Interview: Austin, TX Based Artist Steven Strong Talks About His New Video "Wiser Than Older"
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“Writing in general has always been my main outlet and source of creativity. It’s absolutely the best therapy for me that I’ve ever had and a huge reason why I’m still standing today. ”
Salute to you on the release of the music video for your track "Wiser Than Older". What inspired you to write the song, and who produced it?
Thank you! Appreciate you guys having me on. Honestly, I started writing the song as a joke and wasn't going to do anything with it. I showed it to my girlfriend and a couple of others that all really liked it and I decided to finish writing it and see how I felt.
It ended up being a fairly comical, but accurate, depiction of where my head was at in the middle of March with everything going on. I worked in education at the time and never went back after Spring Break. I knew that being stuck inside my own apartment was one of the worst options I could have wanted for myself so I was determined to be productive with that time and not let it fly by and look back and feel like I did nothing.
That idea is ultimately where the line "Hope you spend your quarantine getting wiser, not just older" really came from. I didn't want the time to only age me, which I had no control over. I wanted the time to benefit me and expand my abilities, too, which I had full control over. As did anyone else, in my opinion. I had the opportunity to shift my focus to my art even more and my friend across the seas, Neighbr Beats, who made the instrumental, also mixed and mastered it for me and got it good to go. We're actually finishing a clean edit to send to radio stations now, as well.
How did you and your co-director come up with the treatment for the music video? Also, how difficult was it to film it as a one-shot?
I had set up my apartment with maximum lounging capabilities since I was home all of the time, so I had placed my ottoman in-between my two couches that faced each other to create one huge den. I also had my mini fridge below my TV which elevated the picture and simultaneously provided convenient refreshments.
At some point, I looked around and felt it fit the exact setting I discuss in "Wiser Than Older" and it was genuinely how I was spending my quarantine. So I came to Marisol with the idea of filming a one shot within the apartment, my literal apartment, and showcasing everything I'd been doing throughout the days.
Sleeping, snacking, playing video games, watching TV. You know. The usual loner, 20 year old dude stuck at home stuff. The good stuff. Mari brought a few ideas of her own to implement, like changing the room light to red when I put on her red sunglasses as I walk out. Mari filmed it with one hand holding the camera and the other hand holding my own phone to cue the light bulb change and the TV playing the recorded video in sync with the live shot, all in real time and while panning and filming in a way that allowed me to get into position AND change outfits at every transition.
It was honestly extremely hard, with her taking on most of the difficulty, and we went through take after take until it was 7:30 in the morning and we'd been doing it for over 6 hours when we finally got the take we went with, which was the only take we actually finished filming the whole way through. We went straight to sleep but I definitely had minimal editing to do before releasing it that next morning, so that's a plus! All in all, I thought it was better than what I had envisioned when we started.
Will "Wiser Than Older" be featured on an upcoming EP or album? If so, what can you tell us about the project?
Because "Wiser Than Older" was a song I never planned on writing, or even releasing once I had written it, it is just a standalone single and will remain as that.
I actually wrote it after all of the songs from my first EP, but in the time since releasing all of those I have been working on my second project, an upcoming EP that I hope to release before this crazy year of 2020 is over. No set timeline as of now, but I can tell you it's the fullest, most well-rounded sound from me thus far and I think it will be well-received by a lot more people than the loud mouth, arrogance I came with on "Special Event Ahead", my first EP.
I can also tell you that I've actually nearly finished all of the songs for my second project and am already working on a couple of remixes of some well known tracks to keep the content flowing even after this is all released. Basically, I can't ever get myself to shut up haha. I got a lot to say, I guess.
How did you get interested in songwriting and rapping initially, and who were some artists that influenced your creativity?
Writing in general has always been my main outlet and source of creativity. It's absolutely the best therapy for me that I've ever had and a huge reason why I'm still standing today. I used to write little, short poems when I was really young and eventually I found my way to full songs.
I knew I wasn't the best singer, especially when I started, so I had to figure out a way to recite them somehow. At the time, I didn't listen to rap. I grew up only into classic rock. Legends like Led Zeppelin, Queen, Talking Heads, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Styx, Santana, Stevie Wonder, Joe Cocker. Though, I've expanded my horizons and really enjoy some hip hop out there - guys like ¡MAYDAY! (with Bernz & Wrekonize) have really inspired me to make the music I wanna make and do it in a positive, independent way, but - I don't ever want to be stagnant as an artist, I want to constantly evolve and grow and learn and expand my sound.
To this day, when looking for examples of performers, lyricists, creative artists...I'll load up my old DVDs of Zep or Hendrix and leave the 2000s or later on mute. I take performing very seriously and want to provide the best show possible, and they knew how to do that better than most.
With 2020 winding down, what are some of your goals musically for 2021?
2020 has taught me so many things about myself, I don't even want to rush into 2021. There's so much I have left to do in these last couple of months. However, you always gotta have that eye several steps ahead and I definitely have been thinking a lot about that.
I came into 2020 saying "I'm gonna release an EP in the summer and then a second EP before the new year and then focus on a full length album for 2021." So far, I'm right on course and have come through with everything I had planned, and then some. Releasing a few singles in between EPs wasn't my original thought, but after writing the songs I've written and planning out what fits where, that has been reality for me.
I released "Biscuits" & "Obsession" in the last couple of months and have a new single called "Solely Me" coming very soon, featuring a familiar name to my fans, before I begin prep for releasing the new project. For 2021, I still love the idea of a full album, but I'm not gonna rush that or force that until I know exactly what I'm feeling for that full album.
Regardless, I know I want to continue to connect with other creatives and collaborate with more amazing humans as I go. Together we can truly conquer anything and I'm a big believer in supporting each other with what we can all bring to OUR table as individuals. I'm really, really excited for what's coming!
Thank y'all so much for what y'all do!