You have a new album coming out, "Subtractive Color" What can you tell us about the release? What fueled the inspiration?
"Subtractive Color" is inspired by romance, and all the colors it carries. It's about the moments when some of these colors/emotions meld and marry one another and the product of that union w. It's an intense, neon-like feeling that's, at times, difficult for us to even put into words. It's about the weightlessness of love, and its inherent risks. It's that kinda feeling that inspired this record.
Was there any specific storyline you had for the album when writing?
This record is unique in that I don't have a storyline, which I've had in past albums. This album is just different colors of a relationship.
When writing music, what are your influences? How long does it typically take you to write a song? Do you keep coming back to the piece and revising?
Songwriting for me is my favorite part, and has changed over time. In the past I'd write the chord progressions first. Now I primarily start with melody, and I need to dance while I write. Lyrics always come last for me. My first goal is to accomplish an energy. Then I use the energy to inspire lyrics to shape and focus that energy.
What are your influences musically and lyrically?
Musically and lyrically are pretty much the same for me: Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Prince, John Mayer, Queen, Justin Timberlake, Bon Iver. There's so many more, its really about the tune I'm trying to write. I can tell you the influences for each song on the record. The first single "It Wasn't Me" is musically influenced by Peter Gabriel and melodically influenced by Prince/MJ. The bridge was, in part, influenced by J.Cole and Kanye.
What was the recording process like for the new record? Did you self-produce? How long did it take to write and record the album as a whole?
This record took longer than anticipated because my producer Dominic Fallacaro and I moved during the middle of it. Condensed, it took us about six months, but that six months ended taking about two years. I didn't produce, I wrote. Dominic Fallacaro took my voice memos for each tune and turned them into this record. It depends on the tune, but usually I bring him the skeleton of the song on a voice memo to Dominic and he runs with it. I think its important to take a step back and let him go on the first production draft. When he is ready he shows me his production, we caucus, and go from there. The first drafts of some of these tunes were okayed immediately, others we had to go back to the drawing board. Dominic has an incredible ability to translate the energy I want for each tune into the final product.
We see you have a show announced for New York City. Will you be adding anymore within the US?
I expect to announce a show in June and July and a northeast tour in August.
What do you hope to accomplish in 2017 with the new record and beyond?
In 2017, I hope to offer people a few new tunes to sing in the shower. Like, how great would it be to have one of your tunes added to someone's "hum que." There's just something so lovely about someone strolling down the street humming away.