Tag: Interview

Poet Tyler Knott Gregson Explores His Creative Process – from Haiku to Song

March 19, 2019

Poet, photographer, and avid traveler Tyler Knott Gregson just released his fifth book, Miracle in the Mundane, but reaching this accomplishment doesn’t mean he’s about to take a break. Besides creating a Spotify playlist (below) in honor of the book’s release, he’s currently planning a destination wedding in Scotland with his fiancé, exploring what he might want to record a podcast about and, somewhere in between, making time to read The Overstory, a novel from the point of view of trees. Every day he also finds the time to write one of his daily haikus on love, which he’s been publishing on Tumblr (and now Instagram) for over a decade.

We chatted with an ever energized Tyler about the complexities of telling short stories, why he photographs his written work, and how he is eternally inspired by the world.

What is your creative process like?

The closest thing I have to a process is when there’s a line in my brain that just keeps spinning around. So all throughout the day those lines just start building up. When I finally have the space to sit down and do something with them, that’s when I feel better.

100 Years of Beauty: Kristin Chenoweth On Leonard Bernstein’s Legacy

August 24, 2018

With legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein’s (1918–1990) 100th birthday on August 25, we set out to search the world of entertainment for those who found inspiration in his work. As it turned out, we didn’t have to look too hard. Avid Bernstein fans are always game to talk about his many works, ranging from beloved musicals such as West Side Story and Peter Pan, to classic operettas like Candide. But Bernstein didn’t just contribute lasting scores and scripts: He also had a profound influence on the way we listen to music.

The author, pianist, and lecturer has inspired generations of composers, songwriters, singers, and artists, including Broadway standout Kristin Chenoweth. Kristin, an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress and coloratura soprano, is perhaps best known for originating the character of Glinda in Wicked, and for her roles in TV shows Pushing Daisies and The West Wing. For Kristin, Bernstein’s impact spans from encouraging originality, to engaging youth in the classics, and using music to make the world a better place.

Remembering a Legend—And His Legacy

Kristin often cites female singers across time and genres as role models—including Judy Garland, Sandi Patty, Dolly Parton, Bernadette Peters, and Dinah Washington—but credits Bernstein as her favorite composer. “My biggest regret in life is that I was too young to meet him,” she says. Every year on his birthday, the singer takes some time to recognize Bernstein, whether by quoting him in a speech or performing one of his works.

“My favorite piece that I’ve done [to honor him] is an aria from the operetta Candide,” she says. “It’s called ‘Glitter and Be Gay.’ I just love Candide; it’s one of my top-three pieces that he composed. I also love Trouble in Tahiti, which is a very cool little opera that he did. And ‘The Masque.’ They’re all very different, and that to me shows what kind of composer he was and what kind of mark he left on the world.”

One of Bernstein’s best-known works is West Side Story. Set in New York City, the loose take on Romeo and Juliet portrayed the gang war between the Jets and the Sharks, and first premiered in 1957. In its 2009–2011 Broadway revival, instead of English, the Puerto Rican characters’ lines were translated to Spanish, a twist that revamped the musical for a modern audience. The director stayed true to the material while making the show accessible for new fans—in a way Bernstein himself would have loved, Kristin says.

Modern theater-goers now enjoy timeless classics in venues other than the theater, like at concerts. For Kristin, singing Bernstein’s songs at her own shows means exposing audiences to a new genre or composer. She’s encouraging other artists to do it, too: “I would love to see a country band do a classic standard just like I sing country music or pop music in my concerts. I think there are no more rules anymore. And if Leonard Bernstein were alive today, he would one hundred percent agree.”

DJ Mia Moretti Knows Exactly What to Listen to—and When

July 2, 2018

Hunkering down with a good book and want some music to set the tone? Try world-renowned DJ Mia Moretti’s playlist “What To Listen To When It’s Too Cold To Go Outside.” What if you’re feeling spontaneous and up for an adventure? Moretti has an answer in “What To Listen To When Driving Up Highway 1 On A Whim.” Her incredibly specific playlists are curated around a particular experience, setting a mood that can translate to just the one you’re in.

