Interview: Distorted Noise
Hi Distorted Noise! Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself? How did your passion for music start? Any particular event that triggered it?
Hey Im Plurnt! Once when I was travelling in Thailand, I got given the wrong hotel room key, did a poo in a stranger’s toilet and got caught mid-act. Anyway, I started playing guitar when I was 11, I think the British band Busted was actually the main reason for that. I’ve always really been into music and I’ve been writing for a long time, so it’s something I’ve always wanted to pursue fully!
Congratulations on your song “Falling Away”, we loved it! How did you come up with the idea to talk about your experience going through depression and anxiety?
Thank you! This is the first song I’ve released where I’ve performed my own vocals, so I wanted it to be as honest and personal to me as possible. I’ve never been into shallow lyrics that are just about money, sex etc, I’ve always valued emotional and deep lyrics, so writing about it was just me being authentic to myself.
How do you feel about sharing your personal story with your audience, and do you hope it will help someone going through a similar experience have more tools, sooner, faster, that you wish you had when you were in that position?
A lot of artists that influence me, like Linkin Park, MCR and Eminem for example, have helped me get through rough times. I didn’t write Falling Away with the expectation for it to help others, simply as I don’t have much of an audience. Its main purpose was self- expression and as a means of catharsis for myself, however if it does help anyone then I am truly humbled and hope those people realise they’re not alone.
In which genre do you feel the most comfortable? You have experimented with hard rock, alternative rock, and now Hip-Hop, how are you able to juggle between these genres?
I kind of see it more as a development rather than juggling between genres. I don’t think I was doing anything particularly ground-breaking with rock music, and although for me that was a lot easier to write, I probably won’t be going back to it. I think I’ve found a much more unique style with hip-hop, and even though I try to bring rock elements into it, I’m very cautious when I do.
Can you tell us a bit more about your music taste? What artist or song do you currently listen to? Who is/are your biggest musical inspiration? Who would you like to collaborate with?
At the moment I’m really into Killstation’s album The Two of Us Are Dying. It’s the first album in a long time that I regularly listen to in its entirety. He does literally everything himself as well on it (writing, production, mixing etc) which I really admire. For collaborations I’d love to work with Billie Eilish. She’s my favourite artist and a big influence on my music and aesthetic. I’ve also been getting into Scarlxrd recently and would love to work with him!
What does your creative process look like, between the lyrics and the composition of the music?
When I used to write rock music I would always have the full instrumentation finished before writing any lyrics. Now as I write hip-hop, it’s more lyric focused, so I have an idea of how I want the track to sound for certain lines I’ll be using in it, and create or mould the instrumentation around that.
Are you more of a recording artist, or a performer, or both, and why?
Definitely a recording artist. I’m 2 metres tall and very skinny so I just look weird and out of place on a stage! I’d love to be a good performer, but I’m nowhere near there yet, and as my music is currently very electronic and production-based it would be difficult to re-create well onstage without just playing the backing track, unless of course a Music Director plans it for me.
Are you planning any concerts/tours once our world gets back to a new normalcy?
Not for the foreseeable future. I have a planned upcoming debut EP, which Falling Away is the first track from, so depending on how well the music does will determine if I start playing live. I’m too insecure to play to empty venues, so will only start performing if I’ve got the fanbase there who want to come and see it!
Thank you Im Plurnt!