Alt-Pop artist roman around and The Toll of Unconditional Love LP

Your album blends genres like grunge, jazz, and electronic. How did you balance these different styles?

At this point, I don’t think about blending genres. I notice things I like in various albums & songs and take inspiration from a few things at a time. I think that balancing all these blends comes from being able to stay true to my sound for this project. 

 

The opening track, “Get it From You,” sets a unique tone with its dissonance. What was your creative process for that song?

I spent a lot of time messing with effects on my empress Zoia and Chroma Console. I was inspired by a lot of music from The Color Morale and my friend’s band Citrus, and wanted to create something grungy without it being too heavy rhythmically. 

This song came out quickly. I think it took me a single day of ridiculous energy from stress & frustration to write it. I’m glad I did because it conceptually grounds the whole album and at the time gave me a chance to reflect on the meanings for the second track especially. 

“Moves” touches on loss and adversity. How does writing about painful experiences help you heal?

“Moves” was written as soon as I found out a close family member of mine cut me off and ran away from everyone. It’s incredibly frustrating too knowing that person has admitted to me the harm they’ve taken but are choosing to stay in this environment. I think about them every day, so this doesn’t help me really heal. This along with the wounds of losing my best friend when I was young, watching my mom lose her mind while searching for jobs, and everything else the song is about stays with me. I live with this worry and dread every waking moment and pray they’re okay. 

In “Lexapro,” you mention personal struggles with mental health. Why is vulnerability important in your music?

This tells my story. Somewhere out in my community or the world, there is a kid who probably has gone through emotions and feelings they don’t know how to handle. For some reason, they believe they have to take radical action against their own well-being. It’s important to remember everyone matters and although it’s taboo, you should always talk to someone. If I could do it in a song about my 16-18-year-old self, I hope this encourages anyone out there to talk to the person next to them and listen or share. 

“No One Else” reflects a shift toward healing past pain. Can you talk about that transformation?

I don’t wanna find or fight anyone else in this world besides the people I encounter daily. It’s a love song but it’s also about how much I feel we could all recover from heated situations if we acknowledge the bigger picture of any relationship. I have my boundaries but that doesn’t mean I won’t stop my world for my partner, family, or friends if needed. With the idea of how much unconditional love takes a toll on us, I felt it is important to recognize this idea that we hurt the people we love the most and can still continue to love after being hurt.

As a music educator, how does your advocacy for LGBTQ+ and POC students influence your work?

I feel being able to express oneself personality freely is parallel to one being able to fulfill what the universe wants of them. Occupation and education don’t matter, being positively and assertively the best version of oneself is being true and honest to oneself. That will take you far in whatever you want to achieve. 

Being able to come from any background and fish out from the depths of what one has learned should be easy regardless of the amount of melanin in your skin

Who were some of your musical heroes growing up, and how have they shaped your sound and style today?

Joey Vannuchi from “From Indian Lakes” & Dijon. I love their voices so much and have tried to bring the intensity out of mine that they have when I sing. Joey is also very similar to me in musical background. It has always been a joy of mine to go to FIL shows and meet him.

Mk.gee. Who isn’t inspired by what he’s doing now? Sonically, he is accessing other worlds through the same format of two speakers. It’s nuts how innovative and beautiful his music is. 

Mini Trees & Lexi Vega. I love the way she plays guitar and equally love who produces for her. They are also creating incredible sounds.

Others include Led Zeppelin, Tigran Hamasyan, The Color Morale, Snarky Puppy, Flying Lotus, Anderson Paak, JD Beck & Domi, and so many others. I was a hip-hop head growing up so I listened to a lot of Snoop, Bobby Brown, Nelly, Too $hort, etc. When I was a younger teenager I found metalcore & club music and fell in love with Attack Attack, The Color Morale, Flux Pavillion, & Monstercat mixes. 

What are your plans for following up on The Toll of Unconditional Love? Are you already working on new projects or exploring different directions?

I plan on focusing my energy on this release. I have no idea what the next few months look like but I know that I want to promote this album heavily and show the world why it’s important to me. That includes playing live, touring, focusing online, etc. If you read this, please share my posts and ask me to play shows 🙂