Moretti travels around the globe, turning tracks everywhere from A-list fashion shows to birthday parties in the jungle in Tangier. And like most Spotify subscribers, she uses the platform to create playlists. But Moretti’s playlists are like a modern mixtape, carefully collected and named after an event that occurred in her own life, compiled in a way that relates to feelings we all have.

We spoke with Moretti about what influences her, the life motto passed on to her by her grandfather and, of course, the inspiration behind those special playlists. If you’re looking for the right music to fit a particular mood, check out Moretti’s Spotify page, and you’ll be sure to find the perfect tracks.

How can DJs who usually play electronic or house music incorporate classic rock and folk music?

I love this question because it presents two ideas we think of as different and then proposes a challenge to unite them. The thing I love most about DJing is that there is no fixed equation. Being a DJ means constantly moving and adapting, just like a song moves and changes.

As a DJ, you have limitless access to tools to manipulate and change a song. You have a loop roll so you could repeat a word or a verse, you have filters to isolate highs or lows, you have effects to add echo or reverb. In doing this you create opportunities to merge two worlds that might have either different tempos, different rhythms, or completely different feelings into one seamless movement. If the transition makes sense, your audience will follow you on the journey, even if it’s to a new place.

What is your responsibility as a DJ to seamlessly tie songs together?

The most important part of a DJ set is the bridge between the two songs. If you don’t do this, and you leave your audience confused as you jump from one world to another, it’s like removing a bridge from under someone’s feet, and then they might not cross over to the next journey with you. The transitions are also what add the humanity to your DJ set. It’s the difference between someone playing a playlist versus listening to a real DJ. It’s the feeling you add, the intention behind the change, the way you tell the story.

Your Playlist Series is called “What To Listen To When…” Why did you name it that?

Songs probably hold the strongest element in my memory. After hearing just a few seconds of a song, I can be transported back to a specific time and place, and even the temperature and mood of that moment comes rushing back. I wanted to make playlists that transport you to, or help create, these places and memories. So whether it’s the first time you fell in love and drove up Highway 1 in California [What To Listen To When Driving Up Highway 1 On A Whim] or when you were standing in front of Beyoncé’s iconic performance at Coachella [What To Listen To When #Beychella Is Over], I wanted to make these memories re-livable and real, so I made them each their own playlist that’s based on my experience.

What responsibility do musicians have to utilize other forms of art in their work? How has visual art influenced your work?

I don’t think an artist should feel any responsibility to utilize or not utilize any form, but I do think it’s necessary for an artist to have a complete expression of their work when it’s transferred from their heart into the world. The forms might be different for each artist. Today, most of us see music before we hear it; what we see will stay with us throughout the musical experience. I use visual art to build characters and worlds that people can step into so they can step out of wherever they were before this moment started: what they woke up to, what is on their to-do list, who they do or don’t love, and also the trauma that we are constantly being exposed to on a daily basis. That’s the power of music. It’s escapism, it’s freedom, it’s an uncompromising joy you feel when you are completely in the moment of a song.

My new song, “Club Soda,” is an instrumental dance track that aims at doing just that. Giving the listener a moment to escape, then let themselves get transported to a place of universal joy, no matter where you come from, where you live now, or what language you speak. Music isn’t about boundaries, it’s about bringing people together, and I hope I can do that, even if it’s just in brief moments.

What is a good life motto to go by?

I asked my 101-year-old grandfather a similar question the other day and he said to me, “Do something good for others, every day.” If it’s gotten him through this world for over a hundred years, there must be something to it.

Petit Biscuit Doesn’t Care How You Pronounce His Name—He’s International

May 21, 2018

Spotify has helped cultivate the growth and subsequent cultural explosion of many artists across varied musical genres. In the Amplified on Spotify series, we’ll be interviewing artists who have not only made their names through the platform, but are shaping it as well.

Few artists can say they’ve achieved their dreams by age 18. But French DJ Mehdi Benjelloun—known as Petit Biscuit—recently checked off another musical goal, having played (rain or shine) at this year’s Coachella just a year after graduating from high school. It’s one more in a string of successes: At age 15 he released his first single, “Sunset Lover,” and at 16, he dropped his first LP, Petit Biscuit.

