Khaosé is here with one of the most honest works in the contemporary music industry, the ‘EP’. There is a certain pull in the project, taking listeners on a sensitive journey. His story on the project carries the weight of fear, change, and a need to create something before life moves ahead of him. The record blends rap with electronic force, but the real spark comes from the honesty behind each track. We recently had an opportunity to sit with the artist and talk in detail about the project. So, let’s move ahead and see what we talked about…
DMR: What was the moment you knew you had to make ‘EP’ and stop holding back?
Khaosé: I always wanted to write and produce songs, but I never actually had the courage to do so. Let’s just say I’m always cripped back by my own demons (i.e., fear and insecurity, which is the theme of this EP).
There is always that idea, that lingering thought, that certain push from my inner self that plays in my head a lot, constantly reminding me I need to at least give this a try before giving up – but well, the demons always win.
However, as soon as I found out my wife is pregnant, I had a “this is the moment” spark, realizing that maybe for once, I can’t let the demons win. It would be pathetic (to me at least) if my kid knew that I am a dad who easily gives in to his own fears and insecurities. I also want to proudly tell my kid someday that I did not regret not doing what I always wanted to do.
DMR: How did your wife’s pregnancy change the way you approached this project?
Khaosé: Ah, if the pregnancy did not happen, I think I wouldn’t muster the mental strength (for my future kid) to even start the project – so, without the pregnancy, I believe the EP would never have happened in the first place.
DMR: Is there anything that you learned about yourself while making this project?
Khaosé: I don’t want to sound cringe, but it’s the truth – I realized that everything is possible if we dare to push forward to make our dream a reality.
Of course, I had to also reflect and “calculate the cost”, so to speak, before I started the project. I didn’t want to do this blindly, thinking that I could compete against the giants, or thinking I could release tracks that are of world-class, high standards.
So, I knew my dream, but I also knew, as a total newbie in this world with not much cash at hand, I had to create a mental roof to make sure I don’t aim too high.
Everything is possible, but don’t attempt to rush through the process.
DMR: What was the process of teaching yourself recording and production?
Khaosé: When I planned the project, I learned and did each part separately.
To start, I studied or researched everything I could about songwriting first, from articles or video tutorials online, to actually listening to and dissecting my favorite artists, studying how they write songs. Then, I began writing down my own lyrics just by using some free loops that I could find online.
Once I finished writing the lyrics, I jumped into learning about production online by watching a crazy amount of video tutorials. Then, I began to work on the music side of things, also having in mind the structure of the lyrics, creating 10 instrumental tracks.
Once I had the instrumental tracks ready, I focused on learning all I could about recording and then actually adding my instruments (mainly just the bass guitar) and my vocals to the tracks.
So, I did these three “phases” separately, and each phase took about a month and a half.
DMR: Which track took the longest to create and why?
Khaosé: In each of the phases – songwriting, production, and recording – I worked on the songs in sequence.
Here’s how the process looks – I started with songwriting: I wrote the first song first, then the second song, and then the third song, and so on. Then, I jumped to the production side of things, doing the first track first, the second track next, and so on. Then, I recorded my stuff in the same song sequence as well.
The first song took the longest to work on. It’s because it was the first song I worked on in each phase, and I was learning my way through things as I worked through the song.
DMR: Which song holds the most special place in your heart?
Khaosé: It’s very straightforward – “Handshakes/Rule” – I wrote that song for my wife. 🙂
DMR: Did writing the lyrics change the way you see your past?
Khaosé: It’s somewhat the opposite. I actually approached the project by foreseeing my future life.
In a way, each song in the EP deals with the different areas of fears and insecurities that I was (and am still) fighting against. I am pretty sure that as I was writing all the songs in the EP, I imagined what would happen in the future if I did not overcome this fear or that insecurity, and so on.
I would say that writing the lyrics somewhat changed my future because I had to wrestle with and understand my inner self to make the song happen. By taking that step to wrestle with and understand myself, I am in faith that it would already lead to a different future.
In fact, the overall project is a reality now because – I mentioned my kid just now – I imagined what my future would look like if my kid found out later on that I regretted not doing what I always wanted to do. So, I had to make the EP a reality to change the future full of regrets.
DMR: What does ‘Precious/Wounds’ mean to you?
Khaosé: In my opinion, it is the catchiest song in the EP!
I was imagining a world within me that is burning down to the ground; my fears and insecurities are not allowing me to function in life, essentially a fire that is in the midst of destroying everything that would make me feel alive.
However, I also wanted to believe that you can take whatever’s bad and turn that into good.
You know how some people equate “passion” or “hope” with “a fire that burns within”. So, I wanted to change the purpose of that existing fire within me, from its destructive nature to one of passion and hope.
I wanted the song to feel an overall brooding tone, so I kept it in a minor key, but I purposely made it catchy to symbolize a statement – that I will dance even in hopelessness. I even included a synth run at the beginning (somewhat of a solo, but in reality, I just programmed it) to portray a joyful feeling that is purposely being drawn out from deep inside, even when life seems bleak at the moment.
DMR: What can we expect from you next?
Khaosé: I honestly have no idea! I think my focus right now is to spread the EP to as many people as I can. I have a full-time job right now, so I think spreading the word would take quite some time.
However, I am trusting the process. I have a lot of song ideas in my head that need to come true.
DMR: Is there any message for your fans and listeners?
Khaosé: Please check out Khaosé’s first-ever project, titled “EP”, currently available on many major streaming platforms such as Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, etc.
It’s an EP that puts my personal journey fighting against my inner titans at the forefront, to hopefully inspire listeners to do the same in their own ways, and hope for the best!
Album Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/1JyoLjwgEsn2cnUywBWk47
Follow Khaosé: Website // Facebook // Instagram.
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