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Audacy Pop
  • 6 days ago
Keshi joins Bru in studio!
Transcript
00:00Kashi, hello.
00:01Hi, how are you?
00:02Good, how are you?
00:03It's so nice to meet you in person.
00:05Yeah, for sure.
00:05Thank you so, so much for having me.
00:06Yeah, welcome to the studios.
00:07We've got the headphones on.
00:08We're doing it.
00:09We're official.
00:10Yeah, we were just chatting about the microphones and everything and getting into it.
00:12Oh my gosh.
00:12I'm a huge nerd about it.
00:13That's like a bonus podcast.
00:14We'll literally put it out later for the mic nerds out there.
00:18Right.
00:18No, I'm so excited to talk about your music, get to know you better.
00:21Thank you so much, yeah.
00:22Talk about the tour.
00:23Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:23You have so many fun things going on.
00:24Yeah.
00:25Let's throw it back to you.
00:26We're just talking about Houston and trying to get a GTA there someday.
00:29I just love your journey of making beats in your room in Houston to doing what you're
00:34doing now.
00:35Tell me a little bit about how we got here.
00:37So I grew up in Sugar Land, Texas, and I used to be an oncology nurse, actually.
00:45I went to the University of Texas at Austin, studied nursing for four years, graduated,
00:51went back to Houston, and worked at the Texas Medical Center for a couple of years.
00:54And I got lucky, signed in 2019, and here we are today.
01:00It's just like been, you know, when we're talking about it, it makes me realize just
01:04how like long and sort of gradual the journey has been for me, which I'm so grateful for
01:10because it's always been very organic.
01:12There hasn't been one really huge moment that like spurned me into like, you know, super
01:18stardom or anything.
01:19Like I still very much feel like I'm on this gradual pushing the rock up the mountaintop and
01:24everything.
01:25But I really, I feel like I've, you know, earned my stripes and I've taken the time
01:30and learned at every little step of the way.
01:33So like for the very first tour that I like opened for, like I drove my own car and everything
01:37to each of those cities.
01:38Love those stories.
01:39Not out of choice, but because my team at the time was a very aggressive driver.
01:44So I was getting sick and I didn't want to tell them.
01:46So I was like, don't worry, I got this one.
01:48Yeah.
01:48Can you roll the window down?
01:49Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:50It was rough.
01:50That's so funny.
01:51So like you, you're glad you have that foundation basically, you know?
01:54No, absolutely.
01:54I feel like I gained a lot of perspective at every point of the juncture.
01:57So I'm grateful for it.
01:59And I'm grateful that I didn't skip any steps.
02:01Like that's part of the fun.
02:02Was there almost a point where you're like, I'm going to stick with this path and like,
02:07you know.
02:07You're talking about music.
02:08Yeah.
02:08Like, but not do it.
02:10Oh, but not do music.
02:11Yeah.
02:11Was there like a close point where it's like, you know, I'm the nurse.
02:14I'm kind of killing it.
02:15No, no, no, absolutely not, dude.
02:17That was not, that was not my calling.
02:18And that, that does not feel like it was my destiny.
02:21I was, I was very, um, like I felt a lot of dissonance, like working at the hospital,
02:26you know, of course, I'm grateful for every opportunity that I get.
02:29I was college educated, got to live at home with my parents, had a job that anybody would
02:32dream of having that was like stable and safe, you know?
02:36Um, but I just felt like I was good at something and it was really frustrating to not do the thing
02:43that I thought that I was good at.
02:44And I was like, no, I think, I think I can do it, you know?
02:48Yeah.
02:49And I think there was a lot of contention talking to my parents about, about leaving those opportunities.
02:54Oh yeah.
02:54That I had been kind of given.
02:56Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:56I mean, they just want what's best for me.
02:58You know, you can't blame them.
03:00Um, but, uh, the really hard conversation was just going part-time, going from three days
03:05a week to two.
03:05Yeah.
