greek on his sophomore album ‘ACCELERATOR’
New music with influences from the mid-late 60s and early 70s. The challenges that come from creating a self-produced album. Working with Johan Lenox on writing for strings. Pineapple tequila. Tour & more.
Fuzzer: Alright let’s get into it - thanks so much for chatting with us! Firstly, how did you get started in singing and making music and all that?
greek: Yeah so, it's pretty simple truthfully. It was in high school, when I was in 10th grade, I think a lot of my friends were so hell bent on making music on FL Studio which is just like the program that I use to make music. And I don't know what it was, it was a time period where I didn't really have a major interest besides like video games and basketball (laughs). And at a certain point I clicked and I was at like a friend's house late one night, and I started making like a beat on their computer, and it became an obsession for me very quickly.
Fuzzer: That’s awesome!
greek: It was like a lot of friends introducing me to music and it felt cool to me and very interesting. And then as soon as I got into it, I just did it for like four or five years straight, not stopping. It's become my biggest interest of the world - and that was making beats. The singing thing was separate from that. I didn't realize I could, I knew I could sing kind of I had no interest in actually doing it truthfully. My mom told me I could sing a lot and at some point, I just got an iPhone mic and started recording a song on iMovie and then it became a whole thing. I started putting stuff on YouTube, like every day.
Fuzzer: Amazing! And how old were you when you started putting stuff on YouTube?
greek: I was like 16 or 17? I'm 22 now so it wasn't that long ago, I guess technically. It feels like a time capsule, like a whole other era.
Fuzzer: That's great that your mum inspired you to sing and gave you the confidence to do that as well! And who were your main musical and creative influences growing up?
greek: I wasn't so much necessarily into music when I was younger. But when I got older, I discovered the internet more and I found music online more than anything. So I when I was very young, I got into a lot of the bigger acts that you would know from like the 60s and 70s. I became a huge Stevie Wonder fan, and The Beatles were my favourite acts as with most of the world. But I don't know what it was, it was something about very iconic artists. I was really big in the sports - I'm a big LeBron fan, into basketball, and something about that icon level status I always thought was so cool. Aretha Franklin I'm a big fan of. There's like a bunch of acts from when I was younger, but a lot of mid-late 60s and early 70s. R&B and rock was like a big thing for me, and a bit of disco too.
Fuzzer: Yeah, love that mix! And congrats on the release of your latest album ‘ACCELERATOR’. It's so incredible and really unlike anything I've heard before, which is why I wanted you to be one of our first guests.
greek: Thank you, I'm happy to be here.
Fuzzer: So how does it feel to have that project out in the world?
greek: It feels amazing honestly, it is incredible. I worked very hard on it and I didn't even think I could do this one, honestly, because this is technically my second project. But if I'm being really specific, it's like my fifth but the older ones are like from when I was in high school. It took a lot to finish the album. I made like 20 to 30 demos and by the end of the year, it was like me punching my own head trying to figure out what songs were the ones that needed to be on there. And it was a lot of taste-making because after the album came out, I haven't made as much but it was an experience to say the least. But I'm just so grateful to have it out. It's music that I think I'll be able to be grateful for, for the rest of my life. I'm just happy that I have something out like that, you know?
Fuzzer: Yeah, absolutely. It's so unique and one of our favourite tracks on the album is obviously ‘Virginia Creeper’. Just has such a cool vibe, and it really showcases your incredible production style. Can you tell us a little bit about the concept of that song?
greek: Thank you. Yeah honestly, that song is probably the oldest song on the record, if I'm not mistaken. I made that one last year, probably in like May or something. And it was one of the songs that I thought was very indicative of like a different era of my music. I really enjoyed that one. I thought that the production was very unique, especially for like these days. And I don't know, I took that song and another song called ‘Bluff’ that I had made, which actually didn't make the album because I thought it was a little too old, and I just ran with a whole new sound that I really was interested in. But that song was very simple. My friend Max, he's a really good guitarist, as well as many other things including as a producer. And he came to me with a guitar riff. And I remember one night it was like midnight, and we just worked on the song from like midnight until the next day, and we slept for like only a few hours. The skeleton of that song was done within like 24 hours. And then I produced all the stuff myself. So I just ended up polishing it up for like a day or two. But the songs about Virginia, I'm from Virginia.
Fuzzer: Alright, amazing! And where are you based now?
greek: I live in Los Angeles now.
Fuzzer: So cool. Yeah I saw your sunset session on YouTube, which I assume was filmed in LA?
greek: It is yeah. Well, I guess it was in Malibu, technically.
Fuzzer: That was stunning and such an incredible performance.
greek: That was my first on video live performance. And I was a bit nervous for that, I think. It's been like two years now. But I think it was a cool video so I really liked it.
Fuzzer: Nice! And back to the album, ‘Dance’ is such a cool groove as well. Love the vibe of that one. What was the writing and production process like for that song?
greek: I really wanted to make - it's kind of simple and I don't mean to sound so shallow with this one - but I wanted to make a song called ‘Dance’ for like a year (laughs). And I made like four or five different songs with that title, I have like all the demos somewhere on my computer. And at some point, I remember I was making a beat with my friend. He worked on the song with me as well as well as Max who I was referring to. And I remember I made a beat with him in the room, we were just making music joking around and I stored it on my hard drive for six months. I remember he always reminded me to send him a version of it. And I finally went back to do it, I was just being lazy or something. And it was the beat to ‘Dance’, at least the skeleton of it. And I was like “this is fucking crazy”. So I just took the time to actually write it out and it took me a while because they helped me finish it because the chorus and some of the later sections, I couldn't finish for the life of me. I was like, bled dry. And then eventually, the three of us sat down and finished it. And one of my favourites truthfully.
