RUBY WATERS: INTERVIEW

August 31, 2022

by alex grainger

Ruby Waters drops her latest single “Open Arms” on September 14th. In the iconic rasp and soulful sound that is Ruby Waters, “Open Arms” takes us into her world as she accepts life as it comes. While the message behind “Open Arms” is open to interpretation, she hopes the single will reach listeners and remind them they are strong enough to face hard times and it’s “okay to be vulnerable with yourself sometimes.” Read more about “Open Arms” and Ruby Waters below!

Can you tell us what “Open Arms” is about?

Ruby: “Open arms is about how I like to deal with shit, my outlets, and how handle the ups and downs.”

What was the creative process behind “Open Arms?”

Ruby: “There wasn’t too much of a process other than good vibes, an acoustic guitar and lyrics from my notebook. I wrote it in Spain last spring at a songwriting camp I was lucky to be invited to, and it was the only time I’ve been to Europe. On day two I was paired up with artist Bjarte De Presno Borthen and producer Kasper Holm Larsen. Bjarte threw down some super pretty chords on guitar and we just kinda rolled from there. The song came so, so naturally, and we were done writing within an hour or two of working together. Great session.”

What is the message you are sending to listeners of “Open Arms?”

Ruby: “It would be amazing if listeners of ‘Open Arms’ were able to be reminded that they are strong enough to face whatever hard times they’re faced with, and that it’s okay to be vulnerable with yourself sometimes. It doesn’t always have to be a weakness or a problem to be depressed or overwhelmed, it can sometimes just be a part of life, and however you cope with it isn’t something to be ashamed of. That being said — anyone can interpret the song any way that they want to.”

You mentioned this single is about “accepting life as it comes.” Since the song’s creation, what kind of impact has this mindset had on your life?

Ruby: “Honestly I haven’t really changed. I’m just keepin’ on keepin’ on, trippin’ hard and keeping my head up.”

How has this song contributed to your growth as a musician?

Ruby: “I was traveling while the song was made, and it allowed me to work with cool people on the other side of the world, which was a first for me. The experience in itself was a game changer.”

How would you describe your sound? How has it evolved since the beginning of your career to now upon the release of “Open Arms?”

Ruby: “I feel like my sound evolves with the seasons, but I always try to keep it soulful and real I guess. I’ve never been good at answering this question. I like to think that it hasn’t changed too much over the years, but maybe it has. I don’t know [laughs].”

Do you have a favorite lyric in “Open Arms” that you feel is especially meaningful or powerful?

Ruby: “Personally, the line in the chorus that says ‘it’s okay if today feels harder than yesterday’ is the most important. It’s something we all forget from time to time. Everything fluctuates, everything has an opposite that it wouldn’t exist without, and life can’t always be easy.”

What are you most proud of upon the release of “Open Arms?”

Ruby: “Not sure! I’m proud of how I’ve handled the hectic schedule that I’ve had leading up to this release. I was never the type of person to have everything planned out months in advance and I don’t think I’ll ever be. It’s been fuckin’ hard and scary for me to commit to shit and try to keep up, but I’m thankful and it’s been dope.”

You’ve had an exciting 2022 as you received a JUNO nomination, sold out your headline tour, had two Top 5 Alt Radio Songs in Canada, among many other recognitions. Congrats! How are you doing? What has your reaction been to all of these amazing moments in your career?

Ruby: “Thank you! I’m beyond grateful for all the insane opportunities, gigs and life changing moments that I’ve been blessed with this year alone. Kind of speechless, but in all honestly — I’m just trying to stay chill and keep doing what I do to stay inspired and not take myself too seriously. Adventures with the homies any chance I get, being outside, camping, having fun, hearing live music, writing, working, playing, staying grounded, and of course, most of all — turning up.”

What’s next for you?

Ruby: “I’m about to crack a beer. If I’m being honest right now, that is exactly my next move. I’ll be releasing a bunch of new music soon, and playing a ton of gigs, so stay tuned for tunes and tour dates!”

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DYLAN DUNLAP: INTERVIEW

August 30, 2022

by alex grainger

Dylan Dunlap dropped his latest single “Could Have Been Ours” on August 19th. The second single released as part of a larger collection, “Could Have Been Ours” is the true embodiment of who Dunlap is as an artist. His smooth vocals share the vulnerable story of “one-way relationships in the industry.” Read more about “Could Have Been Ours” and Dylan Dunlap below!

Can you tell us what “Could Have Been Ours” is about?

Dylan: “‘CHBO’ is about one-way relationships in the industry. I’ve had to learn the hard way that no matter how much I believe in the future and longevity of my career alongside the ability to change the way the world sees mental illness through music, I can’t force others to feel the same way. I’m grateful to say that my musical brothers and I have kept our heads down to put in the work and channel all that frustration in the healthiest way possible.”

