MEL blue

Mel Blue pictured left-to-right: Luke Gerber, Jacob Siles, Oscar Sharah
photos by: Jay Seba

I stumbled across Mel Blue on an oddly warm day in February, and was immediately refreshed by the their track ‘Everything About You’. It is the first song we will be checking out here on the lower right - feel free to start streaming it for the full experience! After obsessively adding the song to every playlist I had, I fell down a rabbit hole I am not sure I want to ever climb out of. Mel Blue became the soundtrack to my life. Road trips, gloomy and bright mornings, long commutes, and this Aussie trio consisting of Luke Gerber, Oscar Sharah and newly-added Jacob Siles quickly became a memorable part of my better days - and my friends.

I am so lucky to have been not only accompanied through life with their music, but with their support and good vibes felt across the entire Pacific, they are the originators of the whole inspiration behind this blog. Seriously.

A couple of witty banters and back-and-forth suddenly the inspiration to get writing came back to me. Not only do I owe so much of my last music journey through melodic techno and progressive genres to them, by allowing me to mix their single ‘Teenage Crime’ -featured later in this interview - with Layton Giordani’s single ‘Paranoid’, but having their support and creative advice has proven to be priceless.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Mel Blue many times just before the release of the new second studio album - ‘Back Then, Computer Sound’ and gain from them a valuable insight to inspire other musicians, producers and fans alike while also satisfying all of my curiosities.

Speaking with Luke and Oscar and having Jacob involved made doing this interview a true collab! You will find answers from each of them as well as answers from the entire group labelled MB. With exclusive never-before-seen photos from Mel Blue taken by talented photographer Jay Seba. I hope this interview leaves you with a sense of direction, inspiration and ultimately a new favourite artist. So sit back as we go from their early tracks like - ‘Everything About You’ and without further delay… ladies and gentlemen… I give you - Mel Blue. 

SS: One word to describe your music is… Goosebumps…  

Mel Blue pictured left-to-right: Jacob Siles, Luke Gerber, and Oscar Sharah

LUKE: First of all I have to so this is SO lovely to hear you say Sydney. I think particularly with us having done only a little bit of touring in Australia and shows in the UK we are in a bit of a vacuum sometimes. So, hearing a story like yours and to know that people are listening to our music is both an honour and really encouraging. The three of us each have different stories around how we got started in music:

LUKE: Oscar’s Dad is an actor and musical theatre performer. He played Riff Raff in the first time Rocky Horror came to Australia in 1974. There was that creative energy around Oscar and his brother who has also become a musical theatre performer. Oscar’s Dad also always played a lot of jazz around the house, especially crooners like Frank Sinatra. Oscar’s Dad taught him how to sing, and to write songs.  For Jacob, he got into playing drum kit as a teenager. He loved those big 2000s Nu Metal and punk bands like Slipknot, System Of A Down, Rage Against The Machine, and Blink.

Jacob’s brother also played bass and I think seeing him play in bands and at high school had a big influence on him too. Oscar and Jacob first got introduced to each other musically playing in the mass service at their Catholic school. For me, both my parents were huge music lovers and music was constantly on in the house. I have vivid memories of driving around in the car with my Dad, taking long trips listening to Dark Side Of The Moon and Echoes. My mum loved James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Crowded House, and Paul Kelly. Neither of them played music, but they loved it and they taught me to love it. Music was in my family though - my uncle was a baritone singer, and choir leader. Both my grandmas were organ players in church. 

SS: It makes sense that you guys love performing, surrounding yourself with all the joy and confidence the arts brought to everyone around you guys shaped the way you wanted to make other people feel with your music - at home and safe to express yourself. Your music blends elements of indie pop, house music and alternative. How did you develop your unique sound, and what influences have shaped your musical style?

MB: We are into so many different styles of music and have tried so many different sounds over the 12 years we have been making music together. Originally, we didn’t go into making music together with a vision of what we wanted to make. We just started because we were having the time of our lives screwing around with sounds and grooves. When there was intention, we were trying to recreate what we felt and what we heard in artists like Daft Punk, Paramore, Whitney Housten, Radiohead, Tyler The Creator, Tame Impala, Air, Paradis, Chic, and Frank Ocean. From the beginning of making music together, joy, playfulness, curiosity, and feeling like a kid have been a constant in what we’re trying to do when we write music. 

