WEBVTT - Charting a New Path in Pop with Livingston 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:01.320 Taking a Walk. 0:00:01.400 --> 0:00:03.560 So when I'm creating, I think I kind of just 0:00:03.640 --> 0:00:07.240 try to make space for concepts, whether that'll be a 0:00:07.280 --> 0:00:11.280 lyrical concept or just you know, a melodic shape, something 0:00:11.320 --> 0:00:14.520 that feels like it's making a really clear statement. And 0:00:14.600 --> 0:00:16.680 when that pulls at me and I can kind of 0:00:16.760 --> 0:00:19.320 visualize what a full song would sound like from there, 0:00:19.800 --> 0:00:23.320 it then kind of gives way to dialing it in 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:25.000 and making it a full song. 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:28.160 Welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast, where Buzz Night 0:00:28.440 --> 0:00:31.880 explores the stories behind the music, and today we're joined 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:34.680 by an artist who's on a songwriting and powerful voice 0:00:34.960 --> 0:00:39.120 have resonated with fans all over the world, Livingstone. From 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:42.880 his early days crafting songs in his bedroom to sharing 0:00:42.920 --> 0:00:46.519 his music on stages across the country. Livingston's journey is 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:50.280 a testament to the power of vulnerability and perseverance. 0:00:50.680 --> 0:00:52.040 In this episode, we'll. 0:00:51.840 --> 0:00:55.040 Talk about the moments that shape his artistry, the inspiration 0:00:55.200 --> 0:00:58.200 behind his most moving songs, and what he's learned along 0:00:58.240 --> 0:01:02.360 the way. Buzz talks with Livingston about his new deluxe edition, 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:06.920 A Hometown Odyssey. A story continues on Taking a Walk. 0:01:08.640 --> 0:01:11.319 Livingston, thanks for being on the Taking a Walk Podcast. 0:01:11.319 --> 0:01:12.560 It's an honor having you on. 0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:14.560 Thank you so much for having me. 0:01:15.360 --> 0:01:19.240 So since the show is called taking a Walk, I'd 0:01:19.240 --> 0:01:22.520 like to ask this question before we get the proceedings going. 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:26.800 If you could take a walk with somebody who is 0:01:28.040 --> 0:01:31.679 involved with music, living or dead. Who would you take 0:01:31.680 --> 0:01:33.959 a walk with and where do you think you would 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:35.000 like to take that walk? 0:01:36.040 --> 0:01:38.200 I would love to take a walk with Rick Group 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:40.120 and at Changri La in Alibi. 0:01:41.240 --> 0:01:45.440 That would be pretty intense, or maybe the opposite, Maybe 0:01:45.480 --> 0:01:47.040 it would be like the most relaxing. 0:01:47.640 --> 0:01:53.720 Then I feel like he has this aura of calm 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:56.840 around him or at least just like deeper thought, like 0:01:56.960 --> 0:01:58.640 takes you out of the real world and into kind 0:01:58.680 --> 0:02:04.360 of the I choose on shoose Off tooos Off for sure. 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:11.160 And what is it like making this move from Denton, 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:14.480 Texas now to the LA based That's a little bit 0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:18.399 of a different stop on the map. 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:22.560 You know, it's really different, though I categorize my LA 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:28.120 experience is pretty insulated because I really didn't change much 0:02:28.160 --> 0:02:32.920 about my lifestyle from when I moved from Texas, because 0:02:33.280 --> 0:02:36.960 it was just a move made to focus on becoming 0:02:37.000 --> 0:02:40.280 a better songwriter and producer, which I'm still figuring out. 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:44.639 You know, it's years of sessions before I even moved 0:02:44.680 --> 0:02:47.720 out to LA, and then years of sessions in LA. 0:02:48.639 --> 0:02:52.680 It's more so just a change that pushed me to 0:02:52.720 --> 0:02:58.240 push myself further as a creator. But most of my 0:02:58.400 --> 0:03:03.400 time is largely spent alone in my bedroom studio. I 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:05.840 don't really go out, don't go to parties. I don't 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:07.600 hang out with people that much. 0:03:07.639 --> 0:03:10.520 I'd just kind of do my thing, just like in Denton, 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:17.400 Texas exactly. It's an amazing story, a hometown. Odyssee, the 0:03:17.480 --> 0:03:20.240 story continues. We're going to talk about that for sure, 0:03:20.880 --> 0:03:23.320 but I do want to ask you, can you share 0:03:23.360 --> 0:03:27.239 a memory from your childhood that first sparked your your 0:03:27.280 --> 0:03:28.120 love for music. 