By: Mike Edwards
Start with "Something New". "Pretend" to get lost in your dreams. "Always" believe. "Real Hearts" require "Twice" the commitment. "Be Okay" with yourself. Remind yourself of "A Place You Used to Live".
All of these phrases, aside from being titles on Pasquale Gee's latest album "7 Seconds", are actions that not only resonate with the everyday individual, but also encourage listeners to approach life as simply as possible, despite the craziness that is present in all of our daily courses of action. Returning for his 2nd album in as many years, the 25 year old emerging artist has re-branded himself in a 180-degree fashion, aiming to touch the hearts of many through the storytelling of real-time scenarios that most millennials can relate to.
While we can't promise that this interview will be conducted in "7 Seconds", we're more than delighted to bring back our successful "1 on 1" series by catching up with Pasquale, detailing what he's been up to and what his future looks like.
Start with "Something New". "Pretend" to get lost in your dreams. "Always" believe. "Real Hearts" require "Twice" the commitment. "Be Okay" with yourself. Remind yourself of "A Place You Used to Live".
All of these phrases, aside from being titles on Pasquale Gee's latest album "7 Seconds", are actions that not only resonate with the everyday individual, but also encourage listeners to approach life as simply as possible, despite the craziness that is present in all of our daily courses of action. Returning for his 2nd album in as many years, the 25 year old emerging artist has re-branded himself in a 180-degree fashion, aiming to touch the hearts of many through the storytelling of real-time scenarios that most millennials can relate to.
While we can't promise that this interview will be conducted in "7 Seconds", we're more than delighted to bring back our successful "1 on 1" series by catching up with Pasquale, detailing what he's been up to and what his future looks like.
Mike: First off, welcome back. It’s safe to say, that despite the mini hiatus, you’re planning for a HUGE comeback. What’s been going on with you personally, professionally, musically, etc. over the past few months?
Pasquale: Haha Thank You! It feels good to be releasing music again. The last few months have been pretty busy and hectic honestly but I knew that if I worked through it I would have a finished product I’m really proud of and that’s what happened. It’s tough seeing other people release music and people react to it, it’s almost like ugh I just want to put this out already. It was tough to wait but I’m glad I did.. I’m happy with the way it turned out.
Mike: Coming off of your last project, which most people would view as a success for a new independent artist, what did you notice “worked best”, versus what could’ve needed some “tweaking”? How do you plan to incorporate what you learned into this, and future releases?
Pasquale: It’s interesting because whenever someone talks to me about my last project, they have a different ‘favorite’ song than the last person I spoke to, which is a good thing. I noticed that people like variety and that if you put out a project of just 10 acoustic songs it starts to all sound the same and blend together. That last project taught me that by switching it up and every song being a wildcard but still sounding like me, makes the project more enjoyable and that’s what I think worked best...…
Tweaking.. I’m the biggest critic of myself so I’m always always telling myself to tweak something. I did notice though that I didn't have the most confidence in my last project so I was hesitant to market it in any specific way. It was like a "heres 5 songs hope ya like em" kind've thing. I found my style/voice on this new project and I couldn't be more excited to share it!
Mike: You’ve always succeeded in 2 main areas when it comes to your music: 1) appealing to the female audience and 2) being a fluent storyteller. Tell us about how your unique way of storytelling has helped in your development as an artist.
Pasquale: It’s so funny that you say it’s appealing to the female audience because I really don’t know why haha. What I write about and the songs I make are about things that I think everyone experiences like nostalgia, love, sadness, happiness so like theoretically it should work on all cylinders. I think dudes are just a little too prideful to admit it sometimes.
I find that the best way to grab a listeners attention and have them relate is to just be really honest. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that people relate to my music in a way that I didn’t think was possible. It’s a self conscious thing to put out a song to the world about a personal situation because if it misses it’s like “yikes”. I think honesty is the best way to tell a story opposed to just making one up (which seems difficult). I listen to a lot of music from a lot of people and if I don’t believe you and if i don’t feel like what you’re saying is true, I can’t relate to it and I’m not into that.
Mike: Real Hearts: a very heartwarming (no pun intended) unique tune that served as your first single off this album. Any reason why you felt this needed to drop first?
Pasquale: Real Hearts I think grabs people’s attention off the bat. I think it comes off very aggressive but then soothes out to the pre-chorus where it has a meaningful message that people can understand. Then it goes big and chills out and it’s up and down. I think that was a song that shows my versatility as an artist and I wanted to showcase that. There's a couple of songs like that on the record, but Real Hearts felt like the move.
Mike: Take us behind the meaning of the album title “Seven Seconds”.
Pasquale:
Every album title has to hit on multiple levels for me. Every project I put out has a title that I know I'll have to explain, but theres a deeper meaning only I know.
Some people try really hard and really want to know what it means but the album title “Seven Seconds” originally came from a quote from a book I read last summer and it stuck with me, so thats where it stems from. The fact that there are 7 songs on the album is just a coincidence. I am being very honest with this album and letting people in, so I think its cool to keep some mystery behind the album title.
