Canadian artist/producer Nasmore just dropped his new single “When Will I Learn”, continuing his epic collaboration with vocalist Cris Hodges while adding former Tears for Fears and Robbie Williams guitarist Neil Taylor to the mix creating an instant hit that we were lucky enough to review and today, we’re gonna get to know him more and dig deeper into his creative mind.
- With such a diverse catalog filled with collaborations and experimentations, I’m curious about what kickstarted your music career? And who’re your main influences?
I received formal and comprehensive musical education going from the age of 5 till I turned 17. Then my career had a 90-degree turn, away from music and into the IT world, and it’s been so until late 2020 when covid restrictions have limited our day-to-day activities. I was looking for something to fill my days with and thought of this skillset of mine I never really used over these years. Today, music production is my second business.
When it comes to influences, I am a big fan of music that resonates with my mind, genre-agnostic. I have a passion for psychologically-infused cinematically coloured music. Dan Reynolds, Hans Zimmer, Klaus Meine are among the names whose music has influenced my work.
- How does usually your writing process go? And what makes you choose your next project’s direction?
It always starts with the story or a visual drawn in my mind. I observe people, behaviours, situations, and surroundings, watch movies and read books, and listen to the sounds around me. Most people are too busy and wouldn’t pay attention to many things around. But in my case, I notice them whether I want it or not, and I envision them as a piece of music or song.
Then if I feel that the subject matter and the vibe associated with it is big enough, I take a deeper dive into it. Most of the time, I would have some lyrics and a melody in my mind by then. The rest of the process is likely not any different from the rest of the music producers.
- How did your successful run with Cris Hodges start? How did you guys meet and what made you think he’ll be such a perfect fit for your vision?
When I first heard Cris singing, I knew immediately that his vocal features were full of potential, and they offer a remarkable range. It’s rough and gritty, with a weighty level of expressiveness needed for my songs. And outside of his vocal features, he is a pro. He is a songwriter who would bring his own views to my sound.
- Collaborating with guitarist Neil Taylor on “When Will I Learn” was incredibly on point as he did a great job nailing the exact tone and feeling, may you tell us more about how did your collaborative writing process went on “When Will I Learn”?
Neil is a music business veteran and even part of music history for his guitar solo on “Everybody wants to rule the world” by Tears for Fears. He was a regular member of Robbie Williams’ band and worked with many artists, including Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Chris de Burgh, Natalie Imbruglia, Metallica and James Morrison. Parallel to that, Neil released a few beautiful albums on his own. Working with Neil is such a great experience; it seems like he knows exactly where my mind is regarding this or that part of the song. We had a few songs where he recorded all the guitar layers, and now we are working on a few pieces where Neil is the lead singer.
- “When Will I learn” sounds sincere and heartfelt lyrically and musically, is there any special story behind it?
The story behind it is in the “When Will I Learn – The Story” track on that EP. It’s a made-up story that never happened to me, but I bet there are quite a few of us who are not a stranger to this subject matter. How many of us keep on running our day-to-day lives carelessly until that day when we have to stop and look back? Are we doing the right thing? Will we ever regret what we have or haven’t done? Careless living is not any different than careless driving. This is the message “When Will I Learn” carries.
- Can you give us a glimpse of your future collaborations and direction?
There are still many musical avenues for me to discover. But the one that I love a lot is the vocal duets. We just finished recording an EP with Neil Taylor and his son Johnny. At the front of this EP is one very special song about a famous rock star musician and his son – a very talented emerging artist. It’s about a father and son relationship and the reincarnation of talent. Genre-wise, it is a blend of hard rock with melodic rap. I am hoping to be able to share it soon and am very excited about it.
And two more singles are coming out of the pipe soon. Both are duets. One is guaranteed to make you nod, clap, and sing along to it. And another one will quickly find its way to the hearts of those who know what love is.
- What’s Nasmore‘s ultimate collaboration? The one you’ve been dreaming of?
I would be super excited to collaborate with a singer whose performances established a shortcut to people’s hearts. Great artists like Klaus Meine, Steve Tyler, Christina Aguilera, for example. And then, for performance, it would be a rock concert with a symphony orchestra.
- What song do you recommend to someone who wants to get into Nasmore?
I hope almost every song in my catalogue is worth checking out. But “When Will I Learn” represents me as I am today, so I recommend checking it out first.
Thanks for your time, I’m really looking forward to more releases, cheers!