03:06Nurses work 12 hour shifts for those who don't know.
03:08So I did 36 hours a week.
03:09Um, and then I did part-time for a couple months and I had a really rough day at work.
03:14And then, uh, I came home to my mom and I was like, I, I can't do it anymore.
03:18And she was like, go, go do it.
03:20You can go do it.
03:21And, uh, music.
03:22Yeah.
03:22That's amazing.
03:23Shout out to mom.
03:23Shout out to mom.
03:24That's huge.
03:25Yeah.
03:25We growing up in Sugar Land and I guess Texas more as a whole, did you feel like with your
03:30music, you were filling a void or was it more like you've found things that you liked
03:34listening to that you made inspired by that?
03:36It's funny.
03:37I, I get asked a lot about whether where I grew up had any sort of like huge impact on
03:44like my sound or my taste or anything like that.
03:46I'm sure it's like all holistic and maybe subconscious to a certain degree.
03:50But like when I was growing up, the internet was starting to really open up and things weren't
03:56like regional anymore.
03:57Yeah.
03:58Like you didn't have, like I got asked a lot as a kid, like, oh, like, have you met any
04:02other musicians doing gigs?
04:03And I was like, why do I need to do that?
04:05The internet's like right here.
04:07So yeah, everything that I consumed was like global.
04:11You know, I listened to a lot of like, like different kinds of genres from different time
04:14periods from different countries all the time.
04:16And all of that has like, I think it's more about the things we consume as a whole, like
04:20whether it's like movies, games, like art, you know, anything can impact.
04:25Yeah.
04:25That's so true.
04:25I heard someone talking about like with social media now, there's no like even regional,
04:29I don't want to say memes or jokes, but you know, like everyone knows everything that's
04:32going on.
04:33Right.
04:33Right.
04:33So it is almost like there's no, um, even accents.
04:36It almost feels like we're all kind of morphing together.
04:38Right.
04:38Right.
04:38No, absolutely.
04:39So it's so interesting that, yeah, like inspiration comes from, it can be anywhere now.
04:42It can be like SoundCloud in Germany that you heard.
04:45Yeah.
04:45Yeah.
04:45I like that sound.
04:46And in combination with that, I feel like, um, accessibility to creating art has never been
04:52like, I guess it's never been more accessible to be able to make art in any form or medium
04:57or anything.
04:58Yeah.
04:58So then it becomes truly like a war of the best idea, which is, you know, inspiring,
05:03but also a little bit, um, like things get saturated a little bit.
05:09You know what I mean?
05:09It gets harder to, to, to filter through everything that's out there.
05:13Yeah.
05:14And so much.
05:14You're right.
05:15Cause like people can put it out from their rooms now.
05:17Yeah.
05:17Yeah.
05:17Which is beautiful.
05:18I like wouldn't be here if I, if that wasn't accessible to me.
05:22Um, so yeah, I'm grateful for it.
05:23It's awesome.
05:24Well, congrats on everything, by the way.
05:25It's so fun to see.
05:26How psyched are you for Madison's work?
05:27Garden, the forum.
05:28Oh my God, dude.
05:29I'm, I'm honest.
05:31I'm not really thinking about it.
05:32Uh, so for those who aren't aware, I'm on the third leg of my world tour for Requiem.
05:40And, uh, I'm very, actually very, very happy that I've gotten so many rounds of the show
05:45in before MSG.
05:47It is like the pinnacle, the dream, like the mountaintop, the only thing, uh, that I need
05:54to do before I check out.
05:55You know what I mean?
05:56Like, that's all I ever wanted.
05:58You don't want to start there.
05:58That would just be like, you know, it's all downhill from here.
06:01Yeah.
06:01Yeah.
06:01So I'm, I'm like, I'm a little nervous about it.
06:04You know, MSG is the second stop on the, on the U.S. run.
06:07I wish I had like, you know, maybe 10 shows just to like gear into it.
06:13Yeah.