Fuzzer: Yeah it's quite different to the rest of the project it seems, but still cohesive in a way bringing in all the elements together of your production style.
greek: I still find it to be weirdly fitting because I've made some songs in a similar vein before of production and sound. I wanted to kind of expand upon that a bit more in 2024. I think it was a good choice. I'm happy that made the project.
Fuzzer: Yeah, for sure. And ‘There For You’ - I love this one. I think this was one of the first songs I heard from you and when I first really connected to your music. It's such an amazing laid back summer tune, it’s perfect for a road trip. What was the inspiration behind that track?
greek: The way that I used to make my music is a lot of mindless thought writing and that becomes a bigger song eventually. And with that song I really was into the production of a song called “Stormy” by Tommy Roe from the mid 60s or 70s. And I was really into it for like a few months and there's like a lot of elements from that song that I just like rehashed into my own thing. I listened to a lot of The Mamas & the Papas at the time and 60s like Laurel Canyon. I just love a big chorus and I know I have a pretty capable range when it comes to that type of thing so I just wanted to scream a chorus (laughs).
Fuzzer: Yeah you gotta do it! (laughs)
greek: Yeah I catered the song around, I guess, maybe the things that I am sufficient at with a song like that. So that song was very quick, I didn't realise it was gonna happen because I had just gotten off of a tour. I got home and I wrote that within like the first week, and there was one week where I got off of tour, last June into July, where I wrote half of the songs in the album that I ended up just like holding on to and perfecting over like six months. It was definitely feeling very production heavy with that one. I remember I rewrote the second verse like two or three times, but honestly, it was just me trying to make a song that felt like it was an older song in a way. But it still feels new because I try to incorporate a lot of modern elements to the production and stuff.
Fuzzer: That’s awesome. I think what I like most is you take some of these like unexpected shifts, especially at towards the end of the album, where it kind of shifts to an eerie mood in ‘River’ and it has these orchestral strings and then it like flows into ‘Stranger’. An amazing job. And what were your main highlights working on the album?
greek: Thank you. Oh, man. Yeah actually, my favourite part of the whole thing was those two songs, ‘River’ and ‘Stranger’. They’re my favourite songs that I've probably made, especially ‘River’. I remember when I got the strings sent back to me from Johan Lennox, he helped me out with those, I started to cry. Because we had written together, I remember I wrote the skeleton of the chords, and he came in and helped me fix some of the voicing for strings. And I ended up going back over it again that night by myself for a few hours. It took like 10-15 hours to write the strings out. And just hearing it back felt like it was my baby, I just felt so happy with it. It’s weird writing your own creation in like a physical format played by other people. So that was pretty cool. That was the first time that I've heard something like that in that context.
Fuzzer: Yeah, it’s so beautiful! Had you written for musical instruments before and have composing background?
greek: No, I’m not from a musical background until I was a later teenager. I like to indulge myself in that type of thing now. And I still can't read sheet music by the way so I don't even count on me for that (laughs). But I know a bit of theory, I can definitely get around with core knowledge and things. But nonetheless, him and I wrote that part so it was definitely a pretty cool experience to say the least.
Fuzzer: Yeah nice! So one thing we are doing with each of our interviews is we're gonna customise like a cocktail recipe in relation to the new album or project we're talking about. So perhaps this could be inspiration for someone who's like drinking this while they're listening to the album. So if ‘ACCELERATOR’ was a cocktail, what vibe would we be going for?
greek: Okay so don't be mad at me but I'm not a crazy drinker (laughs) so I don't even know. Honestly what I usually get is like, my friend Tommy put me on to a pineapple tequila. I used to get sour vodkas a lot whenever I would go out but too much sugar used to give me a hangover.
Fuzzer: Yeah that’s the worst hangover! Okay cool, we'll put something together along those lines.
greek: I like sweet drinks. I like my coffee very sweet, and I'll probably regret that one day. But that also goes with alcohol, so something sweeter I think would fall in line.
Fuzzer: Okay I like that! And what music are you listening to at the moment? Are there any new artists that we should listen to?
greek: Yeah so I'm a big fan of my friend, her name's Alex Banin. I was listening to a lot of her music recently and we’re actually go on tour together soon. And there’s this kid I found on Instagram, his name’s is “colin!”. I think he’s from Alabama. I'll put you on, it’s hip-hop. He samples a lot what sounds like older R&B records. He has in EP called “THE VISION” and he’s like 17.
Fuzzer: Amazing, okay! I'll definitely listen to that. And as you mentioned, you're heading out on a US tour soon and in Toronto. And you’ll be playing at The Roxy too which is pretty iconic. What are you looking forward to most about those performances?
greek: I mean, honestly, it's my first ever like legitimate Greek tour. I've done two of my own shows before and that was two years ago. I'm so looking forward to getting my feet wet with what this like really takes. I've been on tour a lot, I've probably toured two times, but I've done like maybe 50 to 100 shows - somewhere in there. I just want to get better at it. It takes a lot of practice to become the best version of yourself as a performer so that and meeting people, it's just so cool to me. I've always had such an interest in meeting fans and people on the road that like my music.
Fuzzer: Yeah, 100%. No, I think it's the perfect way to connect with fans. Well that’s all my questions for you! The album's amazing, and I'm really looking forward to listening to more of your music. And thanks so much for chatting to us again!
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