What was the creative process behind “Could Have Been Ours?”

Dylan: “A majority of my friendship with Kirk Adolph has been long distance. Turns out it’s a state of mind! He has since moved back to LA, but I used to love driving out to visit him and his wife Kiley in Arizona. Last year on one of the trips we tapped into some serious magic over the course of 72 hours. We just couldn’t stop. It was too much fun demoing out our feelings into what felt like the ultimate heartbreak anthem. With the lyrical help of our friend Kevin Griffin via Zoom, the infinite cuddles with the adorable puppies Kirk and Kiley were fostering, and the most satisfying celebratory late-night drive for fast food to listen to the official bounce before my drive back, this might be one of my favorite memories of all time. And it doesn’t stop there! We then recruited our good friend Jordan Sherman (Shaman Sherman as we at DD HQ call him) to co-produce the entire project with us. As producers, our main goal has been to honor the essence of what makes a Dylan Dunlap song, while still finding every opportunity to improve the overall sound and grow it as a team.”

What is the message you are sending to listeners of “Could Have Been Ours?”

Dylan: “Do what you love with who you love.”

“Could Have Been Ours” is about experiencing frustration within relationships. Was this single written in the moment of these emotions or was it a reflection of the moment?

Dylan: “This song was equally written in the moment as it was out of it to serve as a time capsule of an entire relationship.”

Looking back now, has this song taught you to approach situations within your relationships differently?

Dylan: “I just feel so much stronger now. I’m finally able to recognize that the only person that needs to fully believe in me is myself, so I guess I’m approaching my relationship with me differently.”

Do you have a favorite lyric in “Could Have Been Ours” that you feel is especially powerful or meaningful?

Dylan: “It’s all so raw, but I think ‘we both know you could just replace me in a moment’s notice’ is such a cool line. I used to convince myself not to write from an honest place out of fear of sounding disrespectful, but in that I silenced myself and my own experiences. Proud to say I’ve come a long way!”

How would you describe your sound? How has it changed from the beginning of your career to the release of “Could Have Been Ours?”

Dylan: “This is me now. Starting with ‘Still Here,’ ‘CHBO,’ and everything after, I’m finally writing and producing in a way that I feel truly represents me as an artist and human being. If anybody wants to know what it sounds like, feel free to take a listen on the streaming platform of your choice and stay tuned because it just get better and better every five weeks.”

Why did you decide to release “Could Have Been Ours” as the second single ahead of the larger collection coming out?

Dylan: “There are two orders in my brain when I approach an upcoming campaign: the single release order and the tracklist order. Both are conceptualized in their own regard for the listener.”

You are an advocate for raising awareness around mental health. You’ve received the “Fighting Stigma Rising Star” award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness and partner with countless organizations. What does being an advocate for the mental health community mean to you? How do you plan to continue to advocate for the community?

Dylan: “Like so many people in this world, I struggle severely. Every day feels like an absolute nightmare from hell as much as it feels good to be alive, fighting, and surviving. I’ve spent my entire life being treated like nothing ever happened and that nothing’s ‘wrong with me,’ so using my platform to spotlight my experiences with mental illness authentically is the very least I can do. Hopefully we can all try and leave this place 1% better than we found it.”

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SHUBA: INTERVIEW

August 27, 2022

by mariah estran

Turn on Shuba’s “Icon,” and your ears are blessed with a playful number. One that opens with a warm “Hi,” as she tells the world who she is and what you might know her from. specifically referencing her covers of Shakira or Britney Spears on TikTok. Yet, also letting us know she’s here to follow her dreams and push through the glass ceiling one single at a time.

Joining Swedish pop with an effortless hint of Bollywood flair, she's building her sound. Additionally, a community she hopes will represent the once unrepresented. She was the little girl who couldn't relate to the stars on the screen. Now, she’s working towards being the difference. Whether you're streaming her songs or watching her TikTok, she’s set to leave her mark.

Shuba took time to tell us more about “Icon,” being on TikTok, connecting with listeners, her musical inspirations, and what she’s working on next.

Your single “Icon” shares a little background on who you are. You have a line that says you’ve been singing since you were three. Tell us more about what inspired you to get into music.

Shuba: “I think I have always been exposed to music. My parents played a lot of Bollywood, country, Disney music, Mariah Carey — all the greats. I think we’ve kind of always been into music.”

What I love about this track, outside of its catchy nature, is that we get to learn who you are in a matter of three and a half minutes. You mention your immigrant mother and fusing those Bollywood sounds with Hollywood pop. How have you developed your sound and continue to integrate this diverse musical background into your work?

Shuba: “I think for me, just keeping an open mind to trying snippets of new things but staying true. At the end of the day, it’s not the shtick of like, western music with a Bollywood twist. It’s more so that the Bollywood music happens to come out in a lot of my songs. Those melodies are also important to me, as are western and Swedish pop melodies.