06:13But like I've done, I've done so many over the course of my career.
06:16I think I'll be fine.
06:18It's just more about like, um, like the rules.
06:20Like I think timing and the strictness of like, you can be on stage at this hour.
06:25You can't be on stage at this hour.
06:26Things need to run like this or else like X, Y, and Z happens.
06:29Gotcha.
06:30Interesting.
06:30Yeah.
06:31You still driving your car there?
06:32Uh, no, no, no, uh, I'm, I'm, I'm well taken care of.
06:37Okay.
06:37Perfect.
06:37That's awesome.
06:38Um, so for someone who's never seen your show though, and just with how intricate the instruments
06:42are, like, how would you describe what people are going to see?
06:45You know, I feel like I take a lot of pride in my musicality.
06:49Like, um, I'm, I'm a big John Mayer nerd.
06:52So I love playing the guitar.
06:54I respect the guitar.
06:55It's like very sacred to me.
06:57Um, I wish I were a better player.
06:59I'm always trying to be, but, uh, all this to say that I've curated a sort of set and performance
07:05and live show that focus heavily, focuses heavily on musicianship and arrangement and pocket and
07:12feel and groove and making sure that every band member that I have on with me is a shredder
07:17and has a moment to shine and can do like acrobatic stuff on stage.
07:21So not physical, but you know what I mean?
07:23Oh man, it sounds like you get Beds and Boone out there, man.
07:26You'll get some flips.
07:27Cirque du Soleil, but yeah.
07:28Yeah.
07:29I love that.
07:30I can't wait to see it.
07:31You mentioned John Mayer and like, you talked about like Frank Ocean, Joji, people like inspiring
07:35you.
07:35Yeah.
07:35Um, is anyone doing that for you right now, whether it's musically or just like a human
07:39being?
07:39Dude.
07:40Yeah.
07:40Like he's my muse right now.
07:41His name is Boy Life.
07:42He's an artist that I've, I've taken on the road with me, uh, to open for me like in Asia
07:47and, uh, he wasn't available for, for the rest of the, for the other legs, but, um, like
07:52I love him so much.
07:53He is my brother and I just saw him yesterday.
07:55We were starting sessions for the next record.
07:56So yeah.
07:58Shout out to them.
07:58That's amazing.
07:59Boy Life.
07:59Yeah.
08:00That's so cool.
08:00Can't wait to, they're going to be at the next shows too with you.
08:03Uh, he's not going to be opening, but he will be just coming to come and hang.
08:06Oh, amazing.
08:07Yeah.
08:07Yeah.
08:07But he's, he's just like a sonic madman.
08:11Like he just adores recording and is a huge nerd.
08:14And I, I love the intentionality that he brings to the table when we make music.
08:18So like, I'm trying to shift my focus from, you know, um, to, from my old process to,
08:25to that intentionality.
08:26Yeah.
08:27Yeah.
08:27Cool, man.
08:28Well, I want to talk about Requiem, which a fun name, by the way, how do you end up on
08:31that?
08:31Um, you know, um, it's, it's funny.
08:34Anytime you make an album name, you want it to have some sort of weight without feeling
08:38like, like you're trying too hard.
08:41Like if you named an album.
08:42Requiem is the right word.
08:43Right, right.
08:43It's, it's, it's, it's, it's not too much for me.
08:45It might be too much for somebody, but, uh, like if you named an album universe, like
08:49that just sounds like no bueno, you know what I mean?
08:52It's too big.
08:52Um, yeah, but I, I, I struggled for like, like a long time trying to figure out what I wanted
08:58to title it.
08:59And typically you want to name an album, well, for me, I like to name an album based
09:02off of one of the songs on the record.
09:03That's just the sort of motif I've been establishing.
09:06But, um, I had this song demo called Sad Song and I wrote it about a friend and collaborator
09:12who had passed away.
09:13And I really wanted to dedicate something to him, you know, and, and I always want to
09:18be very clear that when I talk about him, it's never for the purpose of like promoting
09:22like a record.