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:33.480 I remember playing rock Band, this video game, I think 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:36.400 it was on the Wii, back when those were around, 0:03:37.120 --> 0:03:39.560 and I played with my brother and he would drum 0:03:39.680 --> 0:03:43.640 and I would sing, and it was like just all 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:45.640 the classics. It was like more than a feel in 0:03:45.640 --> 0:03:47.880 in Summer sixty nine and Message in a Bottle and 0:03:47.920 --> 0:03:50.360 like all this stuff from Boston and Police and Queen 0:03:50.440 --> 0:03:55.120 and like I remember the feeling of like when the 0:03:55.160 --> 0:03:56.920 bridge would come and that part of the song would 0:03:56.960 --> 0:04:00.119 hit that just caught you on a deeper level. And 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:02.920 you know, I knew I couldn't sing too well, but 0:04:03.040 --> 0:04:05.080 like you know, it was just fun to jam out 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:09.200 with my brother and that was kind of the first 0:04:09.360 --> 0:04:11.120 seed planet of music. 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:14.280 I think, well, let's have a little fun with something. 0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:18.839 We'll call it fast five here, so five fast questions. 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:22.400 First concert you ever attended and how it impacted you. 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:27.560 Tolbe Mack at the American Airline Center in Dallas, Texas, 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:30.919 and impacted me because I dressed like him and I 0:04:30.960 --> 0:04:33.080 was standing by B stage and when he came out 0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:35.360 on be stage, he looked at me and he knew 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:38.040 I was like dressed like him, and he like winked 0:04:38.040 --> 0:04:40.080 at me. And I think it like set my future emotion. 0:04:41.120 --> 0:04:41.680 I love that. 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:46.960 First instrument you ever played out of violin, First time 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:52.119 you wrote or composed a song, twelve or thirteen. First 0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:54.599 musician you truly admired. 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:57.400 John Bellian, nice one. 0:04:57.520 --> 0:04:59.560 We're trying to get him on the podcast, by the way. 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:04.480 First memorable experience performing live in front of an audience. 0:05:05.640 --> 0:05:08.719 You've group when I was thirteen, convinced the youth group 0:05:08.760 --> 0:05:10.960 leader to let me perform in front of everybody. Mike 0:05:11.120 --> 0:05:12.400 was off for the first two songs. 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:13.880 Oh geez. 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:17.800 When you're writing a new song, tell us about the 0:05:17.839 --> 0:05:21.680 creative process. How you start. Do you start with lyrics? 0:05:21.760 --> 0:05:23.159 Do you start with melody? 0:05:23.560 --> 0:05:25.800 Is? What is your way of doing it? 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:28.920 For the longest time, and I think this is still 0:05:28.920 --> 0:05:32.320 my favorite. It's all concepts first. Like I think everything 0:05:32.400 --> 0:05:35.200 that I create and everything that I love has a 0:05:35.279 --> 0:05:39.799 strong why I'm not a big fan of abstract stuff. 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:42.600 I kind of have a simple palette as a consumer 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:45.120 and as a listener and as a viewer of art, 0:05:45.200 --> 0:05:48.560 I have like a mainstream kind of you know, maybe 0:05:48.640 --> 0:05:51.520 some would call boring an unnuanced, a pugle, but I'm 0:05:51.560 --> 0:05:56.960 just a sucker for like big, solid, clear, emotional fecius 0:05:57.200 --> 0:06:01.200 to anything that I consume. So when I'm creating, I 0:06:01.200 --> 0:06:04.960 think I kind of just try to make space for concepts, 0:06:05.120 --> 0:06:07.880 whether that'll be a lyrical concept or just you know, 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:11.240 a melodic shape, something that feels like it's making a 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:14.680 really clear statement. And when that pulls at me and 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:16.920 I can kind of visualize what a full song would 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:19.640 sound like from there, it then kind of gives way 0:06:19.920 --> 0:06:23.680 to dialing it in and making it a full song. 0:06:25.320 --> 0:06:30.520 Your music is incredible. The lyrics are incredible and you're 0:06:30.600 --> 0:06:33.159 twenty two years old, thank. 