Petit Biscuit started taking the internet by storm in 2015 when he broke through with several standout electro house singles on Soundcloud. His music combines electronica and synth with classical themes and sounds for an ethereal, dreamlike quality. Being classically trained in piano, cello, and guitar has allowed him to adapt from various genres of music as he composes and produces his electronic hits.

With the Coachella performance under his belt, Mehdi is preparing for his upcoming North American tour. Spotify grabbed few minutes with him to learn more about what he’s doing next and where he finds inspiration.

Q: You have skills in both classical and electronic music genres. How did you get your start in classical, and how did you transition to creating electronic music?

At 5 years old, I started practicing cello. My curiosity then pushed me to learn the piano and the guitar, as an autodidact when I was 8 years old. I’ve always loved playing instruments but my wish was to create music from scratch. I knew nothing about DAW and music production; I fed my culture on the internet before trying some software, hardware and synthesizers. The goal was to try to start designing my own sound instead of beginning with a melody. In my humble opinion, that is the definition of electronic music.

Q: What inspired your early hit single, “Sunset Lover?”

“Sunset Lover” is the opposite of the electronic vision that I described, since I found the melody very quickly. I then built the song from that. It’s my most organic track, like a solar ballad. It’s about my way of contemplating every single landscape and trying to find sensitivity to it.

Q: You have more than three million monthly listeners on Spotify. How has Spotify allowed new fans to find your music, and how do you discover new music on the platform?

It’s great to see a company like Spotify working so closely with artists. I don’t have a label; it is basically only me and my guys who are also my management. And for us the playlist DNA is the future. Although each artist has a unique sound, finding the way to connect tastes and moods on playlists and recommendations is beneficial for new artists like me. And that’s my favorite thing on Spotify: to discover new artists in the making, finding something catchy but interesting.

Q: How has Spotify contributed to your success?

We are a new generation of artists; we have never been closer to our fans and listeners. Spotify has a huge community with users eager to find new music to enjoy. Those listeners are potentially new fans.

Q: What have you learned from working with Spotify?

The data tools are really useful. Internally, we have many discussions about making our marketing feel more “real” with some fan pre-sales for my shows through Spotify. Spotify also worked with us on impressive billboards in my biggest markets, Toronto, Paris, and New York.

Q: You added many more stops to your upcoming North American tour. How did you realize you had such a following in the area?

It’s still hard to realize. Cruising oceans and knowing that your music is listened to by a lot of people is a dream come true. I think the only way to realize it is to be on stage and catch the energy of all the people. Seeing such great vibes during my concerts is one of my best memories.

Q: When you announced that you were playing at Coachella, you said it was “a dream come true.” What’s the next dream you hope to accomplish?

I want to travel as far as possible to perform, but also to live new experiences. I want to discover new destinations, like Nepal or New Zealand. I would also love to travel the rest of Asia. Travelling and discovering new places is a great way to find new inspiration.

Q: Now that you have an international audience, you must be getting some funny pronunciations of your name. What’s the funniest you’ve ever heard?

People calling me “Petite” (pah-teet) is one of the funniest. It’s like someone got too lazy to pronounce both words, and still got the only one wrong. In the end, I got used to the name and now I even like it.

Q: Bonus question: How should people actually pronounce your name?

Pronunciation doesn’t matter. Petit Biscuit has to be international!

My Guilty Pleasures Playlist: Racing Star Lewis Hamilton on Air Sax and Singing Solo

May 15, 2018

Whether it’s old-school throwbacks, teen pop or ‘80s movie soundtracks, everyone has those go-to nostalgic songs. You know, the tracks you play over and over—even if it’s only when no one else is listening.

In Spotify’s Guilty Pleasures series, some favorite influencers and internet personalities are revealing the tunes they can’t help but love.

Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton is a master behind the wheel, so what does he listen to when he’s alone in the car? If he’s not racing, there is a good chance it’s Will Smith.

Born and raised in Hertfordshire, England, Hamilton is statistically the best driver in British history. He began racing karts when he was eight; since then he has won four World Championships and holds the record for the most all-time career points. Currently, the 33-year-old races for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team, and even teamed up with artist Frank Ocean to make some music of his own.

Spotify spoke with Lewis about the songs on his guilty pleasures playlist, in and out of the car.