I’m always trying to experiment with new sounds, creative themes, and topics.”

Who would you say are some of your musical inspirations?

Shuba: “I call it ‘The Holy Trinity.’ We have Freddie Mercury — our lord and savior. We have Rihanna, and then we have Eminem. That’s it for me — that’s all I need musically. It teaches me something new about being unapologetic with my music, being a little bit daring with my music, and telling my story.”

What inspired you to find a way to tell your story through your track “Icon?”

Shuba: “I think, at the time, I hadn’t written a song like that. I was ready to try something new — it was just a clean beat. There was a lot of room; it didn’t seem like the kind of song you straight-up rap to. It was this bouncy, little playground-type sounding beat. It reminded me a lot of ‘My Name Is’ by Eminem.

At the time, I was going through this transition. I had amassed this good following on TikTok and social media. I established various identities like the Indian Ariana, the Eminem girl, the Shakira girl — these different series that started. I think I wanted to claim all those things and address those things, but also be like, ‘Hey, this is actually who I am.’”

You’ve gotten quite the love on TikTok. How do you feel that platform has helped you as an artist?

Shuba: “I think TikTok needed to happen in my life. I don’t want to say everything happens for a reason, but everything that’s meant to happen happens. I think, until TikTok, I didn’t try to creatively put pieces out where I was trying different things. TikTok is such an accepting platform. I learned that people liked my rap, that I could write pretty clever lines. I found that trying these things out on this platform — that so many people responded to these things.

I think TikTok is an app for our inner children. The reason people go viral now is not because of flashy things. It’s because of their relatability of things they have at their core, who they are as children. I think TikTok released my inner child that had been covered up. Now, I have her back.”

You are giving the presentation that you did not get to see when you were younger. As an artist, what do you hope to keep doing with your music and platform?

Shuba: “When mentioning Eminem, Rihanna, Freddie… My goal in life is to make people feel the same way I feel when I listen to those artists. Empowered, resilient, and sexy. I think anytime I listened to their music, they were all coming up in different parts of their lives. Through their music, I just feel different things (even though we are very different people). I want people to feel that way about my music.

What I love about Freddie, Rihanna, and Eminem, is all three of them are like this paradox. They’re always surprising us. I like them because of who they are and how they own their culture, but they don’t force it. I don’t want to be like, ‘Listen to me because I’m Indian.’ Listen to me because you like my music. Any person who’s invested should feel represented by me. It’s not just immigrants — it’s for anyone who feels like an outsider.”

What can we expect from you next? More music, a larger piece of work?

Shuba: “I think number one is more live shows. I’ll be touring in the fall. I just wanna see people, keep making songs, and keep making content. It’s doing the same thing, just at bigger levels.”

Do you have any singles you’re currently working on?

Shuba: “I [just released] this new one called ‘True Colors.’ So, look out for that one. I’m excited for people to scream that in their cars.”

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LAST DINOSAURS: INTERVIEW

August 23, 2022

by sierra romano

Last Dinosaurs have been releasing some songs in anticipation of their upcoming album, From Mexico With Love out on November 4th! We caught up with them to talk about their writing process and even got a taste of some of their favorite tour memories. Be sure to catch them at an upcoming show and check out the new songs!

Hey guys! Congrats on the release of your recent songs, which release has been your favorite so far?

Last Dinosaurs: “Thanks! ‘Auto-Sabotage’ just got released, it’s probably one of my favorites on the album and it’s got a banger video that’s coming out soon. We’ve been sitting on it for ages so it’s exciting to finally get it out there!”

When writing, what usually comes first, the lyrics or the instrumentals?

Last Dinosaurs: “Lyrics almost always come last for us. As for the instrumentals, sometimes it’s a lead guitar riff, sometimes an interesting chord progression or a driving drum beat that leads the direction of the song.”

Your next album, From Mexico With Love, is coming out on November 4th. How does this album compare to your previous releases?

Last Dinosaurs: “This album was written in quarantine by Lach during his time in Guanajuato, Mexico, so having his songwriting as the basis for all the songs gives the album its own flavor while still having the Dinos DNA. Lach wrote half of the songs on our previous album so it’s a nice natural lead in on FMWL.”

What are you most excited about with the release of your next album?

Last Dinosaurs: “Getting to tour again with these new songs released is really exciting, we’ve just finished our first tour of USA and Mexico since the pandemic and it’s super refreshing to get back on the road and actually play for fans. Everyone seems keen to get back out and watch live music.”

You guys are from Australia but actually wrote most of the album in Mexico, how does your location impact your creativity?

Last Dinosaurs: ”Lach was basically stuck in Mexico as the epidemic turned into a pandemic and borders shut down all over the world. I think a lot of the songs on the new album come from that mindset of being away from home. For me the album has so many themes that fit the self-reflection that came from being locked down. Perhaps it’s not the location itself that influences the music but what’s happening while you’re there.”

