopefully imagery, visuals, definitely a few projects in the works, but no collaborations as of now!