SS: Okay, Paramore suprised me silly - I need to you guys do a cover of Misery’s Business - like yesterday. Speaking of yesterday, your track ‘Yesterday’ bleeds optimism and the feeling of falling in love. I love it as well as ‘Driveway’ from the same album ‘Sanctuary Point’, and the song ‘Everything About You’ which was spinning in my head for days and made me feel like it was summer in February the first time I heard it. It reminded me of the innocence of middle school crushes - and a ton of freezies. Please tell me about it, the creative process and if there’s a story behind the cover art.  

Mel Blue pictured left-to-right: Oscar Sharah, Luke Gerber, and Jacob Siles

MB: This is SO nice. We love ‘Everything About You’
I think it’s a song that has remained very relevant to us over the years, and it makes us so happy that people are still discovering it. Oscar and I had written our first EP by this stage, and so we were working on what we thought would be Mel Blue’s second EP. It actually became the second half of the album, but nonetheless we were on the hunt for new references. It was the middle of Summer in 2021, and Oscar texted me whilst away on a holiday on the North Coast. He texted me a link to Milky’s ‘Just The Way You Are’, which he had heard in supermarket. I had completely forgotten about this song, but remembered listening to it as a kid and watching the video clip. It fully encapsulated the mood and aesthetic we were looking – house filled, pop, nostalgic, beautiful chords, playful, and quintessentially 2000s. 

MB: Immediately after hearing the song, I transcribed the acoustic guitar part in the intro. This is a sample from a 70s band called the ‘Go-Betweens’, and they happen to be Australian too, so very small world. I went into the studio with Oscar the next week, with those same chords and that mood from ‘Just The Way You Are’ in the forefront of my mind. At the beginning of the session, he showed me a demo of ‘Everything About You’ – he had the chorus and most of the verses too. We then followed a process we used to do all the time, but not as much when we’re writing together from scratch these days. I found a way to intermingle the chords from the ‘Just The Way You Are’ reference into the song. We wrote and recorded the rest of ‘Everything About You’ in that one session, and we definitely had a sense that it was special.  ‘Everything About You’ is about a lot of things, and I think its meaning continues to evolve for us.

A big part of it though is learning to listen more in every sort of relationship. It’s great to have the microphone, but you miss out on so much intimacy of course when you don’t actually listen. Something that we all can be better at!

In particular, for me I was thinking about it with regards to my parents. That’s a photo from my parents wedding day on the cover of the single. I was reminded that my parents led whole lives completely separate to me. They had dreams, loves, and experiences completely apart from when I came into the world. And recognizing I should listen more was another place ‘Everything About You’ was coming from. 

SS: You guys have mentioned in a previous interview that you often collaborate with people in your circle because of shared experiences. Do you have any favourite party or festival memories?  

 LUKE: Two very fond memories come to mind. For a period there we had a crew of artists who always worked and partied together. It was a really joyful time, and part of that was spending New Year’s Eve together. We hired a house one year that was in a very green part of New South Wales and we had the best time. We had a big night, then went swimming in a waterhole on New Year’s Day. Another fond memory was for the release of Wake Up Call. Everyone who worked on the video clip got together for a viewing in a backyard. It was a really special time, probably my favourite night of my 20s. 

SS: What constitutes a good memory to write a song about? 

LUKE: Dam. I’m thinking about how to answer this question because I think a lot of our songwriting comes out of amorphous, more intangible feelings. I think Oscar and I are often talking about how are songs, both aesthetically and songwriting wise are coming out of a collection of experiences rather than one memory. I think a lot of our music is reacting to what’s going on around us and in our lives. Sort of processing things in our lives. And often really slowly. What we’re writing about might have actually happened two or three years before the song is being written. All that said, maybe a good memory to write a song about is one that makes you curious and like you still have more to learn from it. 

