THEAUSSIEWORD.COM heads to Boston MA to catch up with Almost Owen.
What’s up – It’s Almost Owen coming to you from Boston, MA.
How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry?
I was about 13 or 14 when I started going to this hole in the wall jazz club called Wally’s. They hosted jam sessions every weekend. I was kinda obsessed.
A few years later I ended up having a night of my own there, making music with my friends, and some of the guys I grew up watching. It was my church.
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music?
To be quite honest, I don’t really know. I love songs, and there are plenty of artists I look up to and admire. But when it comes down to making the stuff, I just kinda wake up in the morning and feel compelled by some unseen force to write. It kidnaps my mind.
What are your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?
I want a number one record, and to take my team around the world on tour, and to do the whole damn thing independently without selling my soul.
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour?
I’ll be releasing a new song each month through the end of 2019– and likely through much of 2020. My team has some tentative fall tour dates, but are still finalizing the details.
Check out my website/mailing list for updates on this.
Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music?
My music is sometimes funny, sometimes romantic, and generally sadboii. I’ve had people compare me to Lauv, John Mayer and Drake depending on the day.
I released a song called One in a Million on May 17th. It definitely leans more in the romantic direction, and it’s pretty dope.
The first prechorus has these lines I really like, “it’s more than a feeling, and more than I know how to feel”.
I’m always trying to figure out how to express complex thoughts simply.
Give us an insight into your creative process. What gets you writing songs?
A few years back I started doing what I called “the one hour song series”. I’d set a timer for an hour each morning, write a full song, and then go live on FB and IG to perform it.
I haven’t been going live to post these much recently, but I still write for an hour each morning right when I wake up. Sometimes the song is finished there and then and I’ll go to my studio and record it. Sometimes it takes some editing.
Mornings are for creativity, afternoons are for editing, and nights are for shenanigans. Rinse and repeat…
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
Yes.
Success, what is the secret to it?
Stay humble. Stay foolish.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
I can’t really point to one career defining moment. But my life has been steadily getting cooler.
This past year I performed for the United Nations correspondents association, for the Human Rights Campaign and over 100 other shows including a sold out release concert for my first album #riseandgrind.
I’m just hoping the trend continues. I’m looking forward to more of the awesome and weird stuff life has been throwing my way recently.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
Kendrick Lamar is my straight up favorite ARTIST out right now, even if he’s not the one I most frequently listen to. I bump Drake a lot, and think he’s a genius at what he does.
As a drummer turned singer, I definitely look to dudes like Anderson Paak and Louis Cole as sources of inspiration whenever I am feeling a lil low on motivation.
There are so many other artists who I love. I’ve been listening to Blackbear a lot lately…
Are there any new projects in the pipeline?
I’m working on a video for one of my favorite songs, a soon-to-be-released bop called We Out Here that is going to be really special. I want to share more but I really shouldn’t…
Apart from that, I’m always working on new songs and records. StAy TuNeD.
The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now?
I’d like to be selling out rooms around the world. I’d also like to have broken the internet at least once. But for the most part, I want to be doing exactly what I’m doing right now, just on a bigger stage and with a bigger microphone.
What is your favourite and least favourite part about this line of work and why?
Every day I show up to new places and meet new people. If there is any structure at all, it’s pretty damn loose.
This is my favorite part about being a musician because I hate being bored. Every day is filled with new possibility and promise, novelty and wonder.
This is also my least favorite part because it makes having any sort of normal life completely impossible.
Name a few of your favourite Australian artists.
I had a big Gotye phase a few years back. He seems like an awesome and weird dude I’d love to meet. Kevin Parker/Tame Impala is dope. Betty Who is awesome too. We were at Berklee at the same time, right about when her career started to take off.
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
I think this is an awesome time to be making music. You can pretty much contact anyone. If what you’re doing is really interesting, people will take notice.
On the flipside, it’s also a pretty overwhelming time. There are a lot of balls that need to be kept in the air. It can be pretty difficult to carve out time and headspace for creativity when you’re also more or less expected to be an ever-present social media personality.
How do you plan on cracking the international market?
I’m still working on cracking the domestic one! Let’s talk in a year…
Do you collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list?
Yeah! I love working with other writers and producers. My first album was pretty much a solo endeavor. I co-wrote 2 of the songs on there with my buddy KR, but the rest of it was pretty much just me banging my head against my desk until something came out.
As far as people I’d like to work with: Drake would be dope. I would LOVE to be in the studio with Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson.
I’d be really curious to get inside John Mayer’s process as well. I think his records are beautiful.
What advice do you give for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Don’t follow in mine! Figure out what you want and love. Follow your gut. Find people who believe in you and your gut. Invest in probiotics.
A message for your fans. How do you best interact and respond with your fans?
Y’all are the best. But you know that already 😉
If you’re looking to keep in touch, subscribe to my mailing list + follow me on socials. I try to personally answer any fan mail that I get.
Any last words?
Thanks for having me! Boomshakalaka.
Website: www.almostowen.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/almostowenmusic
Twitter: @almostowenmusic
Instagram: @almostowenmusic
Apple Music: Almost Owen
Spotify: Almost Owen