Q&A / Chkody

What or who inspired you to start making music?

• Believe it or not, Tyler Joseph from twenty-one pilots. There was a video of him making beats and working in Ableton on YouTube a long time ago and that's where I really got inspired. Back then, I didn't know it was possible for one person to make a whole song by themselves and I really liked the idea of a DIY approach to music. Of course, my influences are much broader than that now but he was really the segue to me playing music into making music.

 

What inspires you the most in your daily life? Why?

• Other musicians. I think it's fascinating to go on Instagram and see somebody absolutely destroying a beat with a drum pad or playing guitar really well. It always makes me go "yeah I want to play like that" and urges me to work harder at what I do.

 

What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

• Think for yourself. I think as individuals we get side-tracked, mentally, by what other people say about us or the things we do. Sometimes I feel like it sets us back from pursuing what we actually want to be doing because other people's words can be so influencing. It can reroute someone's entire life. Being able to express yourself freely is what life should be about. 

 

If you could relive one moment from your life, which would it be?

• When I woke up and found out that my song "B U M M E R" had made it onto the "lofi beats" Spotify editorial playlist. My prior belief was that only "big" names got onto playlists like that with the help of a label and, miraculously, I managed to get on there independently and with only around 20 monthly listeners at the time. That was when I realized that everybody has an opportunity to make a name for themselves, it just takes a bit of persistence and patience.

 

If you could tell every person in the world one thing, what would it be?

• In the wise words of Mac Miller, "The more you do, the less you wait".

 

Aside from lofi/chill beats, what is your favorite music genre?

• If I only had to live with one genre, I would definitely say rap. It's such a versatile genre. I've really been getting into artists like Smino, Lute, slowthai, and Vince Staples. The production is always on point. I probably couldn't live without some Radiohead in my playlist either so hopefully Thom Yorke starts rapping soon so I don't have to sacrifice them off of my playlists for this question.

 

What's one thing about you that surprises people?

• I'm from Scranton (like The Office), so every time I start getting close with another producer or anybody in general and they ask where I'm from and I tell them, they usually go "That place is real!?". Yes. It's real.