Chris Grey: 20 Questions with PopFiltr

Chris Grey, salah siji saka wajah anyar Dark R&B, mbukak ing babagan proses kreatif lan inspirasi ing mbukak sukses kang ngluwihi 20 Questions with PopFiltr. Kanthi luwih saka 5 yuta pendengar bulanan ing Spotify lan 500 yuta stream antarane platform, suara sing diprodhuksi déning Grey nggabungake R&B malam karo intensitas sinematik, orkestral. Ngasilake saka akar Jamaika lan Kanada, album debut, The Castle Never Falls, debuted at number 7 on Spotify's Top Albums Debut Global chart ing weekend pembuka (Oktober 18-20). Dive ing nalika Grey ngrembongake kolaborasi karo pacar Allegra Jordyn lan ndhuwur Christopher Graham, seni penggemar sing ndadekake kesan langgeng, lan musik sing nginspirasi - saka The Weeknd kanggo The Marias.

1. What kind of music do you listen to in your spare time?
Chris Grey: I wasn’t really into classical music until last year, but I’ll put it on when I’m reading. I love The Weeknd, Chase Atlantic, and lately, I’ve been into The Marias and Cigarettes After Sex. But it depends on my mood. I listen to everything from rap to R&B to pop. Michael Jackson is a big one for me, too—he was one of my biggest influences as a kid.

2. Apa teknik paling unconventional sampeyan wis digunakake kanggo nindakake suara sing sampeyan duwe ing pikiran?
Chris Grey: Sekali-sekali aku bakal muter suara liwat speaker-ku lan banjur ngrekam ing telponku yen aku mau suara banget lo-fi-sebu-sebu-sebu. lan aku suka nggunakake suara acak, kayata penutupan pintu mobil utawa suara atmosferik kayata badai lan hujan.

3. If your music were a movie, what genre would it be, and who would you get to direct it?
Chris Grey: Mungkin thriller romantis. lan kanggo sutradara ... ora bisa salah karo Steven Spielberg. Dheweke bakal nyedhiyakake sentuhan super sinematik, klasik.

4. Yen siji dina sampeyan ora diizinake kanggo nggawe musik - ora rekaman, ora produksi, ora ndeleng - apa sampeyan bakal nindakake?
Chris Grey: I’d probably go into film. As a kid, photography and cinematography were my other passions. I used to want to make movies. I kind of get to do that now with my music videos, so it’s fun to tap back into that side of things.

5. You co-write a lot of your music with Allegra Jordan and Christopher Graham. Does that make the creative process easier or more challenging, working closely with your girlfriend and best friend?
Chris Grey: Itu pasti nindakake proses sing luwih gampang. Kita ngerti padha banget, supaya ora ana kurva belajar. Sajawa kita ngetokake kesepakatan, kita biasane ngetokake kanggo artis kang proyèk iku. Jadi, yen iku lagu Allegra, dheweke duwe ucapan pungkasan. Sama karo musikku - yen ana kesepakatan pendapat, ing sisih ana kanggo aku. Nanging kita ora sering ngetokake.

6. What’s the last book you read?
Chris Grey: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone—it’s a murder mystery. Loved it.

7. If you could create an immersive art installation based on one of your tracks, what would the experience be like?
Chris Grey: Cool. Aku ndhuwur bakal miwiti karo suara hujan, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur, ndhuwur

8. Apa karya fan art utawa pesan sing paling aneh utawa paling memorable kang ora nampa?
Chris Grey: Oh, aku duwe iki! Jadi, ing tur, wong-wong uga bakal ngandika aku kanggo ngetrapake apa-apa kanggo tato-tato mereka. Aku awake kanggo ngetrapake, nanging siji dinten aku nyoba ngetrapake bintang kanggo wong. Iki dadi bintang paling awake. Para penggemar ora ngijini aku ngetrapake iku - ana malah gambar saka iku sing ngetrapake aku. Sawise, ing acara iki, wong-wong ngetrapake aku poster karo petunjuk langkah-langkah babagan cara ngetrapake bintang.

9. Do you have any pre-show rituals or routines before you step on stage?
Chris Grey: Ana ora terlalu gila. Aku suka njaluk ing zona lan ndhuwur kanggo lima menit pungkasan sadurunge acara. Aku bakal nyimpen telinga, ngblokir kabeh, melompat lan ndhuwur sedikit kanggo njupuk pumped, lan banjur aku siap kanggo ndhuwur.

10. Apa ana siji hal sing sampeyan tetep kasedhiya nalika sesi rekaman - apa sing mbantu karo penulisan utawa rekaman?
Chris Grey: Ing wutah, ora banget. Aku ora malah nyimpen lirikku paling wektu. Aku mung nyimpen ing mikrofon lan rekaman nalika aku nggawé. sesi-sesi aku cukup spontan, lan aku cenderung nyimpen ndhuwur malam. Suwene suara aku luwih apik, supaya iku biasane nalika aku njaluk sing paling apik.