09:23It is just the truth of like my process of honoring him.
09:29You know what I mean?
09:30So Sad Song was this old, like acoustic demo that I had had, that I had dedicated to him.
09:36And then I thought about it and, um, the word Requiem just, I think I had, I was reading
09:40something or, or it popped in my head out of the blue somewhere.
09:44And I was like, uh, I think that refers to a classical kind of, let me, let me look into
09:50it because I played violin like growing up and there were some Requiems that we played.
09:54And, uh, I found out that a Requiem is a classical piece of music that you use as a eulogy for,
09:59for, you know, when somebody passes away and I thought it was just so apt.
10:04And, um, I ended up realizing that the whole album was my Requiem to him, uh, having been
10:11such a huge champion of my art when I feel like he had no business, you know, being that
10:17for me.
10:18And maybe that's like a little bit of like self-doubt, like on my shoulder.
10:22Um, but his love and passion that he had for my project was like something that had embraced
10:28me like nothing else in the industry ever had.
10:31And, um, I just wanted to honor that memory as best as I could.
10:36So I was like, dude, let me just try to do the thing.
10:39Requiem was my attempt at just doing the thing.
10:41Yeah.
10:42You know, so immediacy was like the, the core there.
10:45Cool.
10:45Thanks for explaining that.
10:46It was great to hear about what went into it.
10:48I mean, you dive in, obviously deep, like there's so many deep themes on this.
10:52Whether it's, you know, like, um, just darker emotional depths or like even ego death.
10:57Like, yeah.
10:58What is that like?
10:59I mean, it wasn't quite ego death so much as like, I'm talking about the ideas of like
11:04hubris and like, it is the last song of the record.
11:09And it's a reference to like Sigmund Freud's whole theory on like, you know, ego, super ego.
11:14I don't want to get too like semantic.
11:15In the weeds.
11:16Yeah, it's not that deep about it.
11:18I just thought it was a cool way to illustrate like, this is the most primal part of my like
11:24pride and arrogance, really trying to claw my way and prove to everybody.
11:28You know, I had, you know, I feel like I have big shoes to fill in my head.
11:32And I feel like, um, like I had a lot to prove and I feel like at every juncture, there is
11:40always somebody saying no.
11:42And it's so frustrating because, you know, you, you do this for so long and you think
11:46that you're getting better and better and better, but there will always be somebody
11:49saying no.
11:50And then you realize that you're never going to have a hundred percent of the pie ever.
11:53And once you figure that out, like, that's what I'm figuring out now, you know, so I've
11:59had to kind of recalibrate the wiring in my brain so that I don't go insane.
12:04That's important.
12:05Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:05Oh man.
12:06Is that like the hardest truth you think you faced during the album making process?
12:10Yeah.
12:10Well, I mean, that's one of them.
12:12I would actually say that the hardest truth that I faced making the album this time around
12:16was that I'm not always right.
12:17Just in terms of, so like this process, Requiem was much more collaborative than Gabriel was
12:24and Gabriel was my first album that I made.
12:26And I'm like a producer or a writer.
12:29I engineer all of my stuff before I send it off to mix.
12:31I'm like neurotic about every little detail.
12:35And Requiem was me letting go of that process a little bit, stepping away from the laptop
12:39a little bit, which was very, getting ripped away from the laptop.
12:43Yeah.
12:43Um, but I learned how to, um, use my ears rather than my hands.
12:49Cause when you're at the computer and I have a little bit of like OCD, um, it's easy to
12:54like make sure everything looks perfect, but we're dealing with sonics.
12:57Yeah.
12:57So you got to like close your eyes, you know, step away from the monitor a little bit.
13:01You get lost in the technicality.
13:02Yeah, exactly.
13:03It's easy to distract yourself into thinking you're doing work when you're not.
13:07Yeah.
13:07It's like, what's the task?