0:06:33.000 --> 0:06:38.680 You so much, and their lyrics that are certainly of 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:43.359 someone who could be way older than twenty two years old. 0:06:44.600 --> 0:06:51.800 Where do you get this sense of focus and incredible wisdom? 0:06:52.200 --> 0:06:52.400 You know? 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:55.800 I don't know if I don't think I'm wise, because 0:06:55.800 --> 0:06:59.200 there's still stuff I find out every day in terms 0:06:59.240 --> 0:07:02.000 of just stumble over my land feet and like figuring 0:07:02.000 --> 0:07:04.320 out like, oh, this is this whole way I was 0:07:04.320 --> 0:07:06.000 going about this thing was flawed and there's a better 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:07.640 way to do it, and like kind of the more 0:07:07.680 --> 0:07:10.000 you know that you realize, the less you know. So 0:07:10.040 --> 0:07:12.520 I think there's that. But I do kind of approach 0:07:13.360 --> 0:07:17.880 life with a like a really inordinate amount of intensity. 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:22.560 With everything that I do. It's just very intense. I 0:07:22.640 --> 0:07:29.440 experience sensations really intensely and emotions really intensely, sometimes at 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:33.320 the cost of it being a little too serious. But 0:07:33.400 --> 0:07:35.240 I think that that helps me out when it comes 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:38.320 to music, because I look at every song as a 0:07:38.560 --> 0:07:40.600 bit of a life or death. Like, you know, if 0:07:40.640 --> 0:07:42.680 I could if I got hit by a bus tomorrow, 0:07:42.680 --> 0:07:45.480 what would I make today, Which which may be a 0:07:45.560 --> 0:07:48.240 little extreme, but I think that can kind of maybe 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:52.360 explain some of the intensity or drive to some of 0:07:52.400 --> 0:07:56.360 the songs, because I think that they are our prisms 0:07:56.400 --> 0:07:58.800 for a lot of things that I'm trying to get 0:07:58.840 --> 0:08:00.520 out of my system. Just in case. 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:06.040 We also produced this other podcast that's called Music Saved Me. 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:12.239 It's about the sort of the therapeutic and healing power of music. 0:08:12.920 --> 0:08:17.800 And I know for you, you went through some terrible 0:08:17.840 --> 0:08:23.520 times at school and there was bullying and just an 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:28.800 awful environment. So I do have to ask you it 0:08:29.040 --> 0:08:33.520 has music saved you? And do you think music has 0:08:34.040 --> 0:08:34.880 healing power? 0:08:35.679 --> 0:08:38.880 Absolutely? I mean, I think music hit me at the 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:42.040 perfect time. I think it saved me from whatever else 0:08:42.080 --> 0:08:44.240 I would have found to medicate my issues in middle 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:47.559 school and high school, the drug to alcohol or partying 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:51.360 or whatever that the typical and completely understandable advice has 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:54.200 already kind of drown out the feeling of being alone 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:59.640 and feeling like other It gave me space to channel 0:08:59.679 --> 0:09:02.640 a lot of negativity into something that, at least to me, 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:04.640 felt productive at the time. Even though I had nothing 0:09:04.640 --> 0:09:07.880 to show for its demos, I had no idea what 0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:09.520 it would give way to, but I always had a 0:09:09.520 --> 0:09:12.920 feeling about it, and it definitely came at the time 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:13.800 that I needed it too. 0:09:15.240 --> 0:09:20.120 Your lyrics are so deeply personal. Is there a particular 0:09:20.240 --> 0:09:27.800 song that was especially cathartic for you or particularly challenging 0:09:28.200 --> 0:09:28.720 to write? 