11. Saiki, sing kaku: yen sampeyan kudu ndadekake lima lagu paling gedhe - utawa saka album anyar utawa kabeh discography - apa sing bakal lan mengapa?
Chris Grey: Top five? Okay, in no particular order. First, The Castle—that song took the most work and time, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. Then, Let The World Burn- ora ora ora uga aku suka pribadi, nanging ngandhut cara ngresonake karo wong ndadekake luwih spesial. Last Breath would be another favorite for sure. I’d say The Shadows as well—it was the first song where I really found my sound. Lastly, Cold-Blooded. I love that one.

12. If you could collaborate with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be? (Let’s exclude The Weeknd this time!)
Chris Grey: Easy—Ozzy Osbourne. Dheweke minangka salah siji saka pengaruh paling awal, lan aku pikir kolaborasi karo dheweke bakal begitu unik.

13. Apa ada lagu sing sampeyan ngirim sing sampeyan mau balik lan rework utawa sing sampeyan nganggur ngirim?
Chris Grey: Interesting. Aku ora ngerti yen aku mau ngandika amarga para penggemar suka lagu-lagu iki, nanging yen aku kudu milih siji, aku bakal ngandika Prada Versace. iku salah siji saka lagu sing aku kadang-kadang nggawé aku ngirim. Aku yakin para penggemar bakal menehi aku kanggo ngandika iku, nanging!

14. How do you see your sound evolving over the next five years?
Chris Grey: I definitely want to keep evolving. Each album will be cohesive in its own sound, but I think with each project, I’ll switch things up. After this album, I’m planning to take a short break—not a long one, just a month or two—and travel, listen to different music, and get inspired. That’s usually how I find new directions.

15. If you could write the soundtrack to a love story - whether real or fictional - which one would it be?
Chris Grey: Good question. Surprisingly, I don’t read a lot of romance. I love political dramas like Suits or business dramas. But since Allegra made me watch Gossip Girl Sekarang, lan aku wis obsessed karo iki, aku bakal ndeleng karo Chuck lan Blair. Aku bakal ngandika lagu kanggo loro.

16. What’s one piece of advice you’d give your younger self or any young indie artist getting into songwriting and production?
Chris Grey: Aku bakal ngandika ing awal karirku, aku terlalu fokus ing apa sing aku ngira wong-wong liyane ngerteni. Aku uga nyoba kanggo nggawe apa sing aku ngira bakal kerja kanggo radio utawa TikTok, lan iku bener ngehatake aku. Nalika aku balik lan ndeleng musik iki, iku paling favoritku. Sawise aku nghenti khawatir akeh babagan harapan luar lan miwiti nggawe apa sing aku suka, iku nalika musik iku dadi apa sing aku bangga.

17. What’s been the proudest moment of your career so far?
Chris Grey: Itu gampang. Iki ana ing tur - kali pertama aku ndeleng wong nyanyi lirikku menyang aku. Iki minangka pameran pisanan ing Chicago, lan aku iku pembuka. Aku ngingat mungke tembung ing salah siji lagu, lan kerumunan mbukak ing. Mendengake sing liwat mikrofonku dadi gila. Momen iku nyata nyimpen karo aku.

18: If someone were to find a hidden message in your music, what would you want it to be?
Chris Grey: Hmm… I’d say passion. I love passionate people, and I try to put that energy into my music—whether it’s the passion of making the music or the romantic passion in the lyrics. I’d say: "Live life passionately."

19. If music were a language, how fluent do you think you are in it?
Chris Grey: Interesting. Technically speaking, I’m probably still a beginner—I wasn’t really into music theory for a long time. But if we’re talking about music as an emotional language, I’d say I’m pretty fluent.

20. And for the last question: If you were stranded on an island, what three things would you bring with you?
Chris Grey: My laptop, for sure. I live on my laptop. I’d also bring a microphone and speakers—just the whole setup. Leave me there for a year or two, and I’ll come back with an album!
PF: You might need a fourth thing—electricity!
Chris Grey: (laughs) Yeah, a generator, definitely.

PF: We have a tradition at PopFiltr where our guest leaves a question for the next guest without knowing who it’s for. The question left for you is: Apa ana karya seni visual utawa pencipta kang sampeyan nginspirasi?‍

Chris Grey: Oh, iku apik. Aku ngandika alam wis dadi inspirasi visual gedhe kanggo aku, utamané tempat-tempat kasar kayata Islandia lan Alaska. Ana apa-apa babagan lanskap sing mung ngobrol karo aku.‍

PF: That would be incredible as a setting for one of your music videos.‍

Chris Grey: I know! I’ve almost done it a few times. One day I’ll make it happen.‍

PF: Dan sisih manawa sampeyan mau mbutuhake kanggo tamu anyar kita?‍

Chris Grey: I’d ask: What’s your favorite part of your own music that you feel people overlook?‍

PF: Itu banget. Terima kasih banget kanggo ngobrol karo kita, Chris. Kita kaget kanggo ndeleng apa-apa liyane - utamané sing Make The Angels Cry music video.‍

Chris Grey: Thank you. I’m excited for everyone to see it, too.

Want to dive deeper?
Check out our full interview with Chris Grey, ing ngendi dheweke nyatakake liyane babagan perjalanan kanggo njaluk suara autentik lan proses kreatif ing ngendi The Castle Never Falls.
And don’t miss our Rapid Fire Questions with Chris Grey to learn even more about your favorite artist!