Interview: Ursae
Interview mit Ursae aus Brooklyn
Kürzlich kam mit „Trust“ die neue Single des Producers und Electronica-Pop Musikers Ursae raus. Ursae, wer? Ja richtig. Ich hatte den Musiker vorher auch nicht auf dem Radar. Deswegen möchte ich dir den Musiker heute im Interview genauer vorstellen. Wir sprechen über seine Heimat Brooklyn, seinen Sound und wie es bei ihm weiter geht.
Could you please shortly introduce yourself, who are you, where are you from and who is Ursae?
Ursae: My name is Andy Campbell, I’m a singer and producer. I’m from just outside San Francisco and currently based in Brooklyn. Ursae is my stage name, under which I write and release music.
You recently released your new single „Trust“. How was the feedback on the track and what was the song about your current status as a musician?
Ursae: Trust is a breakup anthem, detailing the path from arguments and doubt to self-realization and self-love. It’s one of my favorites so far, but it is definitely different from anything I’ve put out before. It’s a lot more direct and high-energy than say, Monday Morning or anything from my previous EP. I kind of wrote it by accident – I made the beat a couple years ago as a songwriting exercise, and ended up keeping it cause I thought it was so catchy.
Why did you need a music video for your song „Trust“?
Ursae: The video is definitely a different vibe, it tells a different story than the song. We wanted something a little scary to put out right before Halloween, so we shot this absurd video where I’m getting a haircut and this creepy barber spikes me with LSD or something and I start to like, trip out in this barber shop. It’s almost comical.
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For us Germans, New York, Brooklyn is a powerful place. Many people, many impressions and a music scene that is completely different than we can imagine. Could you briefly outline how Brookyln works for you as a city/hometown?
Ursae: Man, I love Brooklyn. It’s becoming more commercialized and expensive which is a shame, but the community of artists and creative people is wonderful. It’s a real privilege to have such talented friends who continually inspire me to outdo myself. I keep hearing great things about Berlin, though, I need to come visit soon!
If you sound like „Trust“, then you feel like on one side of the Producer and the R’n’B and Pop singers come through in you. Does one of the two sides have to slow down again and again?
Ursae: Hmm.. I think more than anything, I’m an indie-head. I do dig a lot of contemporary RnB, and I dig a lot of electronic/dance music, but I wouldn’t say either of them are my main genre. On Trust, I’m just accessing them as separate influences for what is really an Indie-Pop project.
What is the most important element in your own personality for you, that you as a Ursae continue to be musicians?
Ursae: Well, more than anything I want to be direct about my feelings with the listener the same way I’d want to be direct with the subjects of the songs I write. I’m really big into honesty and communication and representing myself in as real a way as I can. So sometimes there’s emotionally heavy stuff, hah. But I try to balance it with my sense of humor; maybe not in Trust but in Monday Morning I’m basically just talking about how I need to force myself to go outside.
Die Single „Trust“ kannst du dir hier runterladen!
What is the biggest difference between „Monday Morning“ and „Trust“ (songwriting, production etc.)?
Ursae: With Monday Morning, I wrote the lyrics first, and sort of heard the chords in my head as I went. But for Trust, I came up with the piano loop that you hear in the intro before anything else. I took this piano part that I’d recorded years before, cut it up into little pieces and made the whole beat around that. Then I wrote the words on top of the beat. So, totally different process. I wrote Trust really quickly, too; maybe in an hour or two. Monday Morning took several drafts, over probably a month or two.
Good afternoon,
We are a NeoSoul group called The Guest Room. For the last two years we have spent many a night writing, performing, and sharing our music with all who will listen. Starting today we will begin releasing and sharing the work that has defined us over the last two years. We hope to find a spot on your site to share our music with your patrons!
Today we released our latest single, Bad Days. Simply put, this song is about a Bad Day. Its morose, yet hopeful themes, are meant to portray the dichotomy of our personal experiences with bad days. The perfect example of this juxtaposition is during the breakdown towards the end of the song. The song breaks into rhythmic ambiguity that continues to get faster until ending with a brighter theme. You can’t truly understand happiness if you don’t have a bad day once in a while.
Below are a couple of links to our newest single, social media, website, etc. We hope to hear from you soon!
Bad Days: https://soundcloud.com/the_guest_room/bad-days/s-whpJ4
Website: https://www.theguestroommusic.com/press-kit
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theguestroommusic/
Try Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYLJZquQqjk
Interview with Revolt Wine Co.: https://www.revoltwines.com/2019/12/the-guest-room/
TGR