13:08Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
13:09But not everything needs to be like this, you know, taking time is important.
13:12It's just about like remembering what you're actually trying to achieve.
13:17Um, and there was a, there was a song, a really, really big song off of Requiem called
13:21Soft Spot that I was very nervous about releasing because I thought it was going to be too sweet
13:25compared to the music that I released beforehand.
13:28I was really nervous about it.
13:29And everybody was telling me that I was tripping.
13:31And I was like, I don't know.
13:32I don't know.
13:33And there, there was a world in my head where that song like didn't come out, you know?
13:36Um, but, uh, in, in the wise words of John Mayer, like my, my taste just hadn't caught
13:42up to it yet.
13:43Ooh.
13:43And just because like, I'm, I'm going to spread this gospel just cause I think it's
13:48really important for any creative, but like, I don't think, and I agree with his sentiment
13:53again, not mine.
13:54Just because your tastes haven't caught up to it yet doesn't mean that you shouldn't
13:59finish making it.
14:00Wow.
14:00You know, um, like sometimes like we are just like a, like a conduit for, you know,
14:06Yeah.
14:07Like creating stuff.
14:08A vessel.
14:08Yeah.
14:08Yeah.
14:09A vessel.
14:09Yeah.
14:09Yeah.
14:10We're just, we're just giving you album titles.
14:12Yeah.
14:12Yeah.
14:12Vessel's a cool one, man.
14:13Write it down.
14:14Vessel's a cool one.
14:15Yeah.
14:15Speaking of names, we have something in common.
14:16We're both allergic to cats.
14:17Um, but you'd want one someday, right?
14:19I do.
14:20Hey, you know your stuff.
14:22Yeah.
14:22What's I, I, I, I'm like 50, 50.
14:24I'm more of a dog person to be fair.
14:26Yeah.
14:26Yeah.
14:26My girlfriend loves cats.
14:27Did you grow up with dogs and cats?
14:29Okay.
14:29Okay.
14:29Cool.
14:30But the allergy came on later in life, which was weird.
14:32Oh, that's tragic.
14:34Early, late onset.
14:35Yeah.
14:36I don't know what the word is.
14:37Yeah.
14:37Yeah.
14:37Um, my girlfriend loves them though, which is like fostering them, which is like her
14:40cheat code, you know, cause like we don't get the cat, but it's like fostering and
14:44it's like, Oh, okay.
14:45You know what I mean?
14:46She's like, she crossed the fine print.
14:48We're not keeping it forever.
14:49Yeah.
14:49It's been six weeks and I'm sneezing every day.
14:51Anyways, speaking of album names and stuff, do you have, I would love to know your cat names.
14:55If you had one.
14:56Dude, um, this is going to sound so stupid.
14:59Requiem.
15:00No, no, no.
15:01I think one of the ones I settled on was like chicken nugget.
15:05Perfect.
15:05Yeah.
15:06Something about food names.
15:07Yeah.
15:07Just something really stupid.
15:09Yeah.
15:09Um, or like naming a cat dog.
15:11Yep.
15:12Like I've thought about that too.
15:13You know, there's, there's something about it that's just so endearing and they don't
15:17know.
15:18Yeah.
15:18They're not in on the joke, which is great.
15:19Yeah, exactly.
15:20Exactly.
15:21Can we talk about your fandom real quick?
15:22Yeah.
15:22I'm going from cashews to cults.
15:24Yeah.
15:25Yeah.
15:25That, that, that was an old establishment of that, of that name though.
15:29Cash, cashiers didn't really stick on it very long.
15:31Got you.
15:32Yeah.
15:32I mean, it's cool.
15:33Yeah.
15:33I think cults is, I was very nervous about it though.
15:36Yeah.
15:36It was like 2019 when they came up with it and I was like, I don't, I don't know about
15:40like, yeah.
15:41Yeah.
15:42Yeah.
15:42Yeah.
15:42Yeah.