What are some other artists you draw inspiration from?

Last Dinosaurs: “Our DNA began with bands like The Strokes, Phoenix, Foals and that ilk, but you can definitely hear influence from a whole range of styles of music we listen to. An album that has been on repeat around this record was Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti LP from 1982.”

What is one message you hope the fans will take away from this new album, or your music in general?

Last Dinosaurs: “I would say we deal in feelings more than messages. The best thing about music is when a song hits something inside you and perfectly resonates with a feeling or an idea. I hope people find that in different songs on the new album.”

Lastly, you have been touring a lot recently and have a bunch of upcoming shows to look forward to. Can you share your favorite memory from the road so far?

Last Dinosaurs: “We capped off our tour with Lollapalooza in Chicago, our first US festival. It was pretty special to watch people fill up the grass in front of us. Very hard to narrow down to one favorite memory, but I definitely have a soft spot for experiencing middle-of-nowhere, middle-of-the-night Waffle House meals on the US tour. The biscuits and gravy really hit the spot.”

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WINONA OAK: INTERVIEW

August 22, 2022

by sierra romano

Winona Oak tells Unclear all about her new album, Island of the Sun, and breaks down the process of making such a beautiful record. Oak says she wants people listening to her music to “feel good about themselves and feel less lonely” which is definitely what you will experience when hearing her tracks. Check out our most recent interview with her, and be sure to catch her at an upcoming headlining show!

Congrats on the album! What was the inspiration behind the title track “Island of the Sun” and how did you know it would open the album?

Winona: “Well first of all, thank you so much! It feels pretty unreal that it is out in the world finally and it feels so nice to be able to perform all these songs live and see how people in real life connect with them. It just makes me so happy! Island of the Sun is named after the island where I grew up in Sweden, a small island in the middle of the Nordic forests. I was feeling pretty homesick when I was living in LA and I was going through some really tough things. The island works kind of as a metaphor for a place when everything is just beautiful and easy in a way — the place in your childhood where everything is as big and complicated as you make it. I wanted that song to open up the album to take people back to where it all started, the place where I grew up. I wanted to invite them into my world and I think it's the perfect song to open up to them the rest of the album. I am really happy with the decision.”

What was the writing process like for this album as a whole?

Winona: “So this album is full of some of my favorite songs that I've written over these past four years. There's a lot of songs that didn't make it and it's always like that, like a puzzle you kind of have to piece together and see what sounds good as a whole. It’s kind of hard to be honest, it's a process and it took me a long time to make the decisions. I'm really proud of the album and happy with how it all turned out and I love every single song so that makes me happy.”

What was the most challenging part of completing the album?

Winona: “Well definitely choosing the songs and choosing what order I was going to put them. It is hard, you need to listen to it over and over again and you need to switch out songs. It can be really hard because you get so attached to them. You can only have so many sad songs and so many up tempo songs. In an ideal world, at least for me, I wanted the album to contain a whole spectrum of emotions and have it be like a rollercoaster. I didn't want it to be an album where 13 songs sound the exact same, so that's definitely the hardest part.”

If you had to pick, what is your favorite song off the record?

Winona: “I don't know, I can't choose really. They're all so different and I just love them all actually. It's really hard, I can't choose.”

Who are some artists that inspire you?

Winona: “Well I have always been inspired by Leonard Cohen since I was very young. I just love his way of songwriting and the way that he uses his voice as the core. I have just always loved him. There are so many great artists out there! I love Christine and the Queens, Charli XCX, Tove Lo, RyaX. Honestly, there are so many great artists. Bjork, the list can go on and on, which is so lovely. There are so many beautiful creators out there.”

What is something that making this album has taught you about yourself?

Winona: “Honestly, I feel like writing every single song on this album is like having a therapy session. I feel like when you go into the studio and write a song, because you talk about life and your experience and emotions for so long and that's kind of what creates the song. Every single song has definitely taught me something which is beautiful.”

As new fans are discovering your songs, what is something you want them to take away from your music?

Winona: “Well I just want them to feel like they are a part of my world and they are beautiful and that they deserve the best, that they just feel good about themselves and feel less lonely. They can have my songs as soundtracks in their happy moments and in their sad moments and just feel like a deep connection from them. They know that I write these songs about my experiences and what I’ve learned and all the tough lessons. I just want new fans to feel like they can take something from that and that they feel good about it and that they are a part of something good.”

Are there any upcoming projects or shows the fans can look forward to?

Winona: “Yeah definitely! I am so excited, I can't wait to do my own headline shows in the future and I am going to continue writing and I can't wait to write my next album and to collaborate with more people and artists. There's so much to create and that's so exciting because I have no idea what it will be but I know it will be amazing, so stay tuned!

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