WE GOT TO KNOW HIM MANY YEARS AGO AS THE BASS PLAYER OF THE AMAZING INDIE BAND VAMPIRE WEEKEND, AND THIS YEAR HE DELIGHTED US WITH HIS FIRST SOLO LP, CALLED “THE NAMES”. TODAY, BAIO HAS RELEASED A NEW VIDEO AND HE CERTAINLY SHOWS HE KNOWS HOW TO DO IT. HERE IN INDIEMONO, WE HAD THE CHANCE TO HAVE A LITTLE CHAT WITH HIM AND TALK ABOUT A FEW IMPORTANT AND NOT SO IMPORTANT MATTERS. WE’RE SO THRILLED TO SHARE THIS INTERVIEW WITH YOU, ENJOY!
- Your band’s three albums have been a success and you guys are well-known all around the world, so we were wondering what made you start this solo adventure? When did you decide to record an LP of your own?
I would say that seven years ago I was a successful bass player but a frustrated producer. I didn’t know the first thing about recording music but I wanted make tracks really badly. I spent my off-time learning everything I could about production which eventually led to me releasing my first EP, Sunburn, in 2012. At that point I would say I was a competent producer but a frustrated singer & songwriter. I started trying to write songs at that point & found that I liked what I was making. Once I started writing songs I liked it became impossible to turn back. In the summer of 2014 I entered the studio with a vision for my album — The Names is the result of it!
- We absolutely love the whole album, it’s something you can dance to and it’s full of good vibes, we even nominated ‘Sister of Pearl’ as song of the year, but what did your friends think about it? What did they tell you?
Friends have been supportive! No one has told me that I’m trash to my face. I think that’s a beautiful thing!
- The Names goes in many different directions, but somehow they meet and make sense, so how did you conceive this project in the first place? What was the most difficult part of it and where did you take your inspirations from?
I definitely thought of this record as a full listening experience — I’ve done a lot of DJ’ing & knew I needed to make a record of continuous music. I wanted to create a world where anything could happen but nothing felt forced. I hope I achieved that!
- It’s the first time we hear your voice and we absolutely love it! (we had previously seen you dancing and we have to admit we were quite impressed too). Who or what convinced you to sing?
I felt that the only way to get my songs out into the world was to sing them myself. I’m glad you like my voice!
- You named one of your songs All the Idiots, and now we really want to know…who are these idiots?
- Some days ago we heard about Rostam leaving and we were really sorry, but we also found out you guys are preparing new music. Is it difficult to balance a solo project and such a successful band? What did the other members tell you about your LP?
- If you could choose one artist to collaborate with, who would it be?
- We’ve heard you’re quite a bookworm, and guess, we are too! Could you recommend us some books to make life more bearable?
- You moved from NYC to London some time ago, is there anything you miss?
I miss my friends & family. I still get to see them when I’m back in town but it’s not enough.
- If you could have any superpower, which one would it be?
It would be the power to heal someone no matter their ailment.
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Hopefully still doing music?
- Your song Sister of Pearl was featured in Fifa 16. Do you play videogames? Tell us about it!
- How would you name your monkey pet? And how would you dress him/her up?
Comments (0)
Leave a reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
