A few years ago, same season as Fifth Harmony, three talented guys made up the popular boy band called Emblem 3. Since then, each member has gone on to do their own solo projects and one has a new band. Drew Chadwick was one of the members that has gone on to release solo music and has a new album coming for fans to listen to soon. ECHO had the chance to talk with Chadwick before his show at The Peppermint Club the other week.
How are you?
I am flowing and trying to keep energetically in an ascended state. That would be the best way that I can put that.
Talk about your album that your planning on releasing relatively soon.
I’m working on it every day. I’m very excited about it. I just have to sift through. I took a lot of time on each song. Some people write a song a day, but mine are very selective experiences. I spend a lot of time on them. I’ve got like 30 or 40 of those. Then I’ve got to dial back the ones I like the most. The plan is to take the six or seven most complete ones- the selects and pitch them around to see if I can get more of a budget and maybe some other services – recording services. That’s the plan with that situation.
What can we expect stylistically from the album?
My whole philosophy with it is I f*ck around with the guitar heavily; so that’s a foundational instrument for me. Then basically around that – I produce a lot as well, program and mix stuff too. But I find other producers that I like. I got Tank God to produce one song. He produced “rockstar” by Post Malone. And then finding other producers that I like and have them build beats around my guitars and the songs. So it’s really like the guitar vibes blended with modern rock. Basically guitars, beats, AOA and maybe even add on some live bass. That’s the vibe. I really have no boundaries with it.
If there was a perfect environment that you could set your fan up in to listen to the album, what type of environment or situation would it be?
That’s a great question. It’s hard because each song is a different spirit. There are songs that are more psychedelically influenced or spiritually influenced. Then there are songs that you want to have sex to. There’s songs you want to drop acid to or that you want to play in the background and just chill to- story telling songs where you listen. So the environment definitely depends on which song. It’s hard to say.
Do you have a working title?
I have a huge list of names that I like. I haven’t chosen one yet.
Do you have a favorite song off the album?
I really like the song called. “Messiah.” It’s the song that most people don’t really like. It’s because they don’t get it, I think. But it’s like a seven and a half minute long song. Very dynamic and just super lyrically rich. It’s in existential, philosophical, and spiritual realms. So yeah it’s probably one of my favorite ones.
Why do you think that most songs are so short today?
I don’t know. People don’t listen the same way as they used to. The landscape of music has transformed to such a degree that the songs are just demonstrations. They’re more disposable than they used to be. I would even go as far as to say timeless music has died and that phase has kind of faded. And now music is so accessible that it’s more disposable. And it’s so unfortunate, but that’s just the way it is. An album that might have been dropped 10 years ago could still be considered a timeless album today. Lately, there’s so much. There’s 80,000 songs roughly uploaded to Spotify everyday. People just don’t have the time, patience or attention span to care. They just don’t care the same way they used to.
Are there any artists that you draw inspiration from?
I stick to the greats. Most of my favorite artists are dead. I like all the revolutionary artists – the Lennons…the Tupacs…the Cobains…Bob Marley. I like the traditional, revolutionary artists. Nowadays, I don’t even know, dude. I like never listen to pop music. I don’t like to unless I’m out. It’s very hard to do. I only listen to pop music when other people are listening to it and I’m forced to. I usually hate it. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s that it reminds me of where I’m not at. I get a sense of envy or something and I just can’t control it. It’s pathetic and it’s egotistical, but at the same time it’s just a reminder that I’m not are where I feel like I should be. I guess I’m just a jealous little b*tch.
What is one topic that you feel had never been covered in music that you would like to write about?
In that song “Messiah” – the concept is that we are all the Messiah. It’s like be your own Messiah – that we’re all masters of our reality and the saviors of ourselves. Almost all the songs have a unique concept. That’s one of my trademarks, I guess. As a writer you have to have every song feel like every song has a unique concept. Not all of them are, but a majority of them are. Cause sometimes you don’t want a unique concept. Sometimes, you want a relatable concept. As a writer, that’s what I prefer to do- something that feels different.
You post a lot of artwork by the artist, Alex Grey. Would you consider his visual artwork an inspiration for your music?
Alex Gray is … he paints a picture of the invisible world. He paints the dimensions that aren’t seen with the eyes – that exist on an energetic field. I love that hes is able to tap in and connect that and bring that back to this world. He’s one of the few artists that does that and he’s definitely a pioneer of that style of art. I think that he’ll go down in history right alongside the Michaelangelos, the Picassos, and the Davincis as the pioneer of artwork capturing the spiritual realms. As far as my music. I have some vibes that reflect that. I also have surface level stuff; so my thing is bridging the gap between the two worlds: the scene and the unseen.
What is one thing that inspires you that your would want to ECHO out to your fans?
There’s so many random…my brain’s just trying to process the amount. I mean my senior year quote is pretty timeless and that was ‘ fear not human beings having spiritual experiences or spiritual beings having the human experience.’ I thought that was kind of cool. It kind of flipped the perspective from this kind of individualized, egocentric perspective on consciousness to a grander, universal perspective of consciousness that kind of permeates through every pair of eyes whether it’s humans or animals.