ECHO is honored to premiere the video for “Boy Meets World” by independent, rising artist shye.
Following the release of his EP Somewhere In Search Of Myself, shye. is continuing his journey with his new single, “Boy Meets World.” A nod to the 90s sitcom, the chill track is about warily wading into new love, while seeking comfort in the nostalgia.
It seems only fitting that the tv show inspired single would be accompanied by a music video. In the episodic visual, shye. nervously asks to hang out through a passed note.
We chatted with the artist and author about the cast member supported single, the music video, and more!
What inspired your new single, “Boy Meets World”?
I guess the easy answer would be to say the show inspired it. It’s been my favorite show since I was a kid. But really on a deeper level, it’s about (and was inspired by) the terrifying feeling of expressing to someone how you feel about them after you’ve been hurt before. It’s about the ways we tend to keep to ourselves and shelter, trying not to be hurt, or hurt anyone the way you’ve been hurt. There are unhealthy ways we deal with trauma and pain, secluding ourselves like this and putting walls up. Then there’s the healthy ways we deal with it, like seeking comfort in the things that have always brought us comfort (rewatching my favorite shows is a big one for me). I wanted to meet in the middle of those two. I wanted to understand the trauma better, to use the things that bring me comfort to pull myself out of it, and to be more open in my personal life in the process. To me, this song is saying, meet me in the middle. I’ll try to be more open if you’re understanding of the little things I need in order to be more open.
As a fan of the show, what has it been like to have the support of both Will Friedle and Trina McGee?
Indescribable. It’s honestly even made watching the show feel a little different for me too. These are people I’ve watched and looked up to since my childhood, and to have them show their support for me and this song has been probably one of the, if not THE greatest feeling I’ve had since starting to release music as shye. They’ve been so kind and supportive to me. Meeting them both and getting to speak to them about the song in person as well brought me immeasurable happiness. Hearing that they enjoyed and appreciated the song means everything to me. They are absolutely wonderful.
Where did the concept from the music video come from?
I’ve long dreamt of filming a music video at my elementary school. That school is so important to me. I have a tattoo of acorns on my arm for it, my family’s name is on a brick by the flagpole. I was diagnosed bipolar and obsessive compulsive while I went to that school, and the teachers and faculty members were incredible to me as I navigated that. I was introduced to theatre at that school, to performance. So much of who I am as a person now is because of who I was able to be then in those formative years. So when I wrote this song, I couldn’t get it out of my head that I needed to film the video there. It was a long process trying to secure it, and then strangely enough, I ended up befriending the superintendent while working an event, and he took care of everything. It came together pretty quickly after that. We wanted it to feel like an after school special, and the “picture day” scene came out of wanting to include the setting of the cover art from the single in the video (the cover art was shot about 4 months before). My director Mitch and I pieced together the story line from there, and honestly, on the day of, we just really leaned into having fun with it and making it as goofy as possible. It was an absolute blast.
What was it like to film the music video?
It was certainly a hectic day, but I had so much fun. Being back inside that school that means so much to me, creating something in a place where I learned to be creative, it was really special. So much about that building hasn’t changed at all, which is awesome. I got to have a bunch of my friends there as well, a few of which went to that school with me, and my mom is in it! I know it was special for them all to be back there, and I’m glad I got to share this moment with them. This is my favorite video I’ve ever done.
Boy Meets World was all about life lessons. What did you learn during the writing and music video production process?
I’d say I learned with this song specifically that some of the best things in life come when you least expect it. Aside from the video creation coming together after coincidentally meeting the superintendent of the school district, this song almost didn’t exist. I was chasing a certain feeling I was inspired by sonically when I started writing this. It didn’t quite feel like what I thought I was chasing, so I hit save and closed it. The next day I opened it back up, and even though I was still unsure, I decided to just keep working on and adding to it. What I ended up with is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written, and one that feels even better than what I thought I was chasing. So on a big scale, I feel like I’m realizing how often good things come when you don’t expect it. On a small scale: always save your work even if you’re unsure of it! (Haha)
If you could set fans up in the perfect environment to listen to the single, what do you imagine it looking like?
Taking a time machine back to the Universal Studios lot in Orlando, in the late 90’s, and getting slimed. That would be sick. I wanna win a Kids Choice Award and get slimed so badly haha.
What can fans look forward to next?
I’ll be continuing to push my EP and latest book, Somewhere In Search Of Myself with more visuals, including some behind the scenes stuff of us working on the record! Other than that, I’m always writing and working on the next projects, so I hope everyone keeps listening and know that there’s always more on the way!
What is one quote that you have heard or that you go by that you want to ECHO out to the world? Maybe even one from Mr. Feeny?
EASY. “Dream, try, do good.” – Sir George Feeny the Great