If you’re cold then just go grab your “Sweater,” but you won’t need it for long cause Spencer Sutherland will make you feel energized in a matter of minutes after listening to his music. Sutherland has been around in the music industry for a few years now but he has recently become a hit, gaining attention from Meghan Trainor and more. His songs such as “Fine,” “Sweater” and “Selfish” are all songs that make him stand out in the industry, his funky sound and style makes him a unique artist. Sutherland has a one off show in LA on March 12th and ECHO had the chance to chat with Sutherland about his new hometown show and more!
You have a show coming up in LA at the Troubadour on March 12. Why did you choose LA for that one off show?
I’m not from Los Angeles, but it is my hometown now. I wanted to do a hometown show and try out some new music. I was like what better place is there than the place I live and my new hometown? I think all those reasons combined is why I decided to do that. All my friends will come too; which I think is going to be a blast.
What can fans expect from the show?
It’s kind of an all new show. We worked really hard on the vibe of the show to have it’s own unique thing. That as well as a bunch of new music. I’m trying out new songs to see how people like them and how they react. I’m super excited about that. And we have a cool new light show. It will be an all new unique kind of show.
What was the writing process from your most recent single, “Grateful” like?
That was one of the easier songs that we’ve done because me and the producer had taken what we were just saying in the moment. We were having this conversation like ‘let’s just turn these into lyrics;’ so we kind of did that. The chorus is super simple and easy. We actually rewrote it a few times and kept going back to the original because it was so simple and just made a lot of sense. I say, overall, it’s a super honest song and very simple.
What was the inspiration for that song?
The inspiration in general is what I want to tell myself – to just be more grateful in my own life. A reminder that life’s good. Nothing is going to be perfect; so just take it for what it is. Be grateful for what you have.
The music video has a very 70s vibe and you have mentioned that you are inspired by the 60s and 80s. What are some of the artists from those decades that you really enjoy listening to?
My favorite of all time is Elvis and just everything he has ever done is my inspiration for doing music. I love Prince. I love Michael Jackson…The Temptations. Most of my favorite artists are from that time period. I take so much inspiration from them.
You’ve said that you have worked on 300-400 songs over the past year. How do you whittle that list down to figure out the songs that you are going to release or play at that show?
It’s so crazy because it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. The whittling is happening as we speak. There’s still 15 I’m still in love with. We wrote so many songs. There was a while where I was writing one, even two a day sometimes and recently I got to a point where it was hard to find so many different ways to say something. I had to take a step back and be like wow I have this many songs – let’s see what we have. What we got down to is so cool and unique and different. I’m really excited for it to come out. It’s been such a hard process. You love all of them in a different way, you know?
You checked something off of your bucket list recently – you sang with Harry Connick Jr. What was that like?
It was so sick! It was such a legendary thing because I didn’t know it was going to happen and then he called me up – you know my mom and dad have been fans of his for a while and he’s become a good friend in the past year. He just invited me to sing. It was so cool. He’s so legendary. It was so special. It was something I’ll always remember.
Speaking of checking things off your bucket list, you also played your first arena show at iHeart Radio Jingle Ball. What was that experience like?
That was equally as wild. When you play a show you’re nervous. When it’s that many people it’s almost harder to get nervous because it doesn’t even feel real. It’s just 10,000 people and this thing that’s like the pinnacle of a touring artist’s career. That was so special. It was such a fun time. Such a great crowd. Such great energy. I loved it.
If you could set up your fans in the perfect environment to listen to your music, what might it look like ?
That’s a super cool question. I think it would be in a really cool vibey, retro kinda area if we were doing a listening party with a ping pong table and that little basketball shooting game. Just like a really chill kind of area with snacks and coffee and food. I would love to have that and just crazy speakers to play them the music. I think that would be a special vibe, actually. I think the vibe is just as important as hearing something. You know when you’re in a comfortable space and you hear something like a really loud speaker? I think people will vibe with it.
Is there a quote that you’ve heard that you want to ECHO out to the World and your fans?
It’s an Elvis quote. There’s a lot of Elvis quotes that I love, but this one is “Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine.” So it’s saying that a dream is totally within your grasp if you have the right kind of ambition- the right kind of passion. The quote has always spoken to me ever since I was a kid. I remember I wanted to get that tattooed on me as a kid. I actually did get an Elvis tattoo, but not that one.
Well, It’s never too late.
I know! I need to get it across my back or something crazy .
You have new music coming. What else can fans expect in the near future?
Some tour dates. Definitely, some more new music – some new collabs. Just the usual, but I think the next step up for sure.