  • “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” by Will Smith. Late ‘90s party anthem, ‘nuff said.
  • “7 Days” by Craig David. I think if you were a teenager in the UK when this song came out and you had a crush on somebody, you probably sang this to them—at the very least in your mind.
  • “Careless Whisper” by George Michael. An undeniable saxophone solo, and a melody that will never be forgotten. I’m pretty sure most people play the invisible sax when this one comes on. An epic tune. RIP George Michael. Legend.
  • “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio. I thought I was Coolio when this song came out. Great movie, great tune.
  • “Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve. The strings, the drums… an epic tune to sing out loud when no one is around.

Singer-Songwriter Jade Bird Gets Geeky About Words

May 9, 2018

Self-proclaimed “obsessive songwriter” Jade Bird has more in common with David Bowie than their shared British heritage and adoption of the U.S. as a songwriting muse. They share a unique songwriting process that allows them to spin intricate, flowing, familiar stories. Yet, as Jade pointed out, Bowie’s method was more visual, sporadic, and inimitable.

“I think the visual element was a really big part of his project. He used to cut out words or sentences and jumble them all up, and then put them together so they’re really quite random,” she told us at the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York, where she recently played at an event honoring the David Bowie is exhibit.

“It’s interesting because when I was doing a cover of his song, ‘Quicksand,’ it felt like that. When you cover one of his songs, it feels like no one else can do it but him. He’s got this special kind of magic that’s almost got a random nature to it, that I fully appreciate as a songwriter. It’s something really incredible.”

Jade’s had a busy year. The 20-year-old left her British roots for an “Americana,” folk-country feel on her first LP, Something American, which debuted in July 2017. Since then, she’s recorded in Woodstock, New York; toured North America with First Aid Kit, Brent Cobb, and Son Little; showcased at South by Southwest (SxSW); and on May 7th, announced her own North American headlining tour.

How The Shadowboxers Gained 1,200+ New Followers in Two Weeks

May 3, 2018

Once upon a time, an artist built a following by word of mouth: playing for people live, slowly cultivating fans, and hoping that next time one of those fans would bring a friend. But today, artists can develop a fan base across the world through online platforms.

Case in point: Pop group The Shadowboxers has been wildly successful using Kickstarter, Twitter, and Spotify – they drew more than 1,200 new followers to their Spotify page in just two weeks. But if you ask the Nashville, Tennessee-based trio about their social media prowess, they’ll say they just got lucky.

“We kind of feel like we’ve been accidentally good at the internet,” says The Shadowboxers guitarist and singer Adam Hoffman.

In 2012, the group, comprised of Scott Tyler, Matt Lipkins, and Adam Hoffman, used a Kickstarter campaign to fund their first album, “Red Room.” The next year, the band covered Justin Timberlake’s “Pusher Love Girl” and tweeted the YouTube recording to him. Timberlake retweeted it, and signed the group to his label, Villa 40, soon after. This year, The Shadowboxers are opening for Timberlake on his “Man of the Woods” tour across the U.S. and Europe.

“That tweet was absolutely crazy and blew our minds. It’s still kind of hard to wrap our heads around,” says Hoffman. “In a way we felt, from an artist’s side, prepared for that and we had a fan base at that point who were all incredibly stoked to see that tweet. We weren’t existing totally in a vacuum.”

Luck notwithstanding, The Shadowboxers were ready for their big break. The band had been hard at work performing, creating new music, and perfecting their soulful, R&B-leaning sound. Before connecting with Timberlake, they had written albums’ and albums’ worth of unreleased music dating back to when they first connected in 2007. A selection of those tracks was compiled into an EP, “Apollo,” which was released in March. The collection of six songs includes new material and previously released singles, like “Hot Damn!,” with the influence of Timberlake.

The Shadowboxers open for the first leg (33 shows) of Timberlake’s 110-show “Man of the Woods” tour, which kicked off in March. At the beginning of the tour, the trio was looking for a way to engage with as many fans as possible. Their brainstorming led to a text-to-capture communication that encourages fans to follow the group on Spotify and post about it on Instagram.

“We came up with the idea for the Spotify follow because that’s really what we want – to drive people to our music,” says Hoffman.