SS: Your artist profile has perfectly described your music as “an air of excitement” and “a feeling anything is possible”. I couldn’t agree more. The songs Your songs have an air of “it is what it is” and it is in our favour.  

SS: How would you self describe your own music? 

MB: Unashamedly joyful. Not in a way that ignores the misery in the world, but in a way that embraces it as part of the beauty of being alive. 

SS: How do you want people to feel when they listen to your music or go to a show? 

MB: Nostalgic, reminiscent, soothed sometimes, and brave to be silly. 

SS: What role does vulnerability play in your songwriting? How do you balance personal experiences with creating music that resonates with a wider audience? Do you believe vulnerability is a superpower? Why or why not? 

 LUKE: Dam another DAM question. I know so many artists are storytellers and craft worlds and can create symbolic representations of great truths. I think our music less about symbolism, and more about completely wearing your heart on your sleeve. When you meet us, we are the absolute opposite from coy. That might be an Australian thing, or at least that has a part to play in it. 

 SS: Personally, I think I’ve spent a huge part of my life accepting that I am very vulnerable which sometimes has made me feel too much. But Mel Blue has helped me accept that that IS a super power. All you have as an artist is your experiences and how you see the world, and you can only access those parts of you and represent them aesthetically by being vulnerable.  The song “Tu Me Manques” which translates to “I miss you” from French is another example of this theme. I don’t think I have ever heard a single track that bleeds everything will be OK energy while specifically longing for someone as purely and deeply as that.  

LUKE: Oh my god I’m crying.. 

SS: I love you guys! You guys have mentioned before the excitement that comes from blending in a 105 bmp kick-drum and a sad love song, but I want to know is that the outlook you have on life? The feeling I get is ‘everything happens for a reason’ and that there is joy even in the sad stuff.  Why is this theme so important for you to get across to your listeners? 

MB: That’s so cool that that is coming across because that is a HUGE part of what we’re trying to say. Absolutely, that there is joy everywhere you look and even in the sad stuff.  Going back to the power of being vulnerable, I think that that outlook is who we are as people. Hopefully not in a way that is on the nose or naïve, but I think we do bleed optimism as you beautifully put earlier. A lot of what we’re writing about and reacting to is really painful and sometimes dark. We’re not trying to overlook those things; we’re trying to embrace and accept that that’s what it means to be alive. And being alive and being able to feel deeply is what makes it worthwhile. If we can share that joy in our music, then I think we’re paying it forward like our families and friends have done for us our whole lives. 

SS: DAM! Spot on. Full circle moment right here on why music and art is so important as a healthy way to express yourself, build confidence, and inspire others - and you are succeeding! Your remix of The Million’s ‘No One’s Home’ is such a favourite of mine. I can’t even fathom it. How did this collaboration come about?  

LUKE: We played a show in 2021 in Melbourne. It was our first interstate show and it was pretty unforgettable for us. The Million guys were in the crowd, and we spent the rest of the night partying. That same day, our first EP came out so it was a very fun time. We went to an infamous club called Revs, and just about had a spiritual experience together on the dance floor. Since then, we had become quite close with The Million guys, especially Tamon Mashimo who now heads the record label Tuff Times, and the guitar player McKinley Paine. Tamon reached out to us to do the remix. I went over to his place and started it with him together. I took it to Oscar and we finished it together. On Spotify there’s a version called the “May 14 – Extended Mix” which is the date of the gig and the night we partied together. 

Mel Blue pictured left-to-right: Luke Gerber, Oscar Sharah, and Jacob Siles

SS: WOW! Thank you for sharing that with me.
Jacob - what does it mean to you to collaborate with close friends and conquer the music scene as Mel Blue?

JACOB: It means everything, it’s been 10 years now playing with these kids and still enjoying it every time we get to play. How does his addition influence your creative process? The difference between a double smoked ham and a triple smoked ham.

SS: Jacob - as a band formed from strong personal connections and shared experiences, how do these friendships shape the way you create music together, especially with the recent projects you’ve worked on?

JACOB: It’s a safe space with this lot, because we’ve been friends for so long there’s a lot of same wave length moments. And by recently living with Luke and gigging with Oscar in London those connections have just served the music more.

