This time we get to know Whalejump, a French guy living in Bangkok passionate about electronic music.
With influences such as Feint, Illenium, Alan walker, Tristam, the FatRat.
The track "Guide me Home" is featured in the New Artist Spotlight Family of Playlists.
Link To New Artist Spotlight Playlists:
1. Tell us a little about where you are from and what you are currently doing.
I come from France where I lived during all my years of study and my early years of work. I studied perfume creation for several years and I left for Thailand, specifically Bangkok, for work where I have been living for 2 years now.
So, I work in a creative environment different from music. I work for various clients to design all kinds of perfumes.
2. What inspired you to start playing and making music?
I have been involved in classical music since I was very young and have never stopped being passionate about it. I discovered electronic music a bit later when I was in university. As my studies led me to move around a lot, I saw electronic music production as a way to stay connected to this passion while being able to work from anywhere. So, I've been interested in music production for about 6-8 years, but I really started diving into about 8 months ago
𝟯. Who are your biggest influences?
Being initially more drawn to other genres of music than electronic music, I would say my first real influences were rock bands like Linkin Park, 30 Seconds to Mars, The all american rejects, Skillet, Sum 41, Greenday etc...
Nowadays, when I think about electronic music, I'd say my first love was Illenium for sure, with also people like Mitis, Tristam, Said the sky, Dabbin, William Black.
4. What are your goals in the music industry?
My main goal is to become technically proficient enough so that we can focus on the melody and the emotions I want to convey. I strive to improve technically every day to reach that stage. In a more general sense, being listened to and appreciated to the fullest extent is always a plus, but I don't want my work to be technically critiqued. When I listen to renowned electronic music artists, I simply seek to see if I feel something. I never question whether it is well-produced or well-mastered. What I desire the most is to reach that level so that I can truly express what I want through my tracks. The icing on the cake would be a little message from one of my favorite artists saying, "I listened to your latest track, and it's really great. I think with that, I could leave in peace.
5. Tell us about your creative process when you make new music.
It often happens during the day that I record myself singing a melody. I really enjoy singing, I love beautiful melodies, and it's often through them that I find myself transported when listening to a song. So my main goal is to have a melody that I love and to build around it to showcase it. That's when I can become truly creative and think of various ways to achieve it. But it always starts with the melody for me. Sometimes, I can be stubborn and try to incorporate certain instruments I discover or certain sounds I manage to create. However, currently, I don't have the technical skills to do that properly. But it will come... :)
6. What is your all-time favorite song?
Choosing one song is a tough question, but I'll cheat a little and select two. The first one would be "In the End" by Linkin Park. I have a very special relationship with my best friend, and every time I listen to this song, I think about us and everything we've experienced since we've known each other. It's also one of the songs from the first album I ever bought in my life. It accompanied me for a long time and remains my favorite song today. The other song would be "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. This song is just perfect in terms of its structure, arrangement, and performance, and it's also strongly connected to another one of my best friends with whom I share excellent moments. I can't help but think of him every time I hear and try to sing this song
7. What is the best advice you have either given or received in terms of music?
To summarize, it's about taking time. I work in a creative field that shares many similarities with music. It requires time, perseverance, reflection, and sometimes even luck. It's important to be aware of the environment in which we operate and, above all, of what we want to achieve. It's crucial to understand what needs to be put in place to minimize leaving room for luck.
8. Proudest accomplishment?
In the field of music, I've had the opportunity to play in grand orchestras and travel thanks to music. But to stay on topic and talk about electronic music, I would say that releasing the first single is a true milestone that I'm very proud of. It allowed me to realize what I did well, what I did wrong, and what I should have done differently
9. Just for fun! What's been your most embarrassing moment so far?
When I was in high school, We had a French test. it was a writing one, and back then I was awful at writing. I was ill the day we were supposed to get our test back. Mine was so bad the teacher read it to the entire classroom to make an example like : don't do like him. I learned that the next day and also learned that someone made a copy of it and give it away everywhere in the school. It really was a bad copy and everyone laughed at me for a loooot of time about that.
𝟭0. Tell us about your lowest and highest points in music so far.
To stay within the realm of electronic music, I would say that the most challenging experience was with our first track that we wanted to release with my best friend. We created a remix of a song after obtaining prior permission from the original artist. With their approval, we thought we would be able to enjoy the rights to it. However, after investing in studio sessions and putting in all the work, we discovered that the original artist did not have the rights to the vocals of the singer. As a result, we were never able to promote the remix. It exists on YouTube, but that's about it. It was tough because we put in a lot of effort for very little outcome, even though we were thrilled to have seen it through.
On the other hand, the best experience remains, once again, the release of our first single. Even without considering the streams and everything that happens around it, the simple act of having a project of our own that we pushed forward and brought to fruition is an incredible sensation. I'm truly excited to relive that feeling again :)
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Awesome interview, Really enjoyed hearing his process!
Very interesting info from Whalejump and easy to relate to his journey through the indie music world. Congrats to him for wanting to keep learning and finding ways to both be creative but also to improve his talents 😎