Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?
19 Miles Per Hour started out as a pop/rock band in New Hampshire, but they didn’t gain traction until moving out to Utah. Michael and Danny went to Utah for college and upon arriving discovered there was a pretty good music scene. They found a bassist and lead guitarist about a week before Battle of the Bands at BYU in 2019 and threw together a few songs and ended up winning. Since then, they have been voted “Favorite Overall Artist in Utah” in 2021 at the Local Utah Music Awards, been invited to play at Fork Fest, named #1 Band in Utah Valley in The Daily Heralds “Best of Utah Valley Magazine 2021”, and have been recognized for a variety of other things. They do a lot to raise awareness for mental health and other social issues in order to give back to the community.
How would you describe the highs and lows of being an artist?
Being an artist is full of highs and lows. It’s a very tough business and takes a lot of work with little reward at first. One of the best highs and best rewards an artist can get is seeing how much people have been impacted by their music. It’s amazing to see how our music can bring people together and help people feel like a part of something more.
What’s a musical guilty pleasure of yours?
I think we all have our guilty pleasures, but one for me is listening to a lot of less-known pop/punk or pop/rock artists. There are so many talented musicians and bands out there that deserve so much more recognition.
What are some sources of inspiration for you?
Some of the main sources of inspiration for our music are the everyday battles of life. I personally suffer from anxiety and depression and that has given me great inspiration for songs. Love, heartbreak, hope, all contributes to the inspiration of our music.
Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?
I would say each member has different artists they look up to. Some of those artists would be Mayday Parade, Train, Band Camino, Matchbox 20, and so many more.
Favorite activity to blow off some steam?
I’d have to say play music or go for a skateboard ride and explore.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about.
Good Morning Rosaline was written with an early 2000s pop/punk vibe. It’s kind of about realizing your full potential and waking up to see all you can be.
What are some things you do to deal with anxiety and creative blocks?
To deal with these things I try to calm myself and take deep breaths. Sometimes I’ll say a little prayer for inspiration or call one of the other members for some help with the lyrics.
What’s the future looking like for you?
The future is looking very bright. We are going to keep working towards getting our music out there and in front of more and more people. We are dedicated to making this work and will work hard to make it happen. We truly believe our music can help people.
What inspires your visuals, videos, looks etc?
We get inspiration from everything. Friends, family, fashion, other artists we look up to, and just from our own ideas. The world is full of inspiration and we are able to find it in just about everything.
What is the most embarrassing memory and most proud moment of your career so far ?
There was a time where we started to play a song in the wrong key and had to stop and start over which was very embarrassing, but we don’t let those moments get to us. There have been so many proud moments like winning BYU Battle of the Bands in 2019 at The Wall, playing at Fork Fest, our first headlining show at Velour, being voted “Favorite Overall Artist in Utah” and so much more, but one of the most proud moments we’ve had is when we were running a mental health campaign called #BeTheReason to the tune of our love song “Reason I Live” and we had a random fan reach out and say how much our music and this song has helped her. She told us how she was in a really dark place and came across our music and it helped her feel comfort and feel less lonely. That’s one of the main goals of our music so we were so grateful for this.
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten? To believe in yourself, never give up, and trust in God. These three things have played a huge role in my music career and have given me hope and helped me to continue to persevere when things get tough.
Where do you think the music and entertainment industry is headed after this past year? I think the music and entertainment industry is going up. There are so many ways for musicians to get their music out there and be heard and it’s going to keep growing. If you work hard, practice, and have faith in yourself you can accomplish anything in this industry.