You know the message you’ll see on a big screen at a concert or pro sports game, prompting you to send a text to a short number for some sort of cool offer? Fans receive that message just after The Shadowboxers set, and those who participate are signed up for an email list. Their first message from the email list prompts them to post a screenshot to Instagram of the band’s page from their Spotify account, showing that they are following the band on Spotify with the hashtag #TSBbacktage. If they do so, they are entered for a chance to meet the band backstage.

“The coolest takeaway from these interactions, which we were not expecting at all, was the relationship and connection after meeting,” says Lipkins. “We just wanted to connect on a more personal level with some fans, but we’ve made lifelong fans from these interactions just by hanging out with people for 30 minutes after a show.”

For fans of The Shadowboxers – whether or not they won the backstage contest – Spotify keeps them up to date on new music releases, tour schedules, and even what the band has been listening to lately. And for musicians, Spotify for Artists allows them to keep track of their most popular music, and where people are listening. For The Shadowboxers, whose music has appeared on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 and New Music Friday curated playlists, the platform has given the band a geographic reach they’ve never had before.

“We get messages on our socials from people from Europe who have heard the songs. We’ve never played over there so the only way they could have heard the stuff is Spotify,” says Tyler. “That’s a really cool feeling for us.”

The Shadowboxers are currently performing for the first leg of Justin Timberlake’s ‘Man of the Woods’ tour. Check out their remaining tour dates, and follow along on Spotify.

My Guilty Pleasures Playlist: Violet Benson, aka Daddy Issues, on R-e-s-p-e-c-t and Rhapsodies

April 12, 2018

Whether it’s old-school throwbacks, teen top or ‘80s movie soundtracks, everyone has those go-to nostalgic songs. You know, the tracks you play over and over—even if it’s only when no one else is listening.

In Spotify’s Guilty Pleasures series, some favorite influencers and internet personalities are revealing the tunes they can’t help but love.

Violet Benson knows a thing or two about keeping a secret. The internet personality is best known for her viral Instagram and Twitter account @daddyissues_, which she started anonymously in 2014 as an escape from her accounting job. Now that her alter ego—that edgy, honest, irreverent voice in your head (or in your group texts)—is no longer a secret, @daddyissues_ has amassed almost 4 million followers, expanded to a blog and online store and earned Benson the title “Instagram Meme Queen” by Vanity Fair. Violet opened up to Spotify about the songs she’s not embarrassed about loving, from classic R&B to the Demi track inspired by her online persona.

  • “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. I can’t walk home from working out without listening to this song and just wanting to burst into a dance in the middle of the street like I’m in High School Musical (which, spoiler alert, I actually do). I love jamming to this and I really don’t care who’s watching… because if they knew what I was listening to, they would understand.
  • “Getting Over You” by Lauv. Honestly, any Lauv song is currently a guilty pleasure of mine. From “I Like Me Better” to “Easy Love” to this one… I just love his voice, and any music he makes is a straight banger that I can’t stop listening to.
  • “Daddy Issues” by Demi Lovato. Of course, this song would make it to my list since I have daddy issues myself. Not only was this song inspired by my Instagram @daddyissues_, which is the coolest thing ever, but the lyrics just speak to me.
  • “Undo It” by Carrie Underwood. There is no way you can listen to this song without singing the chorus super passionately, whether or not you’ve been through a painful breakup. I feel this song in my bones and I can’t help but sing it loudly whenever it comes on, as if my heart was just broken all over again.
  • “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. I love this song because it lets me channel all my different personalities, but sometimes it also makes me wish I had a boyfriend to sing a duet with—because right now it’s really hard for me to sing all the parts on my own.

Amplified on Spotify: Nina Nesbitt

April 2, 2018

Spotify has helped cultivate the growth and subsequent cultural explosion of many artists across varied musical genres. In the “Amplified on Spotify” series, we’ll be interviewing artists who have not only made their names through the platform, but are shaping it as well.

Twenty-three-year-old singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt has come a long way since writing and recording songs in her childhood bedroom in Edinburgh, Scotland. She experienced some early achievements by posting originally written songs to her YouTube channel and performing in pubs around Edinburgh, but Nesbitt could not have anticipated the success and wide reach of her music.