15:42About like if, if, if, if a, if a random news article picked it up and it was like new
15:46cult, like it was just be pointed in the wrong direction.
15:50You know what I mean?
15:50When I think about, uh, the fandoms, is there, do you see like a page other than like more
15:55than others that's just killing it for you?
15:57Oh yeah.
15:58I mean like cashier updates is, has always been like the main hub for like, uh, like
16:03anything related to, um, like me and organizing the fan base and everything.
16:09Um, doing the Lord's work.
16:10Yeah.
16:11But I mean, they're fast.
16:13They're so scary fast sometimes the way like, they're just like, like on every story, everything
16:20that I post, anything that I'm featured on that, like, I wouldn't necessarily post on
16:24my own page or if I'm spotted by a fan, like it's, it's up on their page within like a couple
16:28of hours sooner.
16:29Yeah.
16:30And I really appreciate it, but it does like, I have almost like a rule about like, if I'm
16:35a certain place and I want to take a picture and share it, I'll take a picture and I'll post
16:40it in 10 minutes later, once I've left, you know what I mean?
16:42You're swatted.
16:43You don't want that while you're having left.
16:44Yeah.
16:44It's basically kind of what it, what I, what, what I'm a little afraid of sometimes.
16:48So like basically, for example, in, um, in Japan, I was in Tokyo shooting a music video.
16:56Um, I think maybe a year and a half ago now it was for a song I have called understand.
17:03Um, and it's a love letter and I, I really adore that song, but, uh, I have a rule with,
17:09you know, me and my, my team that we don't post any pictures about where we're staying
17:12or the whereabouts or anything.
17:13Of course.
17:14We had taken a walk nearby, maybe like five minutes away.
17:18And my photographer had posted something on a story where like, maybe there was something
17:21in there that indicated where we were staying.
17:23Nah.
17:24And my team had left the next day.
17:27You know, they were off doing something else.
17:28I was staying at the hotel for a couple more days.
17:30I had some tattoo appointments because, uh, like I have full Japanese sleeves and my artist
17:35walk with Tomo's over in Tokyo.
17:36It's a place to do it, right?
17:37Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:37No, absolutely.
17:39And, uh, I was still jet lagged from the States.
17:41I was only in Japan for like maybe a week, 10 days maybe.
17:45And I had woken up at like five and I remember waiting until 6 a.m. to go down to the buffet
17:52and be the first person there because I was starving.
17:54That's why he's an early bird.
17:55Yeah, I am an early bird.
17:55Yeah, even in Tokyo.
17:57And I go downstairs and there's a group of fans waiting for me like in the lobby.
18:05And I was like really, that was the first time where I was like really stunned because
18:10we had kept everything under wraps.
18:12And, um, don't get me wrong.
18:13I appreciate their excitement and everything.
18:15All I'm saying is that like, I was so surprised that at like that hour of the day, they were
18:20there and ready.
18:21So like, you know, I was so grateful, very happy to like, you know, see them and like,
18:26you know, sign, take pics and everything.
18:28But yeah, the fandom is amazing.
18:30I love them so, so much.
18:31I'm grateful for everything that they've done to support me, you know, being here to live
18:36out my dream basically.
18:37That's amazing.
18:38Yeah.
18:38And the photographer's fired.
18:39No, no, he's my boy.
18:41He's my, I've known him since we were like in high school.
18:43So, you know, never.
18:44I love that.
18:45Well, my last couple of things for you, you, um, have had love share.
18:48You share love to other artists, but obviously, uh, for you, you've had some pretty cool artists.
18:53Yeah.
18:53Has there ever been a DM or a message from someone though?
18:55That's been like, oh my gosh, like I made it moment.
18:57I made it moment.
18:58Huh?
18:59I mean, it wasn't a DM.
19:02I did get the chance to, to see John Mayer when he was in Boston at TD arena.
19:09And, um, like my agents were able to hook me up.
19:12So the story really quickly is that I was on my last tour.
