You may remember MNERVA from his viral musical theatre parody of the Twenty One Pilots album “Blurryflace” called “Blurryface: The Musical.” The project was quickly put to rest after he received a cease and desist letter asking him to take down the trailer he made. He is now working on an original musical based on his own music.
Well, he’s back now with a track titled “Stuck” & “Talk Too Much”
What’s your story as an artist?
I began my journey in music at age five when I started taking drum lessons with my father. My mom and dad are both former musicians and some of my earliest memories are from their old gigs. Once I developed a decent facility on the drums, I joined my first rock band at 13 and immediately caught the songwriting bug. Unfortunately though, the band only lasted a few years and so I started recording songs in my basement and that’s where I began to cut my teeth as an artist and developed my future sound. Eventually, I moved to Nashville for college and dove head first into all things hip hop. Being a drummer, I discovered that rap came easily to me and was the best method for me to vent my frustrations and discuss my growing mental health issues. While I was creating the blueprint for MNERVA, I was simultaneously experimenting with theatre and wrote a jukebox musical based on the catalog of twenty-one pilots. My career began when I released a trailer for the musical to viral success at the beginning of 2020 and ended up receiving a cease a desist letter for the project. Although the project’s death was a tough blow, it gave me a built-in audience for my music and I released my debut MNERVA single, “Geek,” soon afterwards. Since then, I have been perfecting MNERVA’s rap-rock, alternative sound and it has all culminated in my debut EP Talk Too Much. I am now very excited to see where my career goes from here.
What do you want your music to communicate?
As an artist, I try to be open about mental health and my anxiety surrounding my constant fear of the future. By listening to my songs, I hope that people can relate to my honesty and understand that it’s okay to not feel in control of your life; it doesn’t matter where you are, what matters is that you keep moving forward and there’s no shame with needing help along the way.
What are some sources of inspiration for your storytelling?
The greatest lesson I’ve learned from living in the country music capital of the world is that there are few things more powerful than three chords and the truth. As such, the majority of my storytelling is inspired by my real life experiences and the stories of everybody around me. I believe that everyone has an incredible story to tell and that the best songwriters are able to make the mundane matter.
Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?
Recently, I have been heavily inspired by both Beartooth and NF. Although they make completely different styles of music, they both are masters of digging deep and summing up the human condition in a single line. They both rope me into their lyrics within the first four lines and I completely believe everything they’re saying every time they open their mouths. I really respect that authenticity and it is my benchmark for everything I do musically.
What’s the record or artist that made you realize you wanted to be an artist?
I realized I wanted to be an artist in 2009 when I first heard The Fray’s self-tilted record. To this day, “You Found Me” is the song I put on to remind myself why I love music and listening to that record made me believe, for the first, that I could be an artist. I will always revisit that record for inspiration and there would be no MNERVA without The Fray.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about.
Talk Too Much is the culmination of my creativity over the last five years. It is the record where I finally perfected MNERVA’s sound and fully embraced my rock background. The project began when I started working with my main producer, Andrew Gomez, back in the summer of 2020 and he completely changed my sound for the better. In our first session, we completely finished the record’s lead single, “Quarter Life Crisis,” and I knew that I had found my perfect collaborator. From there, I began reintroducing old songs to him and my fellow producer, Tony Chetta, and reworking them until they finally felt ready to release. As such, this record chronicles my entire emerging adulthood period and discusses topics such as my relationship with my parents, former heartbreaks, and where I see myself in five years. In my opinion, Talk Too Much perfectly represents me as both an artist and I person and I’m so happy it’s finally out!
What inspires your sound?
Sonically, I am very inspired by bands who love to meld genres, such as Linkin Park, Twenty One Pilots, Bring Me The Horizon, and grandson. In my opinion, rock and rap compliment each other perfectly and I’m always finding new ways to mash to two genres together with electronic music. The result is something harkening back to early 2000s music but feels fresh with a more modern approach.
What’s your favorite tune of yours?
My favorite song I’ve ever recorded is the final song off of my debut EP, “The Interview.” It’s the oldest song in my catalog and I wrote the first draft of it in March of 2016. The song opens with someone asking me “where do you see yourself in five years” and then I begin to spiral because I am unable to answer the question. The only conclusion I can come to is “in five years I hope it gets better than this.” As the song evolved over the years, I eventually wrote a third verse from the perspective of me five years later and I tell my younger self that it will in fact get better than this. Now that I’ve lived through the last five years, I can fully say that my life is better than it was in 2016 and I know it’ll only be better by 2026 as long as I keep working on myself and my craft every day. “The Interview” reminds me where I came from and that I can and will overcome my depression with time. I end every show by playing “The Interview” because I believe it’s the most powerful piece I’ve ever written.
Where are some things you really want to accomplish as an artist?
My most pragmatic goal as a musician is to be able to make a living and completely sustain myself with only my creativity. Every day, I feel like I’m getting closer to that point but I know I still have a long way to go. As far as long term goals, I hope to be able to give a voice to people who are struggling with their mental health and help my listeners understand that it’s okay to struggle through life and there’s no shame in asking for help. In a few years, I hope to be going on tour and opening for a prominent alternative artist and just, in general, feel fulfilled in my artistry.
Favorite lyric you ever wrote?
My favorite lyric I’ve ever written is from an unreleased song of mine called “Will I.” The lyric is “and now everything is magnified the internet has found a way to quantify love through likes / its amplified through swipes I’m all left no right so you know all my insecurities have reached new heights.” Living in our current social media climate, it is so difficult to not derive your worth from social media and this lyric helped me define why my phone is both my greatest tool and worst enemy.
Was there ever a moment when you felt like giving up?
I almost gave up multiple times during the 2020 quarantine. Because I couldn’t play live shows, I felt as though no one was actually listening to my music and that all of my efforts to get streams was simply for my own vanity. Working completely on my own was extremely isolating and I’m so glad to be back in Nashville and get the chance to collaborate with my community again. Thankfully though, my insecurities and doubts led to many fantastic songs being written throughout that period so it was not a complete waste of time.
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
I recently started therapy at the beginning of 2021 and my therapist always reminds me that, in everything I do, I am enough. Although that sounds like extremely simple advice, it has changed my life in every avenue of life, including my music and my relationships. I have always been my own worst critic and shame is the primary negative emotion that controls my behavior. Proudly claiming that I am enough allows me to stare shame in the face and tell it that it has no control over me. For anyone reading this considering therapy, I can’t recommend it enough!
Where do you think the next game changer will be in the music industry and entertainment scene?
I think the next game changer for the music industry will once again come from the social media scene. Tik Tok has quickly shown everyone how powerful social media algorithms can be and companies now know that short consumable video content is paramount. I think the next game changing platform will take this concept of quick consumable content to the next level and make it even easier for independent musicians to reach their proper audience.