At only 17, Nesbitt performed in front of Ed Sheeran and asked him for advice—she impressed the fellow UK musician and ultimately landed a spot on his European tour, which launched her music career on the international stage. She’s since toured with artists including Justin Bieber, released her first album and plenty of singles, and is now producing her own songs for her second album, to be released in Spring 2018.

Spotify spoke with Nina to about her creative process, the importance of autonomy and why she loves Spotify—both as a musician and as a listener.

Q: Tell us about your beginnings as a musician.

I started off writing short stories and poems as a kid; I was obsessed with words. Then, I picked up piano at age 10 and put my words to music. When I turned 15 and taught myself guitar, I felt like the songs really took shape. It’s always been about the lyrics for me, and the music kind of accompanies that. I think in the past couple years I’ve taken much more of an interest in melody and chords and it has all come together more.

Q: You were discovered by Ed Sheeran. How did that come about, and how did your life change as a result?

He heard me play a song live [while he was waiting to go on a radio show] and then offered me a support slot [on his 2011 European tour]. It was great experience because I was playing to about 10 people in Edinburgh pubs before that. Playing to thousands of people was terrifying at such a young age and with such little experience, but it was the best thing for me. After the first few tours I did with Ed and [English singer-songwriter] Example, I felt like I could handle any stage. I ended up independently releasing an EP that charted in the UK. Next thing I knew I was signed [by Universal Music Group], so it was quite a turning point.

Q: How did you start producing your own music? How has that changed your creative process?

I’ve always been interested in production. At the time, I had recently left the label I was on because I didn’t like the thought of having to rely on other people to do what I love. I set up a little home [production] setup in my bedroom, and I just started experimenting. I found this massive sample database that I use a lot. It’s an easy way for someone that maybe doesn’t have the luxury of a fancy studio, or expensive equipment, to make music. Then it was just a case of trial and error until I was able to produce my songs. On my upcoming album, [to be released Spring 2018,] I produced some of the songs and had other producers produce some, but I showed them what I wanted in a strong demo. It’s really helpful to be able to create clear demos that you can take to another producer to give them an idea of what you want.

Q: How do new fans typically discover your music?

I’ve found most new fans have come from listening to playlists on Spotify and saving the songs to their libraries. Some people are happy to just listen, while others want to get to know you— which is cool and has been instrumental in promoting my new album. I love how natural the process of discovering new music is; it’s all about whether the song connects. It also gives people from all over the world the opportunity to find my music, which is exciting.

Q: How has the Spotify for Artists platform helped you better understand your fans?

I think the platform has helped me to better understand where the music industry is heading in 2018 and how to prepare for that. The industry has changed so much in the past few years and everyone has quickly had to educate themselves.

Q: How do you discover new music?

I like to put on a lot of chill Spotify playlists and just leave them running until I find something I like. I’m one of those people who likes sticking to the bands and artists I already know and enjoy (which is bad), so it gives me an opportunity to be more open minded and find new music through similar artist recommendations or playlists.

Q: What artists or songs are you obsessed with right now? 

I love “About Time” by Sabrina Claudio. It’s such a beautiful, feminine record. I’ve also been listening to the Peaceful Piano Spotify playlist a lot; it’s so relaxing when I’m cooking or getting into bed.

Q: How has Spotify contributed to your success? 

Spotify has been absolutely instrumental in growing my fan base and kicking off the new album campaign. I think it suits my music because I’m very DIY and I feel like Spotify really clicks with those types of artists. I like that it gives people the option to listen or skip, and gives listeners a real idea of what’s connecting and what’s not. I’m also quite obsessive over the Fan Insights page [now known as Spotify for Artists]—it’s really helpful to see.

Q: What have you learned from working with Spotify?

Spotify is a great indicator of which songs are connecting with the audience. It can also give you an idea of when a song’s life is coming to an end and when to release the next one, thanks to the increases and decreases on the Spotify for Artists audience chart. I was planning on releasing three singles last year but “The Best You Had” just kept escalating, so we just ran with it. Spotify’s insights allow you to be reactive, which is really necessary in 2018. Gone are the days of plans set in stone.