Features

‘NOVA’, Obsessive Ideation on Growth and Transition

RL Grime’s newest album, ‘NOVA’ topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic album chart as people had spoken.

The artist himself had no idea how big this would be. Look at how many “wows” were in his tweet, not once, not twice, but four times. Indeed, success of this scale is not built in a day. He had his Clockwork days, and recalling the days of childhood, He was a hip hop kid, fumbling with Reason all day to figure out how it worked. We asked him about his journey that led to his latest release, ‘NOVA’.

 

Words : Daehwa Lee, Binna Kim

 

At the end of last year, you completed the ‘NOVA’ tour where you played in 31 different cities in North America. How do you feel about that?

“It was an amazing run. I was able to play a lot of new music and put together a set that was, for the most part, all my own music. I also added some live elements to the performance which opened up a lot of doors for me.”

 

Please tell us about some achievements of the ‘NOVA’ tour that you feel really proud of.

“There were many things that made me proud about the ‘Nova’ tour. First of all, they were the biggest rooms I had ever played on my own. The stage design and execution was incredibly advanced and the fact we were able to bring it into the majority of the rooms was amazing. I was also very proud of the set. I wanted to showcase all of my music in a coherent package, and adding in live elements (triggering lights, drums pads, etc) was something brand new and incredibly fulfilling for me.”

 

Recently you have become so popular in Asia. What’s so special about the Asian audiences?

“People in Asia are so open minded when it comes to dance music. Every time I come out here people are so kind and excited, it makes me want to keep coming back.”

 

I know that you were born into an artists’ family. Was there some difference from other families’ atmosphere?

“I grew up in a very tight knit family. I’m very close with my mom, dad, and sister. My parents live in LA so I’m able to see them every week. My sister lives in New York so it’s harder to see her, but we still talk very often. They are such an amazing support system in my life.”

 

How did your parents influence you?

“My mom is a fine art photographer and my dad is a (now retired) architect. They both came from very creative fields, so as a kid, they would expose me to a wide variety of music, art, film, etc. I think this helped nurture my creative side and allowed me to pursue what I wanted to do.”

 

I know that you’ve loved hip hop since you were young. When did you start liking hip hop?

“I can’t pinpoint exactly when it was, maybe 6th grade? I was listening to everything from 50 Cent, to Young Jeezy, to A Tribe Called Quest, to MF Doom. As I went through high school I became especially captivated by the production.”

Could you tell us some albums or artists you enjoyed listening to at that time? I’d like to know also the reason why you liked them.

“Growing up these were some of my favorite albums (I’m definitely missing a bunch). MF Doom ‘Doomsday’ — Not only is he one of my favorite rappers, this opened my eyes to a lot of sampling techniques.  Mos Def ‘Black On Both Sides’ — Still one of my favorites, I remember listening to this album every day driving to school. Diplomats ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ — I remember the first time I heard this album was when I was like 12 years old in this skate shop in LA and they were playing it and I thought it was the hardest shit I’d ever heard. Young Jeezy ‘Thug Motivation 101’ — One of the first times I was exposed to actual ‘trap’ drums. Mannie Fresh was one of my favorite producers growing up and greatly influenced the music I ended up making.”

 

I’m curious about the stories of Clockwork. From what I know, you started producing for the first time when you were in high school. I’d like to hear about how the workspace (or studio) where you produced music looked like.

“My workspace in high school was really just me on my couch or in bed trying to figure out how to use Reason. Not much has changed now, except now I’m working at a desk and using Ableton.”

 

After Clockwork, what made you decide to start RL Grime?

“I think I felt stuck doing the Clockwork stuff. It was very much confined to one BPM, one feeling, one structure, etc. I started becoming sick of it. It had lost the magic it once had for me. I wanted to try something totally different and express what I truly wanted to. That’s when I started RL Grime.”

 

It’s been a while since we have heard a release from Clockwork. Do you have any plans to re-start Clockwork sometime?

“No, no plans.”

 

 

I’d like to hear about the collaboration with Miguel. What’s the reason that you chose Miguel to collaborate with?

“I met Miguel through my booking agent, who brought him to one of my shows. Miguel is such a raw talent and he totally understood the vibe of my music after coming to one of my shows. We connected soon after and wrote ‘Stay For It’.”

 

In the light of the collaboration, what do you think is the great thing about him?

“Miguel grew up in LA as well, so it was very easy for us to get along and relate to one another. We got in the studio and on the first day he got in the booth and laid down the majority of ‘Stay For It’ in one take. It was such a surreal experience for me.”

 

I’d like to hear about ‘I Wanna Know’. Why did you choose Daya to collaborate with?

“She has an incredibly unique and powerful voice so when I first made the song I knew she’d be perfect for it. I sent her the demo, we met up the next day, and she knocked it out the park.”

 

It has more pop elements than before. What was the motivation for the change?

“I think in a way I wanted to firmly plant my feet and show people that this album won’t just be standard bangers. I want to take it further than that. It was my first time really lending a big hand in the songwriting process. Production wise it’s not too far off from older songs of mine like ‘Because Of U’ or ‘The Hills’ remix I did. I’m really proud of this record.”

 

What did you want to express through ‘NOVA’?

“’NOVA’ came from obsessive ideation on growth, and on transition. The art, and stories, and the moments that inspired me through this record tend to explore this as well. The feeling of leaving behind what was, and of welcoming the foreign, or the not yet knowable.

The music I’ve made in the past all seems to live in this sort of dark, looming cavern, deep underground. Thats at least how it exists in my mind. I’ve always been attracted to find something soaring, something anthemic in that darkness. That was ‘VOID’.

With ‘NOVA’ I was eager to emerge from that darkness a bit, but not to abandon it. To take the sounds that before seemed to emanate from somewhere down below, and, to put it literally, bring them up into the skies, and into space. I wanted to find that same sort of power in something light. To find something that felt like a stampede, but that you’d still want to sing to.”

 

I felt that you didn’t like your music to be specified as ‘trap’. Is this because it may cause a prejudice to the listeners?

“I just hate when artists or music is put into a box. I listen to a very wide variety of music and therefore have a wide variety of influences, so to be put into a box or labeled as one thing is something I will always try to avoid. I want to make whatever I feel like making.”