Chris Grey: 20 Questions with PopFiltr

Chris Grey, salah sahiji muka anyar tina Dark R&B, ngobrol ngeunaan prosés kreatif na inspirasi di balik suksés na ngaronjatna di 20 Questions with PopFiltr. Jeung leuwih ti 5 juta listeners bulanan on Spotify jeung 500 juta stream di sakuliah platform, sound self-produced Grey nyambung R & B malam jeung intensi sinematik, orkestral. Daptarkeun ti akar Jamaika na Kanada, album debut na, The Castle Never Falls, debuted at number 7 on Spotify's Top Albums Debut Global chart dina weekend pembukaan (Oktober 18-20). Dive in nalika Grey ngobrol kolaborasi jeung girlfriend nya Allegra Jordyn jeung pangalaman pangalusna Christopher Graham, seni penggemar nu tetep impressed, jeung musik nu nginspirasi anjeunna - ti The Weeknd ka 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. Naon téhnik paling unconventional anjeun geus dipaké pikeun ngahasilkeun hiji bunyi anjeun geus di pikiran?
Chris Grey: Ieu kadang-kadang kuring muterkeun sora ngaliwatan speaker abdi sarta lajeng nambahan aranjeunna dina telepon kuring lamun kuring hayang lo-fi sound-seperti kawas éta geus sampled. Jeung kuring cinta ngagunakeun sora acak, kayaning pintu mobil shutdown atawa sora atmosfirik kayaning badag jeung hujan. Aranjeunna ngan nambahkeun hiji hal anu tak terduga.

3. Lamun musik anjeun mangrupakeun film, naon genre eta bakal jadi, jeung nu anjeun bakal meunang pikeun ngatur eta?
Chris Grey: Provably a romance thriller. jeung pikeun sutradara ... teu bisa jadi salah jeung Steven Spielberg. Anjeunna nambahan hiji ték cinematic, klasik ka eta.

4. Lamun hiji poé anjeun teu diperlukeun pikeun nyieun musik - teu rekaman, teu ngahasilkeun, teu nelepon - naon anjeun bakal ngalakukeun?
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: Ieu pasti ngaronjatkeun prosés. Urang nyaho satu-satunya saé, jadi teu aya kurva pembelajaran. Nalika datang ka perselisihan, urang biasana nelepon ka artis nu proyék eta. Jadi, upami éta lagu Allegra, anjeunna boga katuhu terakhir. Sama jeung musik kuring - upami aya perbedaan pendapat, ieu akhirnya datang ka kuring. Tapi urang teu sering nganteurkeun.

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. Upami anjeun bisa nyieun instalasi seni immersive dumasar kana salah sahiji track anjeun, naon pangalaman bakal jadi?
Chris Grey: Cool. Kuring mungkin bakal dimimitian ku bunyi hujan, mungkin sababaraha badag-mémbongkeun hiji vibe pisan moody. Kuring hoyong rasa kastil gothic, jeung dinding batu, kaca tinimbang, jeung lampu lilin. Saha anu super atmospheric nu cocog estetika musik kuring. Mungkin malah sababaraha hujan palsu - Anjeun bisa basajan.

8. Naon nu paling aneh atawa paling memorable potongan fan art atawa pesan anjeun pernah nampa?
Chris Grey: Oh, I got it right here! Jadi, dina tur, urang bakal selalu ngobrol ku kuring pikeun nyokot hiji hal pikeun tattoo maranéhanana. Kuring horny dina nyokot, tapi hiji dinten kuring nyoba nyokot hiji bintang pikeun batur. Ieu téh bintang pangalusna anjeun pernah ningali. Fans teu pernah ngidinan kuring hirup eta - aya malah hiji gambar tina eta nu ngabalukarkeun kuring. Saterusna, dina pameran sakumaha anu di handap, batur dijieun kuring hiji poster jeung petunjuk éta-di-step ngeunaan kumaha nyokot hiji bintang. jeung jujur, saprak ayeuna, kuring geus jauh leuwih alus dina eta!

9. Do you have any pre-show rituals or routines before you step on stage?
Chris Grey: Aya teu bodas. I like to get into the zone and be alone for the last five minutes before the show. I will put my in-ears in, block out everything, jump up and down a bit to get pumped, jeung lajeng I am ready to go.

10. aya hiji hal anu anjeun selalu tetep handal salila sesi rekaman-satu hal anu mantuan dina tulisan atawa rekaman?
Chris Grey: Honestly, teu bener. Kuring teu malah nyimpen lyrics kuring pangbadagna waktos. Kuring ngan nyimpen dina mikrofon jeung nyimpen nalika kuring jalan. sesi kuring cukup spontan, sarta kuring cenderung nyimpen di sore malam. suara kuring nyimpen pangalusna, jadi éta biasana lamun kuring meunang pangalusna nyimpen.