SS: How does his addition influence your creative process?

MB: The difference between a double smoked ham and a triple smoked ham.

SS: Who are your biggest supporters? 

LUKE: Absolutely our parents. Oscar’s Dad loves our music and is always keen and excited to hear what we’re working on. My mum, who listens to all our music all the time. My girlfriend, who is a constant rock and source of inspiration. Jacob’s parents who love to come see our shows. 

SS: What are your goals and aspirations for your music career? Are there any collaborations or projects you're excited to explore in the near future? 

LUKE: The biggest dream is to play Glastonbury festival. I think that’s something that we’ve been talking about since we started making music together. For me, that has been something I’ve been dreaming of since I was a kid and my cousin in the UK got me a Glastonbury CD. 

SS: Oh my… I can see it already - really!!! I have to be there.

Mel Blue pictured left-to-right: Luke Gerber, Oscar Sharah, and Jacob Siles

MB: We’d also love to tour North America, and over the next few years we are aiming to go back and forth between Europe, America, and Australia playing Summer Festivals. Our ideal day is to play a live set in an intimate venue or bigger festival, and then DJ or play our improvised electronic set in clubs and house parties. We are very attracted to underground electronic music and spend a lot of time listening to this music, but it is not really a scene that we feel we have cracked. We would love to continue to hone our craft, especially learning more about house and garage. We also feel we’ve got a lot of albums in us. We would love to keep writing albums for as long as we can. Our dream (real big dream) collaborators are Pharrell, Frank Ocean, and Underworld. 

SS: What are your favourite and least favourite parts of the industry? What keeps you going? 

LUKE: To be honest with you, as Mel Blue we’ve had a really great experience of the music industry. We are really grateful for that and also very fortunate. I think what is very hard about the music industry is that there a very big ups and then very big lows. It’s quite inconsistent and unpredictable. You definitely can’t place your sense of self on how well a song streams, how many people come to a show, and what other people think of you. But that’s also a blessing in disguise, because it teaches you to just make music for you, be curious, and pursue what YOU love.

Easier said than done, because it is so easy to compare yourself to other people. That is quite hard about being in music, but again, that is less about the music industry and more about maturing. In terms of what gets us through it, I think more than anything we’re so grateful to have each other. Constantly there to bounce ideas off of each other, to encourage each other when one of us is down or loses sight of what it’s about. I think the only way you can survive as a musician is within a community, and we’re very lucky that we’re in a band of three friends. 

SS: Are there times where professional collaborations have not worked out but in the end worked out in your favour? It could be a business deal or track collaboration, or potentially even representation via label that fell through?  

LUKE: I think in the sense that everytime we’ve said yes, it’s taught us something. Even if the song has been hard to write, it’s helped us clarify what we’re looking to achieve when we’re writing. And what we’re trying to achieve always always always is something is underpinned by fun. 

SS: What is an inspiring moment that you can share to other aspiring musicians about self advocating in the music industry? 

LUKE: I think a high point of our career so far has been when Aussie radio station Triple J selected us to support Flight Facilities at their Airfields festival in Sydney. This was a big moment for us because Flight Facilities have been a big influence on us, and their track ‘Crave You’ was one of the songs that got us into making electronic music. That happened just because we had songs uploaded onto the Triple J website and we fit the bill. Very much a right place, right time situation. But it wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have songs up and released, and didn’t have a live show ready. Back yourself! Release your music! Play shows! You never no who will hear it and where it can take you. 

Mel Blue’s new second studio album “Back Then, Computer Sound” is available everywhere now.

You can see more of Jay Seba’s photography work on socials @jayseba or jayseba.co

Check out Mel Blue’s Beatport, SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music & follow them on Instagram below:

GEORGIE O’BRIEN

Georgie O’Brien is one of the most talented vocalists I have come across. Her voice stopped me absolutely dead in my tracks when I heard her on ‘Jaded’ which you can listen to on this page while reading below.

I wanted to speak with her because her voice has such a wide range of melancholia, nostalgia, vulnerability, and a touch of sass. Her vocal runs, falsetto, and moody lower register make me believe her to be the next big vocalist in EDM music - from indie pop to drum and bass hits.