19:15I was playing two nights at Radio City in New York and he was playing at the garden and
19:19I had half of mine to just be like, yeah, I'm not going to play.
19:21I'm just going to go see him at the garden.
19:23You know, we will refund the show.
19:25Yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:25But, um, the way that tour routing works, the next logical step for both of our runs was
19:30that we were both going to Boston and he was playing the next day and I was playing the
19:32day after he was.
19:34Um, so I begged my tour manager and I was like, I know we're not supposed to get into Boston
19:38until like the day after, but can we all leave early so I can try to catch the show?
19:43Yeah.
19:43And, um, they said yes.
19:47Agent hooked me up with tickets and, um, they told me to get to the show early because they
19:53had a surprise for me and I was like, oh my God.
19:56So I did, I did get a chance to, to, to say hi to him before the show and dream come true.
20:01Just a few minutes.
20:01I didn't want to overimpose.
20:02Yeah.
20:03But I feel like you, from your mind too, you'd be like, I got to show you these chords real
20:06quick.
20:06No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
20:07I know you didn't, but you'd want to, right?
20:09You just want to like chop it up.
20:10No, dude, no, dude.
20:10I just, I just, I just said everything that I felt like I needed to.
20:13Yeah.
20:14Uh, without saying, uh, too much.
20:17And I basically just said like, I wouldn't be here without you.
20:20You know, you are just my hero.
20:22So thank you for everything you've done to change my life.
20:25So.
20:25That's so cool.
20:26Yeah.
20:26That's what it's all about.
20:27Dream come true.
20:28Dream come true.
20:28Oh, I love that for you.
20:29Thanks.
20:30My last rapid fire questions.
20:32We're just going to rip through these if that's all right with you.
20:34Your first song you ever learned to play on the guitar.
20:36What was that?
20:37Ooh.
20:38Oh, Stairway to Heaven.
20:39You, that's the first song you learned to play?
20:41Yeah, yeah, yeah.
20:42One of, one of the earliest ones was Stairway to Heaven.
20:44Yeah.
20:44That's hard, right?
20:45Yeah.
20:46I, I, I looked up like the easiest possible tap.
20:48Through the fire and flames.
20:49Yeah, yeah, yeah.
20:50Perfect scoring guitar.
20:50No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
20:51I didn't play it like properly, but that was one of the first ones I learned.
20:54That's cool.
20:54Yeah, yeah.
20:54Yeah.
20:55Um, is there a song of yours that like still gives you chills to perform live?
20:58Oh man.
20:59Um, I really love performing this song called, uh, Angel, which is a deep cut from Gabriel.
21:08I just feel like it's one of the most perfect songs that I had written.
21:11The record itself and the production is like pretty bad.
21:14Like now that I've, I'm further along in my journey and I understand more.
21:18Oh yeah.
21:18If I could retrack and recut it, like I have plans to do that.
21:22I would love to.
21:23Um, but yeah, I just, I love that song so, so much.
21:26And that's what's so fun about live, right?
21:27You get to like re-imagine these songs and kind of revamp them.
21:30Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:30Yeah.
21:30It's awesome.
21:31Yeah.
21:31Um, what's the most played song on your personal playlist right now?
21:34Wait, can I check really quick?
21:35Yeah, let's see it.
21:36Well, let me see.
21:37And we'll check Google too while we're there.
21:39No, yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:40Actually.
21:42Oh, you know what it is?
21:43It's McGee.
21:44It's McGee.
21:44Oh my God, McGee.
21:45Yeah, it's McGee.
21:46It's a song called I Want.
21:48I'm mad at myself if I didn't bring up more questions around it because I mean, what a guitarist.
21:51You know, like the style is just crazy.
21:53And apparently there's like a Bieber song.
21:55I don't know if you saw that leak.
21:57No, we won't.
21:57Okay, we won't wait.
21:58Are you on it?
21:59No, no, we'll leave that.
22:00He's so good.