0:09:30.080 --> 0:09:33.480 Half Life felt like a turning point moment because I 0:09:34.240 --> 0:09:36.960 remember I wrote that at a time when I was 0:09:37.000 --> 0:09:39.920 just so confused about what to do next, and I had, 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:43.080 you know, five years of my career under my golt, 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:46.000 but nothing to really show for quite yet. And I 0:09:46.040 --> 0:09:51.640 remember this feeling of almost rediscovering that initial passion for 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:54.760 making a statement in a song that felt big and 0:09:54.840 --> 0:09:58.800 clear and universal, and thinking about all the people that 0:09:59.080 --> 0:10:01.560 never sacrificed for me, and all the times in my 0:10:01.600 --> 0:10:04.720 life that I've sacrificed for someone I love, and realizing 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:08.440 that those moments feels so much more potent than getting 0:10:08.480 --> 0:10:12.080 in these material moments of where things pay off or 0:10:12.120 --> 0:10:15.320 you see the back end of whatever you're doing kind 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:18.720 of comes to fruition. And I think that song really 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:21.800 set my course again in a really unclear time. 0:10:23.080 --> 0:10:25.480 How do you know that one of your songs, when 0:10:25.480 --> 0:10:29.920 you're creating, is truly finished. What's the point that you 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:34.960 know it's done and out the door and done. 0:10:36.240 --> 0:10:39.880 When it sounds like the original visualization of the song 0:10:40.360 --> 0:10:42.840 that I had when the spark hit. Like when the 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:47.960 spark hits, it's almost like a fifteen second clockwork. Orange 0:10:48.480 --> 0:10:50.800 just blit to that information where I can kind of 0:10:50.840 --> 0:10:53.200 see the entire lifetime of the song play out and 0:10:53.240 --> 0:10:55.400 what it could be and everything that could sound like, 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:57.880 and then what color it is and what world it 0:10:57.920 --> 0:11:01.160 lives in, and like it's a little glimpse and it 0:11:01.200 --> 0:11:03.320 could last as short as a minute, it can last 0:11:03.400 --> 0:11:06.520 an entire day at the beginning of creating a song. 0:11:06.559 --> 0:11:11.839 But whenever the version that I bounce sounds and feels 0:11:11.920 --> 0:11:15.880 and looks to me like that original spark, I know 0:11:15.960 --> 0:11:18.880 that there's no need to keep, you know, beating it 0:11:18.920 --> 0:11:20.439 over the head, like another idea will come. 0:11:22.040 --> 0:11:24.560 I want to talk about some specific songs off of 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:28.520 the story continues, but I do want to ask you 0:11:28.840 --> 0:11:33.400 about I think it's probably my favorite of your work, 0:11:33.640 --> 0:11:37.000 and it's Last Man Standing. Can you talk about that kids, 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:41.440 that song and the motivation behind it. 0:11:41.440 --> 0:11:42.719 It's it is. 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:49.280 It's stellar, man, Thank you so much. That was That 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:53.559 was a song I wrote when you know, I felt 0:11:53.840 --> 0:11:56.560 like I didn't have enough to show of what I 0:11:56.600 --> 0:11:58.440 had done. So far to this this person that I 0:11:58.520 --> 0:12:00.520 really really loved, that I'd been with for a really 0:12:00.559 --> 0:12:04.160 long time, and I felt like I didn't have enough. 0:12:04.200 --> 0:12:07.280 You know, I wasn't out here making billions of dollars, 0:12:07.320 --> 0:12:10.400 I wasn't selling out anything. I had nothing, and I had, 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:14.880 you know, years of having pursued this with nothing really 0:12:14.920 --> 0:12:17.840 to show for it. And I was concerned about, like, hey, 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:19.840 does this still like am I still worthy to you 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:21.960 as a as a partner? Can I still give you 0:12:22.000 --> 0:12:24.000 what you need if I don't have, you know, the 0:12:24.040 --> 0:12:26.720 world behind me to kind of prove it. Every time 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:29.880 I would have that conversation with her, I would just 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:33.520 get reminded like, hey, you were there before anything, like 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:37.120 before before you know, the kid to school even knew 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:38.880 I made music. You know, I've been with this person 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:44.520 since I was fourteen years old. So I think realizing that, 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:47.440 you know, when you truly love somebody, it's not about 0:12:47.480 --> 0:12:50.720 what they what they bring into the world, or what 0:12:50.760 --> 0:12:54.160 their dreams are, or how realized their final potential is. 0:12:54.200 --> 0:12:56.679 It's just about I love this person for who they 0:12:56.720 --> 0:13:02.040 are and you know, the way that they see the world. 