SS: Georgie! Tell us where and how you first came into contact with music - I know you started playing guitar at age 7.  

GO: The guitar was definitely a gateway into writing consistently. I started singing from a young age, and started writing little songs from about age 12/13? I’ve always known deep down music was where I’d end up, and I’m so grateful to be here now! I think when something sets your entire heart and soul on fire you should follow that! 

SS: How did you land on the unique electronic music/drum and bass sound and beautiful vocals you have now? Was it hard picking a genre, or do you find yourself open to exploring other genres in the future?  

GO: Thank you! I never saw myself getting into electronic music as an artist, but top-lining over electronic tracks is just soooo fulfilling. I really enjoy the combo of my voice on those heavier tracks, it's so fun haha. My core musical loves are split between electronic music and indie rock music.

I think in music there is potential to feel that we need to stick to one lane to create familiarity and consistency, but creativity is so fluid, and I don't see myself limiting myself to electronic music.

I’m so excited to share different sides of my art over the next year!  

SS: You and I both! How did you discover you could sing? Did you have a moment where you said to yourself - holy crap I can sing?  

GO: I genuinely have always just loved singing; pretty sure I came out of the womb singing some Coldplay haha. I grew up singing/acting and music was always heavily intertwined with my everyday existence. I just love to sing, it just feels good! 

SS: How did the collaborations with Indigo Eyes come about? If I had to choose only one thing you guys do well it is consistency - which I think is the key to all you’ve done this far.   

GO: We connected on instagram! I saw him on SG Lewis’ live stream during lockdown and just knew we were going to work together and make something cool. He sent me the instrumental for ‘Jaded’, I sent him back the top-line and that was that, the rest is history! He’s a legend and a good friend.  It’s been wicked to watch each other grow from 0 music released to now. And thank you! I appreciate that! 

SS: Of course! I am so glad you two found each other. What are your top tracks done by him and tracks you have done together?  

GO: ‘Jaded’ has statistically done really well for us, that track opened so many doors and self belief. I think my favourite song we have done together is ‘All Eyes On You’. Such a fun session, I love the chill vibes of the song, it feels like ‘Jaded’s’ older sister haha. 

SS: Your voice is so phenomenal it is used like an instrument in the end chorus of ‘All Eyes on You’, ‘What We Had’ with Player Dave, your voice is a backing instrument in a perfect dance with the low end of the track.  

SS: ‘Butterflies’ with Daniel Allan, the intro is your voice in a beautiful back and forth and is just binaural and hypnotic.  Do producers hear your voice and just get carried away with possibilities or is it something you hear opportunity for and suggest afterwards? Are you ever blown away by what you can do?  

GO: Wow thank you!!
You're so kind to me, always! 
I think this is why I adore the electronic world I’ve entered into, the way vocals are used is so interesting to me, ‘What We Had’ had me in a choke hold when I got the master back. Player Dave just went on a journey with the vocals, he's super talented, I love that track.

My involvement with each track is different every time, but I stay focused on the melodies first, then the lyrics will either just come out with the melodies or get written in after. I’ve learnt a lot about production from working in sessions, and I get ideas, but it's hard to translate them technically without just making weird noise and following up by saying “you know what I mean right?!” haha. So I leave that up to the professionals haha. 

SS: That is hilarious and so accurately put. I just learned what an 808 drum is after repeating a bass-line melody to a producer friend of mine for my first single. How much of the lyric writing do you contribute to and what part of the creative process is your favourite? How do you want people to feel when they hear your voice?  

GO: It depends on who I'm working with! I normally hear lyrics scattered in the phonetics of the melodies I sing, but every session is different, a couple I’ve written all of it and others I've written much much less, that’s how it goes. I think melodies are easier for me. If I have to think too hard about lyrics they never slap as much. I think as artists we are just a vessel for divine inspiration, and sometimes you just gotta stop thinking and feel it.  Hmmm how do I want them to feel? I guess lighter haha. I’d like to think people can feel the emotion, and maybe get a little healing from listening, even if it's just “I feel okay in this moment”. Hope the good vibes translate! 