But the big thing is that when the album comes out, these songs are going to belong to people and live on peoples phones so it’s like I’m giving them away. They are not mine, they can be someones driving music, or workout music, or anything. There is a very personal reason for the album title that I keep to myself just to hold on to. Something that I have and only I know so the album isn’t completely out of my reach. People think 'seconds' and think of time.. but thats not what its about. Thats all I will say *evil laugh*
Mike: Would love for you to touch on what a) your favorite song off this project is and b) the song you had the most fun creating throughout the process.
Pasquale: My favorite song on the album is the last song called ‘A Place I Used To Live’ and it’s about being taken out of a place that you didn’t even know you were in. I had this song written but never thought about putting it on the album. One night I was in the studio for about 6 hours doing vocals and I remember it being so exhausting but finally being done and my voice being shot. I stepped out to take a breather and like look at my phone/gather myself and I saw something that bummed me out and I went back into the studio at 1 am and recorded that song in 2 takes. I think you can hear it in my voice that I was recording all day, its super raw. But it’s one of the more personal songs I’ve recorded. It almost didn’t make it but I said if it helped me through something, I can only hope it could help someone else.
The song 'Something New' was really fun to make. I wrote and made the demo in my basement then went right to the studio to polish it up and produce it out with John Cleary. I was in such a great head space and the vibe was incredible so we were trying different things like drum patterns and sounds and it came out really cool. It was finished within an hour. I love that song. It's very refreshing.
Mike: Who, or what, has been your biggest inspiration throughout the planning process for this current project.
Pasquale: Sunrises and sunsets to me were always very inspiring. They’re just incredible and they symbolize either the end of something or the beginning of something. And you can’t have one without the other. I think that’s what the album essentially is, sunrises and sunsets. The start of some things and the end of others. Sometimes you can look at a photo of a sunrise/sunset and not tell which one it is which I think symbolizes so much.
Mike: You’re really starting to make head waves with numerous media outlets, as well as other artists, reaching out for collaborations. How has the recent attention affected the way you approach your craft?
Pasquale: Yeah a lot more people are listening and the audience has definitely broadened. I think the initial feeling is to shrink up and not be as open as I’m used to being in my music in fear of scaring people off. In reality I’m taking this opportunity to be myself to the highest degree. I believe I was built for this and I’m going to be myself and trust my gut 100% of the way. I’ll continue to approach my craft the same way, because it shows that something is clicking. But also, I will always try new things and challenge myself. I’m nowhere near where I want to be as an artist, but I’m on my way.
Mike: All these great songs, no visuals just yet. Are more music videos in the works for 2019?
Pasquale: I have music video ideas and scripts for most of the songs on the new album but we live in a world where the listener dictates what they want. I’m gonna wait to see what songs people gravitate to and enjoy, and base my decisions off that. Vertical videos are a thing now so I can film a music video on my iPhone which would be cool haha. I’m so excited to see what the future holds.
Mike: Rapid Fire: In 2020, Pasquale Gee will be.......
Pasquale: The same exact person he is now, just not in the same place. I have a list of goals I want to reach by 2020 and as long as I continue to work hard, I'll hit every one of them.
You can stream "7 Seconds" on Apple Music, Soundcloud, Youtube, Spotify, and Tidal.
Pasquale: Haha Thank You! It feels good to be releasing music again. The last few months have been pretty busy and hectic honestly but I knew that if I worked through it I would have a finished product I’m really proud of and that’s what happened. It’s tough seeing other people release music and people react to it, it’s almost like ugh I just want to put this out already. It was tough to wait but I’m glad I did.. I’m happy with the way it turned out.
Mike: Coming off of your last project, which most people would view as a success for a new independent artist, what did you notice “worked best”, versus what could’ve needed some “tweaking”? How do you plan to incorporate what you learned into this, and future releases?
Pasquale: It’s interesting because whenever someone talks to me about my last project, they have a different ‘favorite’ song than the last person I spoke to, which is a good thing. I noticed that people like variety and that if you put out a project of just 10 acoustic songs it starts to all sound the same and blend together. That last project taught me that by switching it up and every song being a wildcard but still sounding like me, makes the project more enjoyable and that’s what I think worked best...…
Tweaking.. I’m the biggest critic of myself so I’m always always telling myself to tweak something. I did notice though that I didn't have the most confidence in my last project so I was hesitant to market it in any specific way. It was like a "heres 5 songs hope ya like em" kind've thing. I found my style/voice on this new project and I couldn't be more excited to share it!
Mike: You’ve always succeeded in 2 main areas when it comes to your music: 1) appealing to the female audience and 2) being a fluent storyteller. Tell us about how your unique way of storytelling has helped in your development as an artist.