11. Sarta, anu kakuatan: Upami anjeun kudu ranking lima lagu pangluhurna anjeun - éta ti album anyar atawa sakabéh discography Anjeun - naon aranjeunna bakal jeung kumaha?
Chris Grey: Top five? Okay, in no particular order. First, The Castle- lagu nu ngabogaan paling kerja jeung waktos, sarta kuring pisan senang jeung kumaha éta dihasilkeun. Let The World Burn—not only do I love it personally, but seeing how it resonated with people made it even more special. 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. Anjeunna mangrupa salah sahiji pengaruh pangalusna kuring, sarta kuring pikir kolab jeung anjeunna bakal jadi anu unik. Kuring ngarasakeun lagu-Na jeung Post Malone — éta hiji momen cross-genre cool.

13. Aya hiji lagu anjeun geus dirilis nu Anjeun hoyong balik jeung rework atawa nu Anjeun nganteurkeun release?
Chris Grey: Interesting. I don’t know if I want to say because the fans love these songs, but if I had to pick one, I’d say Prada Versace. Ieu salah sahiji lagu di mana kuring kadang-kadang maehan kuring ngéléhkeun eta. Kuring yakin fans bakal maehan kuring pikeun nyebutkeun eta, sanajan!

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.

If you could write the soundtrack to a love story—whether real or fictional—naon nu bakal jadi?
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 Nah, jeung kuring geus obsessed ku eta, Kuring bakal balik jeung Chuck jeung Blair. Kuring bakal cinta nyokot lagu pikeun aranjeunna.

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: Ieu bakal nyebutkeun awal karir kuring, kuring geus terlalu fokus kana naon kuring pikir jalma lianna hoyong. Kuring selalu nyoba nyieun naon kuring pikir bakal ngalakukeun pikeun radio atawa TikTok, sarta éta pisan ngurangan kuring. Lamun kuring balik jeung nelepon musik éta, éta nu paling favorit kuring. Saatos kuring nganteurkeun saeutik ngeunaan jangji luar jeung dimimitian nyieun naon kuring cinta, éta lamun musik ieu bener jadi hiji hal anu kuring bangga.

17. What’s been the proudest moment of your career so far?
Chris Grey: Ieu téh gampang. Éta di tur - kali pertama kuring dengar jalma nyanyi lyrics kuring balik ka kuring. Éta téh pameran kahiji di Chicago, jeung kuring éta pembuka. Kuring ngingat nganteurkeun hiji kecap salila hiji lagu, sarta massa dipeunteunkeun eta. Mendengkeun yén ngaliwatan mikrofon kuring téh gila. Ayeuna momen anu bener ditangtukeun ku kuring.

18: Upami batur bakal manggihan hiji pesen hidden dina musik Anjeun, naon anjeun hoyong eta?
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 am probably still a beginner — I wasn't really into music theory for a long time. Tapi lamun urang ngobrol ngeunaan musik salaku basa emosional, I would say I'm pretty fluent.

20. jeung pikeun soalan panganyarna: Upami anjeun ditempatkeun di hiji pulau, naon tilu hal anjeun bakal nempokeun ka anjeun?
Chris Grey: Laptop kuring, pasti. Kuring hirup dina laptop kuring. Kuring ogé nempokeun mikrofon jeung speakers — ngan sakabéh setup. Tingali kuring aya pikeun taun atawa dua, sarta kuring bakal balik jeung album!
PF: You might need a fourth thing—electricity!
Chris Grey: (laughs) Yeah, a generator, definitely.

PF: Kami boga tradisi di PopFiltr dimana guest urang ninggalkeun soalan pikeun guest saterusna tanpa nyaho pikeun anu éta. Soalan anu ditinggalkeun pikeun anjeun nyaéta: Is there a visual piece of art or a creator whom you drew inspiration from?‍

Chris Grey: Oh, éta anu alus. Kuring bakal nyebutkeun alam geus inspirasi visual badag pikeun kuring, hususna tempat-tempat rusak kawas Islandia jeung Alaska. Aya hal ngeunaan landscapes anu ngan ngobrol ka kuring. Aranjeunna ngan saeutik.‍

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: And finally, what question would you like to leave for our next guest?‍

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

PF: That’s a great one. Thanks so much for chatting with us, Chris. We’re excited to see what’s next—especially that 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, dimana anjeunna ngalaporkeun leuwih ngeunaan lalampahan anjeunna pikeun manggihan sora autentik na proses kreatif di balik The Castle Never Falls.
And don’t miss our Rapid Fire Questions with Chris Grey to learn even more about your favorite artist!