SS: I can’t even begin to describe how accurate “lighter” is when it comes to your voice and melodies. I feel lighter when I hear even a song about being ‘Jaded’ - tired of waiting and walking out the door, but in the delivery of the chorus, you take us up octaves like a hot air balloon so elegantly you forget you’re singing a song that should carry a sad theme. Even ‘Like That’ which in an upbeat song there is this air of: “I hope you will be able to love me the way that I deserve and if you can’t, that’s okay.“

GO: Sometimes I have moments where I surprise myself! Like a lot of creatives we are way too harsh on ourselves and - with full transparency - perfectionism is definitely a thing that plays into that for me. And yes, to live off art it has to be digestible and relatable, but art is so personal and the act of creation is such a privilegeeee, we shouldn't beat ourselves up for the ideas we have even if some are ‘bad’.  

I have worked/met such wonderful people last year and their belief in me ignited my own self belief again for sure. I don't think external validation should be a source of motivation, but sometimes, you need that and when the right person says something, it can be a nice reminder you do have a place in industry, and you do deserve to be there! 

SS: I can relate to you more than you would ever imagine. You are so wise! It shouldn’t be the sole source of motivation, but does it help! Especially whenever I feel a slight imposter syndrome! How do you refine and practice your unique talent set? Is there a particular set of exercises or warmups you do before recording or performing?   

GO: In all honesty I don't practice, I just kinda ‘do’. I don't have any routines as such? I’m not sure, I probably would benefit from some guitar drills and vocal exercises haha, but the more you do the better you get and I kinda just live by that? I think if I told my ADHD brain I had to “practice” I'd run a mile, but if I see it as creative play, the practice part is naturally integrated every time you “do.”Just play what you love and you will find your way! I’ve learned a lot about vocals over the last few years, so I try to be conscious when I’m singing to keep my vocals healthy. I only get one voice so I try to look after it! 
  

SS: That is a great philosophy. Fun in moderation sounds like a healthy creative process. How do you deal with self-doubt? What is a time you had to be extra patient with yourself and give yourself grace?   

GO: I guess I touched on this earlier, but I'd say I’m working on it! I think I could have gotten a lot further in my career if I hadn't had so much self doubt and fear, it held me back a lot from being seen and believing my writing. I am learning to give myself more grace and chill tf out, I used to be WAY too harsh on everything I wrote, but self-compassion/confidence is so necessary, and yeah, it's hard to cultivate quickly, but it's all part of the process. Writing music teaches you a lot about your relationship to self haha! 

SS: Do you believe in everything happening for a reason? Are there any career times that a collaboration or project hasn't worked out that you're grateful for?  

GO: Yep, without a doubt, life is so divinely orchestrated. You can't join the dots looking forward, you can only do so looking back. And yeah, for sure, I wouldn't change anything.  

SS: I love that analogy. Never heard that one before. Biggest advice to new singers? Do you think being classically trained vs self-taught has advantages or disadvantages?  

GO: Just sing what you love, sing what makes you happy, and sing what feels good to sing. I think learning vocal technique can be huge for some people in unlocking vocal potential/learning to keep your voice healthy, but there are so many amazing vocal coaches you can see or watch on Tik Tok/Youtube etc, so it’s super accessible to learn technique if you wanted! Most importantly sing for you! 

SS: First places you’d go on tour?   

GO: Honestly a full house in London would feel wicked. There are so many places, hopefully one day I can hit a few off the list! 

SS: What is the biggest difference you’ve noticed with your success? Does it motivate you to work harder?  

GO: Last year opened up everything for me a lot, but I still feel like I’ve hardly started, so to be here in my career, now, is really exciting. It's definitely got the fire in me burning more. 

SS: How do you celebrate your victories? What is the biggest change that came with success?   

 
GO: I think the change it’s brought is a lot of amazing people into my life, and I'm so grateful for that, music has connected me to so many wonderful souls. I don't really celebrate them to be fair! But I have little moments to myself of pure excitement and gratitude and it's in those moments I really connected to that feeling of joy/celebration. 