22:01Shout out to McGee.
22:02Love him.
22:03And what about a lyric of yours that you're most proud of?
22:05This is so, so hard.
22:06You know, rather than a lyric, there's a section of a song that I'm very, very proud of.
22:11And it is in Soft Spot.
22:13The original pre-chorus to Soft Spot was one that I wasn't super happy with.
22:18So I had taken it home and turned it into what it is now.
22:22And I think that's what really, that's the thing that people tend to latch on to in that
22:27particular song.
22:28And I think I'm just really proud that I had the pop tendency or sensibility to be able
22:34to inject that into the song and to have fought for it in a room where everybody was like,
22:38no, the song's good enough as it is.
22:40I was pretty firm on it.
22:41And I think it's where it's at today.
22:43That's good.
22:43Gotta have that.
22:44It's not the whole reason, but it's one of them.
22:46Okay, last, last one.
22:47I just thought of it, though.
22:48No, you're good, you're good.
22:48Has there been a sound or maybe a sample or something that you've used in a song that
22:53like we wouldn't know it, but you know it?
22:55Maybe it's like an instrument or a...
22:57Yeah, there, I don't use samples that often.
23:02And the ones that I do are never like the core of the song.
23:05Usually it's like a little thing here and there.
23:08For an old song called Always, I did sample Waiting on the World to Change.
23:14It's just that intro.
23:16Yeah, at least you're taking on it.
23:18Yeah, well, you hear John say a one, a two, a one, two.
23:23And that's what I use.
23:23It's buried in there.
23:25I think some people know about it, but yeah, I had to...
23:27Does John know about it?
23:28Well, we had to clear it for sure.
23:31So like, yeah, I'm not shooting myself in the foot by talking about it.
23:33Like, we definitely cleared it.
23:34And my whole team was like, are you sure?
23:36Like, for this amount?
23:37Like, you want...
23:38I'm like, it has to be.
23:39Yeah.
23:39It must be.
23:40So, yeah.
23:40That's what it is?
23:41Yeah.
23:41I love it.
23:42It's been so fun talking to you.
23:43Thank you so much.
23:44You're a big tennis guy, right?
23:46Yeah, no.
23:46Are you into pickleball?
23:49So, look, this is my conversation with, like, guitar versus ukulele and tennis versus pickleball.
23:55Wow.
23:56The ukulele of the strings?
23:57Yeah, I don't...
23:58You don't like it.
23:59Yeah, I don't want to sound like an elitist or anything.
24:01But, yeah, I played tennis my entire, like, childhood life.
24:05My parents are really into racket sports.
24:06My dad played badminton.
24:07My mom played tennis.
24:08So, like, that was...
24:11You're a purist.
24:11You're, like, you know...
24:12I play pickleball with my friends when they drag me out.
24:16And it is fun, but it feels more like ping pong.
24:18Yeah.
24:19And I'll see, like, some videos of people getting really heated about it, like, really competitive about it.
24:25And I'll watch it and kind of be like, damn, is it, like, that deep?
24:29But, I mean, to some people, it's really that deep.
24:32And I'm not going to be, like, you know, obnoxious about it.
24:34No, you'll just be over a few courts over at tennis.
24:36Yeah, exactly.
24:36That's just what I enjoy.
24:38Yeah, yeah, yeah.
24:38Amazing.
24:38Good luck on the tour, man.
24:39Congrats on the album.
24:40And hopefully get to catch you on the road soon.
24:42Dude, please.
24:43Keep killing it.
24:43Thank you so much for having me, bro.
24:45I appreciate it.
24:45So fun talking with you.
24:46Yeah.
24:46Looks like you can.
24:56Yeah.
24:57Yeah.
24:57Yeah.
24:58Yeah.
24:58Yeah.
24:59Thanks.
24:59Yeah.
24:59Yeah.
24:59Yeah.
25:07Yeah.
25:08Yeah.
25:08Yeah.
25:10Yeah.