0:13:03.120 --> 0:13:05.200 And so I think it was me realizing that I 0:13:05.200 --> 0:13:07.120 didn't need to be more than I was or do 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:10.360 more than I was doing to be worthy. 0:13:10.679 --> 0:13:15.360 It's an incredible song. It's so visual. 0:13:15.800 --> 0:13:19.719 Thanks, it's really fun life. People really seem to get 0:13:19.720 --> 0:13:21.559 into that one and the shows. 0:13:22.520 --> 0:13:28.239 So let's talk about grave Digger off of the story continues. 0:13:29.160 --> 0:13:33.319 Tell me about that song and motivation behind that. 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:39.880 I think I'm really introspective to a point where I 0:13:40.480 --> 0:13:42.800 can check my thoughts at the door so much that 0:13:42.880 --> 0:13:46.559 it becomes a new censor. It becomes cyclical and repetitive, 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:48.640 and I can end up getting in my own way 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:52.160 and being my own worst enemy. And sometimes that really 0:13:52.240 --> 0:13:54.680 frustrates me, And so I wanted to write a song 0:13:54.720 --> 0:13:58.400 about how frustrating that feeling is, to kind of know 0:13:58.600 --> 0:14:01.720 that you are the cause of of whatever you're tripping over. 0:14:02.120 --> 0:14:05.400 It's self induced friction, it's not external. I know a 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:07.000 lot of people feel like that too. They just want 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:09.960 to get out of their heads into the world. And 0:14:10.000 --> 0:14:12.319 I definitely resonate with that, so I needed to get 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:12.959 it out. 0:14:13.440 --> 0:14:18.640 We all do it, right, It's such a common, common flaw, right, Yeah, 0:14:18.960 --> 0:14:22.480 in the human condition, which is what you explore. You 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:26.080 explore the human condition, not only in your in your 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:30.280 own self, but in the world around you. How about Look, Mom, 0:14:30.320 --> 0:14:31.960 I Can Fly? Talk about that one. 0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:34.680 I would say, Look, Mom, I Can Fly is the 0:14:34.800 --> 0:14:38.960 exact opposite of Grave Digger. That's that's just a reminder 0:14:39.000 --> 0:14:41.200 not to take things so seriously. It's a reminder of 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:43.200 every song that I've listened to that just makes me, 0:14:43.280 --> 0:14:46.560 let go have a good time and not you know, 0:14:46.760 --> 0:14:49.320 look for meaning in every single detail, but just kind 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:51.760 of like you know those days where you wake up 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:54.160 and you have the roast colored glasses on and everything 0:14:54.280 --> 0:14:59.200 is just like kind of magical and nostalgic, and you're 0:14:59.200 --> 0:15:02.040 not taking yourself to too seriously. There's a lot to 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:05.880 be said for that feeling, and I don't experience it 0:15:05.920 --> 0:15:09.080 as much as I used to, and so I needed 0:15:09.080 --> 0:15:11.360 to make that song to remind myself of how important 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:11.720 it is. 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:14.840 And I want to talk about a couple of others. 0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:17.920 A glow off of the story continues. 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:23.280 Glows is a song describing to somebody the power and 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:25.880 the light that they have even when they don't see it, 0:15:25.920 --> 0:15:28.440 and when they feel like the world is against them 0:15:28.440 --> 0:15:31.080 and they're at the bottom of a very dark place, 0:15:31.520 --> 0:15:33.720 knowing you can't take them out of that you don't 0:15:33.720 --> 0:15:35.520 know exactly what they're going through, but you can still 0:15:35.560 --> 0:15:37.720 see that they're beautiful and they have something to bring 0:15:37.760 --> 0:15:39.520 to the world even in that place. 0:15:41.040 --> 0:15:42.920 And then the last one I want to ask you 0:15:43.120 --> 0:15:45.520 about is Brainstorm. 