SS: How do you expect your continued success to impact your presence in the industry? Will we see you mainly on tour often or continuing to put out fresh and clean collaborations or both? Any exciting projects coming up you'd like to share?  

GO: I have so many producers/artists I’d love to collaborate with so making enough of an impact that those collaborations are possible would be crazy. The future is just one big mystery and I'm definitely still exploring, but I'm super excited to collaborate with some cool dudes this year so I'm buzzing.  

SS: I wanted to thank you so much for your time and for agreeing to sit down with me and answer these questions. Not only am I a huge fan, but so many others deserve to hear your voice. You are a true talent who has already perfected her skills and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for you.  

Check out Georgie’s SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music & follow her on Instagram below:

INDIGO EYES

I am beyond honoured to feature Indigo Eyes as my first ever exclusive interview on my website. 15 millions streams alone on Spotify and counting and hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners are just a few markers of his success. Here is one of my favourite tracks ever called ‘In My Head’ for your listening pleasure while you sit down with us for a chat about not only his music and success, but the pressures of the music industry and the need to stay on trend for emerging producers.

SS: I'm curious about the origin of your name, Indigo Eyes. Indigo is my favorite color. How did you come up with it? 

IE: I love that! Yeah, I think I’ve always gravitated towards colours associated with dusk, like deep oranges or warm reds and blues. I felt like Indigo was a nice combination of all of these colours and almost sounded like it could be a name in itself. I wanted something which would be a bit easier to search up online and a bit more distinctive than just a colour and ‘eyes’ just kinda sounded right, there isn't much of a reason for that part haha! 
 
SS: What inspired you to pursue a career in music? Was there a particular moment or experience that ignited your passion? Was there ever a time you almost gave up?  
 

IE: I think the feeling of leaving a gig is a big reason that drives me to make music every day. It’s always so inspiring to leave a gig after seeing a show which has an emotional impact on you, connected to everyone in the room, and affirmed that you want the opportunity to do that for people too. I snuck into a Martin Garrix show whilst on holiday with my family at the age of 15, and that changed everything for me. I’d always pictured myself being in a band but being lost in a crowd of thousands with these massive emotional house tunes playing around me was amazing. 

IE: As for giving up, honestly not really. I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else and there’s nothing I wouldn’t sacrifice to make this work. I really do give everything I have to music, and wouldn’t have it any other way, I really do have the ‘make it or die trying’ mentality when it comes to this. 

 
SS: For me, the club scene and dance floor has always been a safe space for self-expression and meeting lifelong friends and introducing me to new music. Giving back to that community is what inspired me.  Do you have any similar meaningful connections to music? Could you tell me about your first exposure to electronic/indie house music? How did it influence your journey as a producer? What do you want people to feel when they listen to your music? 

IE: I completely agree. It’s always hit or miss with the gig scene whether you’re going to turn up and find a stand-off-ish crowd or a welcoming, ‘happy to be there’ crowd. There’s a few artists who have an audience I can always trust to be the latter. Some that come to mind are Salute, Barry Can’t Swim and SG Lewis. I think it’s because their music is so welcoming and vulnerable in itself. You can almost hear who the producer is through the music, without their voice or even any lyrics a lot of the time. They choose chords and sound types which bring out such a unique emotional and I try and do the same with my music. It’s so amazing to connect with an audience in this way and honestly all I want is to make songs that strike some kind of nostalgic emotional chord whilst making you want to be in a club at 3am. 

SS: One thing I want people to take away from this is your consistency! Each track is so spot on, clean, and frankly - a hit! No matter the mood I’m in there's a track for that. Your production style on 'All Eyes on You' ‘Jaded’ “Cross Your Mind” and “Like That” is polished and dynamic. Can you share a bit about your approach to production and how you achieve such a polished and consistent sound? 

IE: Thank you!! My philosophy is to take very few parts but polish them into gems. I don’t like overloading an instrumental with 100 drum stems and layering a synth 20 times, I’d rather have only a few of each and make sure they’re perfect on their own and all serve a purpose.   

SS: Can you share what it has been like collaborating with Georgie O'Brien on your recent songs? I'm genuinely obsessed with the magic you two create together that comes so naturally. What unique aspects does Georgie bring to the table creatively that makes you work with her time and time again? 

