GRLSKOUT talks about her up & coming EP “HUMAN”
If you guys haven’t checked out GRLSKOUT ’s last record GEMINI then we highly recommend you all to put it on your next playlist rotation. We have watched her career take off from holding down residencies at some of the worlds top nightclubs in Los Angeles, including Academy & Exchange and DJing exclusive events for Bentley, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin. GRLSKOUT has played alongside DJs such as Benny Benassi, Salvatore Ganacci, Dillon Francis, Don Diablo, KSHMR, Galantis, Bingo Players, Alok, and Bassjackers just to name a few.
We have been intrigued with her ever since and finally had the chance to speak with her about her up and coming album, the pandemic, and her process in the studio.
Thanks so much for wanting to do this interview, we loved your latest record “GEMINI”. Do you have any new music coming out soon?
Thanks again so much for having me and for liking the record. It means a lot! Yes, I just actually finished my first EP which I am really excited about. I took all of 2020 to really pinpoint my sound, direction and brand moving forward. It was a lot of work and time but I feel really good about it.
Oh well this is definitely good news! Can you tell us a little about it?
Of course! It’s 5 songs and the EP is called “HUMAN”. I think we can all attest to 2020 being a super difficult year. I know for me it was the most challenging year but in all honesty the best year of my life. I know that sounds weird but it really pushed me to make this EP happen and forced me to put all my heart into it. It’s a pretty emotional body of work that focuses on heartache and mental health which I think a lot of people can relate to in these crazy times. Since I had no distractions like DJ-ing, travelling etc, I had no choice but to lock myself in my studio and really poor my heart out and produce a ton of songs. I think a lot of us had so much stripped away from our normal day to day lives that it made us become stronger and focus on what is really important.
Well, we are super excited to hear it! When is the release date?
Not quite sure when the actual release date is since I’m still ironing stuff out regarding label interest, and branding. But definitely before the summer. It’s all such a crazy process and I’m so particular & detailed about everything. This EP hits really hard for me so I want the rollout to be perfect and not feel rushed.
I know the entertainment industry took a really big hit, so as an artist how did you deal with this lockdown?
Well in March when everything first happened, I had so many great gigs lined up and it felt like a rug was pulled from under my feet. But thank god that I’ve been getting a lot of music production work for other artists and clients. So it actually worked out really nice for me in the end and has kept me really busy thus far. I’ve definitely grown a lot as a producer this last year and am excited to continue producing more.
What is GRLSKOUT ´s creative process?
I like to spend some time going through all my samples first and then doing what I call a “sound collage”. Basically, it’s a folder of a bunch of samples, drum sounds, synth sounds, random sounds etc so when I’m producing I don’t have to search as much and feel stuck for inspiration. For me, it’s all about being organized in my sessions because if you’re sitting there looking for a kick drum for an hour, you have already killed that creative mood.
I also like to split up my sessions, so one day I’ll focus strictly on sound design and spend a whole day playing with my synths and saving sounds, the next day I’ll write a bunch of song ideas, and then spend another day cleaning those song ideas up. If I’m stuck on a song idea for more than a few hours I move on from it and work on another one. I think being efficient and finding a good workflow is key in music production.
Any advice for anyone who wants to start DJing in this crazy time?
Definitely don’t just be a DJ. Especially with what has happened this last year. I feel so bad for my friends who relied heavily on DJ gigs. I would highly recommend learning music production, learning an instrument or two because making your own music is what’s gonna make you unique, stand out and have a product. It’s also gonna open up a whole other world of opportunities down the road for producing other artists, music for film & television and so much more.
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Photo By: Austin Nelson