0:15:46.280 --> 0:15:49.200 Brainstorm is kind of a sister song to Grave Digger, 0:15:50.360 --> 0:15:52.400 and I think it's a little less dark and a 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:55.320 little bit more visual, and so I think it was 0:15:55.400 --> 0:15:58.760 kind of a kind of improving on the format a 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:01.280 little bit of I'm going to make a dark song 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:04.160 about a very introspective thing. Is there a way to 0:16:04.200 --> 0:16:07.880 describe it that feels more grandiose and a little less dark? 0:16:09.080 --> 0:16:13.960 And you recalled the moment you realized that music was 0:16:14.000 --> 0:16:17.520 going to be a career, not just a little side passion. 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:23.880 Yeah. I got a call when I was I think sixteen. 0:16:25.080 --> 0:16:29.560 I had sent an email with my first song, fairy Tale, 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:33.000 that I had made the year before, and I sent 0:16:33.040 --> 0:16:35.880 that to someone that I wanted advice from, but I 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:38.160 didn't know he was an A and R. And he 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:41.840 told me, okay, I sent this to my boss and 0:16:42.200 --> 0:16:46.520 he signed at Cheeran and all these people and really wants. 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:46.760 To meet you. 0:16:47.960 --> 0:16:51.360 And that was Greg Nadell, who's a great guy worked 0:16:51.360 --> 0:16:55.120 on Electra Records at the time, and that kind of 0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:57.760 was the moment I was like, Oh, it's been in 0:16:57.800 --> 0:17:00.800 the bedroom, but now it might leave the bedroom, you 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:01.400 know for a bit. 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:09.400 Yeah, what has been the biggest surprise or lesson that 0:17:09.520 --> 0:17:13.280 you've learned since entering the music industry? 0:17:15.040 --> 0:17:18.280 Nobody knows what they're doing. Absolutely nobody knows what you're doing. 0:17:18.359 --> 0:17:21.560 There is no formula. Everybody is completely shooting in the dark. 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:27.120 It is no man's land. It is complete trial and 0:17:27.280 --> 0:17:31.840 error and rubbing sticks together to try to make a spark. 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:37.480 And the best anybody can do is create authentic things 0:17:37.600 --> 0:17:42.480 and try to make a clear message and you know, 0:17:42.960 --> 0:17:48.040 something that is unambiguous enough to stick out and put 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:50.159 a foot in the ground on something that is the 0:17:50.160 --> 0:17:54.280 only thread I see behind things that are consistently successful 0:17:54.320 --> 0:17:58.040 in world changing And aside from that, if there is 0:17:58.160 --> 0:18:00.800 any rhyme or reason to this whole industry, I don't 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:01.119 see it. 0:18:04.920 --> 0:18:05.400 Right on. 0:18:08.600 --> 0:18:13.560 Memorable stories from touring or performing that you might want 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:15.160 to share that really stand out. 0:18:15.960 --> 0:18:19.080 I know the stories about people who who come to 0:18:19.119 --> 0:18:21.159 the VIP and are like, I haven't been able to 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:23.280 leave my house for six months, Like I have a 0:18:23.320 --> 0:18:26.280 fear of being around people. I have a fear of noises, 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:32.000 and you know, I think my my concerts feel really cathartic. 0:18:32.119 --> 0:18:34.000 And so there's base for a lot of people that 0:18:34.440 --> 0:18:37.600 deal with a lot internally. And I love that because 0:18:37.680 --> 0:18:40.560 I think, you know a lot of us, and I 0:18:40.600 --> 0:18:43.880 say us meaning you know, people who experience deep things 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:46.359 internally and have a hard time sometimes bringing that out 0:18:46.359 --> 0:18:48.679 into the world. The temptation is to make that a 0:18:48.880 --> 0:18:53.560 very insulative experience and to not share it and to 0:18:53.560 --> 0:18:58.040 not have a community. And so all these people I've 0:18:58.080 --> 0:19:00.640 met that are like you know, have I've either dealt 0:19:00.640 --> 0:19:05.200 with immense mental or physical challenges and still find themselves, 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:08.280 you know, at the shows showing up and kind of 0:19:08.320 --> 0:19:11.760 facing whatever they need to face and using it as 0:19:11.760 --> 0:19:15.280 an emotional outlet just makes it really rewarding for me. 0:19:16.640 --> 0:19:22.520 How do you keep your energy your creativity up in 0:19:22.560 --> 0:19:24.880 the most positive way when you're on the road, since 0:19:24.920 --> 0:19:27.240 the road is can be difficult. 