IE: I’ve known Georgie for a long time now, coming up on 4 years. I think there’s a few reasons we work together so much. Firstly, we get on really well, which makes writings sessions fun and easy. There isn't a massive pressure to leave the room with the best song we could ever make between us as we know we’ll see each other again, whereas sometimes in a one-off session with an artist you've never met before there’s. pressure to really make the most of the limited hours you have together which can actually detract from the authenticity of what you’re making. Secondly, she sounds amazing on electronic records. Georgie has a very captivating and pure voice which she can strip down for softer tones or bring out a sassy / in your face feel if the track needs it. Lastly, we both are good at hyping each other up, reassuring each other that what we’re making doesn’t such completely, which sounds like a bit of a joke but is actually important to avoid abandoning ideas too early or giving up when something isn't quite right.  

SS: The track 'Walls Are Way Too Thin' is a clear example of your artistic vision - while it also suggests a sense of exposure or transparency. What made you choose to rework it? 

IE: I love everything Holly Humberstone does, but especially that track. I wanted to take it even further into a late-night feel and darker mood, full of soft synths and falsetto. I always think that it’s a great track to fall asleep (in a good way haha)! 

SS: Haha I completely agree! It is definitely sedative!

Reflecting on your career so far, what would you say is your favourite or most memorable experience? Anything that has surprised you that you did not expect? 

IE: The first time I played live is a big one, but honestly just the success of some of the tracks I released independently with pretty much no marketing or promotion has been mind-blowing. The success of Jaded caught Georgie and I very off guard. I made the instrumental in a day on my laptop with a pair of broken headphones with a kids sized MIDI keyboard and Georgie wrote the vocals on her first attempt and recorded them on the one of the worst sounding £20 USB microphones I’ve ever heard, not exactly a professional studio recording all in all haha! After a bunch of mixing and a few mastering attempts from engineers we got it sounding good enough to release but never expected it to do what it did. Also, the release of my track ‘All Over Again’ with Kehina (a remix of her original RnB tune) did more for me than I ever thought it would. It led to my first Apple Music Editorial placement, first US primetime radio plays and a bunch more. It’s all been a bit crazy to be honest! 

SS: Looking ahead, what can fans expect from your discography in terms of upcoming releases or projects? (sophomore EP??) Are there any collaborations or solo endeavours on the horizon that you're particularly excited about sharing with your audience? 

IE: There’s not much I can say regarding collaborations currently but there is a lot on the way! My sophomore EP is very much not the only thing I’m releasing this year. It’s going to be a big summer is all I’ll say for the minute! 

SS: Whose career would you most like to emulate? I read Salute was a big inspiration for you previously - is there anyone else who inspired your upcoming EP? 

IE: Definitely Salute but also SG Lewis, his ability to make amazing solo music and the also be one of the bigger producers behind the scenes for chart-topping artists is pretty inspiring.  

 
SS: If you could live anywhere in the world – where would it be and why? 

IE: Honestly Edinburgh. I’m coming out the other end of having a year living there for a bit of a change and I could definitely see myself coming back here again in the future. It’s such a beautiful city, even if it does rain half the year aha! 
 

SS: We spoke previously about the pressures of keeping up to trend while staying true to yourself. How do you find that balance to avoid burning out? 

IE: It’s still something I struggle a lot with, it's not easy, especially with the unbelievable amount of content posted each and every day by creative people. It’s also hard, but important I think, to avoid the trap of releasing songs when they only have a good 15-30 seconds in them which may or may not go viral on social media. It’s still so important to make great music, and I think in the long term that carries you further than any brief moment of [going viral] will.  

SS: What advice do you have for those people that are starting out in this industry and have self-doubt? 

IE: Make music as much as humanly possible. Even if it's really bad. I can’t tell you how un-listenable my first hundred or so tracks were. It’s also important to remember that no one owes you a listen, you need to make something good enough that they can't ignore it not just something you feel that they should listen to simply because you made it. 

For more of Indigo Eyes check out his SoundCloud, Instagram and Spotify linked below: