a time when the music scene is dominated by quick hits and fleeting trends, Chris Grey is taking a different approach. The Canadian artist’s debut album, The Castle Never Falls , isn’t just something you listen to—it’s something you experience. Dark, cinematic, and deeply emotional, this album pulls you into its world, one that Chris has carefully built layer by layer. In this exclusive interview with PopFiltr, Chris opens up about his journey, the making of The Castle Never Falls , and the personal experiences that have shaped his sound.
For Chris, the connection to music wasn’t just a passing childhood phase—it’s been a constant in his life. “Honestly, it goes back farther than I can even really remember,” he says with a smile. “Music always called to me, even as a kid.” But it wasn’t just any music that drew him in. His first musical obsession? Live Aid . “When I was five, my parents got me the Live Aid DVD. I’d watch the whole concert on loop, especially Ozzy Osbourne’s and Queen’s performances. I was obsessed. Every night, I’d rewatch Ozzy’s performance,” he recalls, laughing at the memory.
That early love for rock set the stage for what was to come, and by the time he was 12, Chris was already learning to produce his own music. “At that time, I was really into EDM. I had all these ideas in my head, but I didn’t know how to get them out,” he explains. Learning how to produce changed everything for him. “That’s when I could finally start shaping the sound I wanted.”
But it wasn’t until Chris heard The Weeknd’s Wicked Games, at the age of 13, that his musical path really started to take shape “I listened to it five times in a row right after. The Weeknd’s sound just gripped me,” he recalls. “That’s when I started to really dive into darker, moodier music. That song completely changed the way I thought about sound.”
As Chris began to develop his sound, the challenges of being an indie artist hit hard. “It’s a lonely journey sometimes, especially as an indie artist. You’re making all the decisions on your own, and that can feel scary,” he admits. Signing with Rebellion Records changed that. “Since working with Rebellion Records, I have people around me to bounce ideas off of. It’s made the journey feel less isolating. The ups and downs of this industry can be intense, but it’s nice to have people to celebrate the highs and support you through the lows.”
The conversation naturally turned to Chris’s debut album The Castle Never Falls, an ambitious project, started with a trip to London. It was there that Chris saw Phantom of the Opera for the first time—and it left a huge impact. “It blew me away! I left so inspired,” he says. “I already had some songs, but I was trying to tie them together with a story. Once I imagined an orchestra playing one of my songs in a castle—it all just clicked."
The sweeping organs and orchestral elements that define tracks like Sick and Twisted, Haunted, and The Castle are direct nods to the theatricality of Phantom of the Opera . “You can hear the influence throughout the album, especially with the organs and the dramatic build-ups,” he explains.
The album clocks in at 42 minutes, but it wasn’t always meant to be that long. “It started at around 30 minutes, but I kept adding more,” he laughs. “I’d listen to it on long drives, make notes, and tweak it. Then, a month before release, I made I Got You , and that’s when it finally felt finished.”
A cornerstone of the conversation is the storyline. Chris repeatedly emphasized the importance of a fully immersive experience and the journey through the complexity of human emotions. “I really wanted to tell a story with this album. The Castle and Guarded are bookends and are some of my favorite pieces of writing. The whole album was visual for me.”
One thing that stands out in Chris’s music is his attention to detail. He layers his tracks with a richness that rewards multiple listens, revealing more each time. “I’ve always been a maximalist producer,” he explains. “Some people like to keep things minimal and clean, but I love adding layers. The more I can build, the better.” His approach shines on The Castle , the album’s intro track, which features an astonishing 380 layers. “That track broke my personal record for layers,” he says with a grin. “I wanted the album to feel big, cinematic, like a movie playing out in your head.”
One of Chris’s proudest moments on the album was recording a live choir—a personal milestone for him. “It was a dream of mine to work with a choir, and I finally got to do it for this album. I flew to LA for less than 24 hours just to record them, but it was totally worth it,” he says, clearly still excited by the memory. The live choir brings an epic dimension to the album’s opening track, adding to its immersive feel.
But it’s not just traditional instruments that Chris plays with. When asked about the most random sound he hid on the album, he points to I Got You . “It was mildly inspired by some old reggae tracks my dad would always listen to. That song actually samples a Jamaican reggae track from the ‘70s. There are some really subtle reggae and dub samples tucked in there,” Chris reveals. “If you listen carefully, you’ll catch them.”
And while Let The World Burn has already exploded with over 116 million Spotify streams, Chris’s personal connection to the song goes beyond its numbers. “I love that song, but it’s crazy how much it’s resonated with people. From the demo to the final version, it came together in just two weeks,” he says.
But not everything came together as easily. Grey admits that Give Me Your Love was a bit of a challenge. “I’d written the chorus a long time ago, but when I tried to finish it, I found it hard to get right. Allegra and I spent a lot of time crafting that one.”
Another fan favorite, Make The Angels Cry. The song’s 2-minute, 22-second runtime even feels serendipitous, given the significance of 222 as an “angel number” in spirituality, signaling guidance from a higher power. “I’d love to say it was intentional, but it was an accident,” Chris laughs. “The first bounce of the file was that length, and I decided to keep it. It just felt right.” The track also features Allegra Jordyn, Chris’s girlfriend and long-time collaborator, on the outro. “She killed it on that part,” he says.
For fans who love digging into the details, Chris has hidden some lyrical “Easter eggs” throughout the album. “There are a lot of references to my earlier work, and Allegra’s music too,” he says. “If you really listen, you’ll hear us kind of talking to each other in our songs.”
Looking ahead, Chris Grey has big plans for touring, hoping to take The Castle Never Falls on the road next year. “I’m really hoping to tour next year and take this album on the road,” he says, hinting at potential shows in North America, Europe, and Asia. Beyond touring, Chris dreams of performing with a live orchestra. “I’d love to do one of those screenings where the orchestra plays the soundtrack live alongside a movie. Hearing my music played by an orchestra would be a dream come true.”
Throughout the interview, one theme is clear: Chris’s passion. “I love passionate people, and I try to put that into my music,” he says. For him, it’s about creating an emotional experience, not just following trends. “I’ve worked my whole life to get to this point. To finally see the reactions coming in, seeing fans listening—it’s just been a dream.”