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:33.639 All I do on the road is train and walk 0:19:34.000 --> 0:19:38.280 and eat and play shows and sleep. That's it. And 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:41.520 maybe you know, talk to my people every day obviously, 0:19:41.920 --> 0:19:44.760 you know, talk to my talk to my family, you know, 0:19:45.280 --> 0:19:49.439 but largely it's how narrow can I make this experience 0:19:49.560 --> 0:19:53.520 and what variables cross over and help the other ones 0:19:53.960 --> 0:19:57.080 the most. And for me, the more I train, the 0:19:57.119 --> 0:19:59.960 better condition I'm in for the show. The more I rest, 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:02.040 the better I recover from the show, and the training 0:20:02.080 --> 0:20:04.760 the more I eat, the more fuel. 0:20:04.520 --> 0:20:05.400 I have for this show. 0:20:05.560 --> 0:20:08.720 So it's kind of just this methodical you know, maybe 0:20:08.720 --> 0:20:13.520 two methodical Jenga castle of I can't do everything right 0:20:13.560 --> 0:20:15.639 now while I'm on the road. But if I can 0:20:15.680 --> 0:20:18.679 put on the best show I possibly can every single 0:20:18.800 --> 0:20:22.640 night and then still challenge myself in other ways while 0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:24.600 I'm out, then it feels productive to me. 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:29.600 It sounds like you make every show as if it's 0:20:29.640 --> 0:20:30.440 your last show. 0:20:30.560 --> 0:20:32.040 You pour so much into it. 0:20:33.160 --> 0:20:37.000 I we say a prayer before we go out every night, 0:20:37.080 --> 0:20:41.440 and the theme of this tour, you know, because we've 0:20:41.480 --> 0:20:45.480 played this set almost one hundred times now, the exact 0:20:45.520 --> 0:20:49.800 same set, and so there's a temptation to go autopilot. 0:20:49.840 --> 0:20:52.359 But then there's a reminder that I say during the 0:20:52.359 --> 0:20:55.399 Prairie night, which is just like it doesn't matter whether 0:20:55.440 --> 0:20:57.399 it's you know, the three hundred person show in New 0:20:57.480 --> 0:20:59.560 Orleans or it's the other night in Salt Lake, which 0:20:59.560 --> 0:21:02.480 is like twenty four hundred people. Everybody gets the same show. 0:21:02.800 --> 0:21:05.840 Everybody deserves the same show. I came from a small town. 0:21:06.160 --> 0:21:09.360 Not all the concerts of my favorite artists would even 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:12.360 pass through Dallas. A lot of artists ignored Dallas. I 0:21:12.400 --> 0:21:15.120 was like, you know, people are showing up in these 0:21:15.160 --> 0:21:19.080 places where it's even less common and more inconvenience to 0:21:19.080 --> 0:21:22.159 get to a show, and it's not just baked into 0:21:22.200 --> 0:21:24.640 a part of daily life like in these bigger cities. 0:21:24.880 --> 0:21:27.280 They deserve the exact same show as the people in 0:21:27.320 --> 0:21:29.840 the big cities, and often they're even more appreciative of it. 0:21:30.760 --> 0:21:35.800 So it's a constant challenge myself to you twenty six 0:21:35.840 --> 0:21:37.720 shows in a row. There are days where I when 0:21:37.720 --> 0:21:39.879 I feel amazing, and then there are days when I don't. 0:21:40.480 --> 0:21:42.800 But regardless, that shouldn't have an impact on the show 0:21:42.840 --> 0:21:44.359 that people get or the experience they have. 0:21:45.520 --> 0:21:48.119 You've had some great collaborations. I want you to maybe 0:21:48.160 --> 0:21:52.320 talk about some of those people you've collaborated with, and 0:21:52.440 --> 0:21:54.680 I want to ask you what do you look for 0:21:55.000 --> 0:22:00.320 in a collaboration in a creative partner, for. 0:22:00.320 --> 0:22:05.359 Somebody who challenges me and somebody who has complementary skill 0:22:05.400 --> 0:22:08.399 sets that maybe I struggle with her have blind spots with. 0:22:09.400 --> 0:22:13.720 My favorite collaborator who I'm working with extensively right now 0:22:14.240 --> 0:22:18.960 is Rami Yakub, who is a brilliant, brilliant Swedish songwriter 0:22:19.000 --> 0:22:22.000 and my one of my favorite humans in the world. 0:22:22.800 --> 0:22:28.439 And he just has this common sense understanding of how 0:22:29.080 --> 0:22:31.640 a song should be arranged and how the melody should 0:22:31.640 --> 0:22:34.240 flow into each other, and how to build tension and 0:22:34.280 --> 0:22:39.360 release and suspense and have shapes that are just iconic 0:22:40.119 --> 0:22:43.320 within the song. And a lot of times I think 0:22:43.440 --> 0:22:46.000 that can bring a sort of method to the madness 0:22:46.359 --> 0:22:52.199 that is really solid from and really impressive from a 0:22:52.280 --> 0:22:55.960 creative standpoint, and we just work really well together. So yeah, 0:22:56.000 --> 0:22:58.600 I think I think it's challenged, and I think somebody 0:22:58.600 --> 0:23:01.040