Interview: LA Alt Pop Duo GENE Talk About Their Debut Single/Video "Stole Your Car"
/
“We have been friends for years out here in LA and have actually played together in other bands! I had the idea and concept for the GENE project in late 2019 and knew Harry was the right person to approach to collab with on it...”
Congratulations on the release of your debut single/video "Stole Your Car"; tell us about your creative process for its development from songwriting and production standpoints.
Thank you! It feels good to have the song out in the world! Harry and I have known each other for a handful of years but we only started to form the GENE project right before the pandemic hit in 2020 which made the songwriting/production process unique!
I (Claudia) would typically start song/production ideas from my home studio and send over to Harry to develop. We went back and forth on 'Stole Your Car' which started as a couple of guitar riffs and a topline I had and began adding the gritty layers it needed to become a GENE song!!
Regarding the incredible music video, how did you and its director, Brent Campanelli, come up with the treatment?
I had a pretty strong vision for the video right off the bat! I tend to visualize video ideas right away when writing the songs. I wanted to make sure the underlying emotion/story of the song translated whilst also being cool to watch.
I found Brent through a mutual friend and knew right away he would totally grasp the concept I was going for and be able to create that fine balance between stylized and classic feel for us.
With Claudia being from London and Harry from Seattle, how did you two meet and then decide to form the duo GENE?
We have been friends for years out here in LA and have actually played together in other bands! I had the idea and concept for the GENE project in late 2019 and knew Harry was the right person to approach to collab with on it as we both share very similar taste in music. Not to mention he is one of the best musicians I've ever met!
Following "Stole Your Car", what can we expect next musically from GENE and will the single be on an upcoming EP or album at some point?
We are currently wrapping the artwork for our next single 'Sick' which we plan to release this month along with a live/stripped video!
We definitely have enough material to start talking about putting an EP or LP together but I think our plan is to keep releasing singles more regularly until closer to the end of the year to keep content flowing and aim for an album release in 2022.
How would you say that the city of Los Angeles influences your songwriting and the themes of the songs you create?
I think Los Angeles is a city that can easily swallow you up and spit you back out. It can really shape you as a person, for better or for worse.
I know for me personally (Claudia), it's led to a lot of personal growth, especially emotionally. Perhaps I'm biased because I've only known love in this city but it seems that hearts break a lot harder here!