Pasquale: It’s so funny that you say it’s appealing to the female audience because I really don’t know why haha. What I write about and the songs I make are about things that I think everyone experiences like nostalgia, love, sadness, happiness so like theoretically it should work on all cylinders. I think dudes are just a little too prideful to admit it sometimes.
I find that the best way to grab a listeners attention and have them relate is to just be really honest. If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that people relate to my music in a way that I didn’t think was possible. It’s a self conscious thing to put out a song to the world about a personal situation because if it misses it’s like “yikes”. I think honesty is the best way to tell a story opposed to just making one up (which seems difficult). I listen to a lot of music from a lot of people and if I don’t believe you and if i don’t feel like what you’re saying is true, I can’t relate to it and I’m not into that.
Mike: Real Hearts: a very heartwarming (no pun intended) unique tune that served as your first single off this album. Any reason why you felt this needed to drop first?
Pasquale: Real Hearts I think grabs people’s attention off the bat. I think it comes off very aggressive but then soothes out to the pre-chorus where it has a meaningful message that people can understand. Then it goes big and chills out and it’s up and down. I think that was a song that shows my versatility as an artist and I wanted to showcase that. There's a couple of songs like that on the record, but Real Hearts felt like the move.
Mike: Take us behind the meaning of the album title “Seven Seconds”.
Pasquale:
Every album title has to hit on multiple levels for me. Every project I put out has a title that I know I'll have to explain, but theres a deeper meaning only I know.
Some people try really hard and really want to know what it means but the album title “Seven Seconds” originally came from a quote from a book I read last summer and it stuck with me, so thats where it stems from. The fact that there are 7 songs on the album is just a coincidence. I am being very honest with this album and letting people in, so I think its cool to keep some mystery behind the album title.
But the big thing is that when the album comes out, these songs are going to belong to people and live on peoples phones so it’s like I’m giving them away. They are not mine, they can be someones driving music, or workout music, or anything. There is a very personal reason for the album title that I keep to myself just to hold on to. Something that I have and only I know so the album isn’t completely out of my reach. People think 'seconds' and think of time.. but thats not what its about. Thats all I will say *evil laugh*
Mike: Would love for you to touch on what a) your favorite song off this project is and b) the song you had the most fun creating throughout the process.
Pasquale: My favorite song on the album is the last song called ‘A Place I Used To Live’ and it’s about being taken out of a place that you didn’t even know you were in. I had this song written but never thought about putting it on the album. One night I was in the studio for about 6 hours doing vocals and I remember it being so exhausting but finally being done and my voice being shot. I stepped out to take a breather and like look at my phone/gather myself and I saw something that bummed me out and I went back into the studio at 1 am and recorded that song in 2 takes. I think you can hear it in my voice that I was recording all day, its super raw. But it’s one of the more personal songs I’ve recorded. It almost didn’t make it but I said if it helped me through something, I can only hope it could help someone else.
The song 'Something New' was really fun to make. I wrote and made the demo in my basement then went right to the studio to polish it up and produce it out with John Cleary. I was in such a great head space and the vibe was incredible so we were trying different things like drum patterns and sounds and it came out really cool. It was finished within an hour. I love that song. It's very refreshing.
Mike: Who, or what, has been your biggest inspiration throughout the planning process for this current project.
Pasquale: Sunrises and sunsets to me were always very inspiring. They’re just incredible and they symbolize either the end of something or the beginning of something. And you can’t have one without the other. I think that’s what the album essentially is, sunrises and sunsets. The start of some things and the end of others. Sometimes you can look at a photo of a sunrise/sunset and not tell which one it is which I think symbolizes so much.
Mike: You’re really starting to make head waves with numerous media outlets, as well as other artists, reaching out for collaborations. How has the recent attention affected the way you approach your craft?
Pasquale: Yeah a lot more people are listening and the audience has definitely broadened. I think the initial feeling is to shrink up and not be as open as I’m used to being in my music in fear of scaring people off. In reality I’m taking this opportunity to be myself to the highest degree. I believe I was built for this and I’m going to be myself and trust my gut 100% of the way. I’ll continue to approach my craft the same way, because it shows that something is clicking. But also, I will always try new things and challenge myself. I’m nowhere near where I want to be as an artist, but I’m on my way.
Mike: All these great songs, no visuals just yet. Are more music videos in the works for 2019?
Pasquale: I have music video ideas and scripts for most of the songs on the new album but we live in a world where the listener dictates what they want. I’m gonna wait to see what songs people gravitate to and enjoy, and base my decisions off that. Vertical videos are a thing now so I can film a music video on my iPhone which would be cool haha. I’m so excited to see what the future holds.
Mike: Rapid Fire: In 2020, Pasquale Gee will be.......
Pasquale: The same exact person he is now, just not in the same place. I have a list of goals I want to reach by 2020 and as long as I continue to work hard, I'll hit every one of them.
You can stream "7 Seconds" on Apple Music, Soundcloud, Youtube, Spotify, and Tidal.