Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?
So, I started SVICIDEGHØST I wanna say somewhere in the beginning of 2019, right when coronavirus was becoming a big thing, but nothing was fully shut down yet. Prior to starting this project I was the frontman of a band called DearBones, but unfortunately that came to its “Demise” as being told. I grew up listening to “emo music” haha, Underoath, Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, The Used, ETC. Slowly over time as I got older I wouldn’t say I left those bands behind but was finding other music, especially when I moved to Santa Monica California, I started getting into a bit more on the darker/sad side of rap or hip hop whatever you wanna call it.
I will say real quick when an old emo song I grew up on comes on, my volume is to the max and my voice is singing it even higher haha.
Before I started SVICIDEGHØST I really vibed with what Lil Peep (R.I.P) Juice WRLD (R.I.P) XXXTENTACION (R.I.P) and GhostMane where doing, taking these sad, melodic, upbeat emo type songs or whatever and just throwing insane 808s and other sick effects into the mix.
So I was like, shit I wanna do that. I really dove into not just like “emo rap” type beats and such but like I studied the fuck out of the genre itself.
It’s crazy how such sad music can make you feel some type of way to keep going if you get what I’m saying.
For me personally I’ve always been a bit more reserved with my emotions and what’s really going on inside my head, keeping that fake smile, or tryna make everyone else happy with love and care to hope they won’t feel the things I feel on the inside, there is a quote from Robin Williams that’s never felt so real to me and so true to myself
“I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy. Because they know what it feels like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anybody else to feel like that.”
But when I first started listening to this music it honestly saved my life in ways, even though a lot of the songs are about drug use, suicide, depression, ETC.
Things that I’ve dealt with a lot in life. It made me feel ok ya know, like it’s gonna be alright cuz there are others out there that are in the same boat as myself.
That’s definitely a huge reason as to why I started this project. I want people to hear my music as I did these other artists and be like, shit this is real and have that connection with my songs ya know.
Its a very open world. I feel doing this type of music and a very speak your mind and emotions kinda thing.
So I found this producer who goes by Prod. Flower on youtube. I listened to a bunch of his beats and kinda just started vibing heavily with his beats.
So I bought my first ever beat haha, I really took a minute to think of what I wanted to write about really just going back and forth with lyrical content and the song itself.
I hit up my old friend McKenzie who lives in Connecticut and has a studio there. I sent him this beat I grabbed from flower. And kinda just started going from there. We did a scratch track of what is now my first single that I put out some months ago called “Orange In Black” which you can find on all streaming platforms.
After finalizing orange in black we’ve just been crushing songs, I now work with Kenz for Vocals/Mixing/Mastering. Flower, V-E Beats, 2k6(Kevin) for beats. Soon to be adding Prod. Sternmark to my list of producers to be working with.
Besides Orange in Black, have released two other singles, one going by Dear Friends which I didn’t promote too much to be honest, not sure why I just didn’t. And another single called Bones which I just released actually this past Christmas Eve.
Other than that, I’m finishing up my first ever EP consisting of 4 songs and featuring the homie T.H.Z on a track which I will be putting out this February.
As well as already in the process of writing my second EP which will have a bit more than 4 songs, I’m hoping to release it by summer 2022 sometime.
Plus some other big things quietly in the works, but I can’t give it away just yet.
What should a song or piece of art communicate in your opinion?
To be honest, whatever the artist is writing about, ive heard songs all the way from eating peaches ( great song) to self harm and shit ya know.
Guess its just whatever may be on the persons mind or heart.
Who were your top 3 artists last year?
Hahaha, this is always the worst question, because theres so many good ones that I love listening to all the time.
I don’t know if I have a top 3 but I will say Ghostemane’s ANTI-ICON which I believe came out October of 2020, SLAPS !
I’ll forever love Lil Peep, you wanna feel some real shit, Peep is your dude.
(R.I.P)
Ive been also finding myself on a serious Paramore kick again,
Hailey Williams stole my heart as a young emo haha.
What are your 2022 projects and goals?
Well SVICIDEGHØST is still very new, so I’ve really been focusing on that.
Myself and two other friends have been slowly working on a 3 person group type thing. Very Zillakami/Suicide Boys.
But SVICIDEGHØST is the main focus.
Gone be doing some stuff out of state real soon for shows and things so i’m excited for that.
Definitely pretty hard doing it on my own compared to being in a band where everyone’s wallet, money, thoughts, ideas whatever come into play.
Definitely a main goal is get this EP out before I start doing more shows than I have. Which isn’t a lot haha, but there coming for sure.
Also just wanna have more music out instead of singing released and non released music
Secondly finish the second EP which I mentioned earlier is already in the works.
Other than that just have people hear my music, connect with it, feel the way I do when listening to the music I love and has inspired me to create this type of genre
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about?
So my latest release is a song called Bones. It kinda stems from like 3 different eras in my life, from young teen to early 20s to where I am now. But has always been one at the same time. Sounds weird but that’s how I can explain it.
Its kinda about what I did and what I was into as a very young teen moving into my 20s as I said, with sex, drugs, alcohol a lot of different shit. The opening lyrics are pretty straight forward, I’m not stating I am a liar but I’m more less stating the pain I carry has been seen by someone who cares for me very deeply and instead of me talking about it I just say I’m fine and put on a smile.
The shit I was doing when I was younger kinda brought a name to myself in my town I guess, there has been times when I was a kid where I would hear friends on the phone with another friend being like yo come hang but don’t invite Frankie, don’t let him know.
Frankie is my name if you all are wondering haha.
Then there is really “The Now”. Over the course of Covid 19 I felt extremely alone, I fell back into some drugs for a while, while drinking heavily, was dealing with moving around, being shunned out by certain people in my life.
I think that’s what really crushed me the most honesty, being treated like a bad guy yet never knowing what you did wrong, asking yourself what you did wrong when you know you didn’t do anything wrong but stuck inside your head 24/7 from the moment you wake up till you sleep, replaying what could be the answer. Only to get apologies stating you did nothing wrong, love you, but still don’t wanna see you.
Shit eats you alive man.
Bones kinda drives off of the topic of really feeling booted out due to who you are, what “your about” If you get what i’m saying, tryna not give a shit what’s been said or put on yourself
Falling into a dark place but being thrown into something darker due to others, going back to vices that take away the pain your feeling, suicidal thoughts, feeling so low and alone. The things you did, the things you do and have done.
I feel like people “also speaking for myself” forget what their words and actions can do to another sometimes whether it being small or large.
