Sebastian Summer Talks About His Hiatus, New Creative Pocket & More
Intro:
Sebastian has been making music long before other bubbling artists from his area even started their careers. He’s successfully pioneered his own sound & brand of R&B. After taking a brief break from releasing music, he’s blessing our platform with an exclusive interview. Whether you’re an old fan or a newer listener, there’s plenty to learn & digest from the interview below.
Summary:
Me: What first got you into music?
I think I’ve always been into music ever since I was a kid. I always loved to sing in the car, and I would record myself on a shitty IPad every day, until I was confident enough to start working on my own music.
How would you describe your style?
Like warm Alt-R&B music you listen to outside in the sun; nostalgic.
What made you want to take a step back from releasing music?
Mental health. I didn’t really feel like making music for a bit. I kept getting creative blocks, and I was frustrated with things not sounding or coming out right. I’m somewhat of a perfectionist so if things don’t feel right off rip I don't follow through with it and thats a pretty bad habit.
Do you feel any pressure to return with the same level of quality?
Unfortunately yeah, after kinda finding my sound and getting positive feedback I got a little scared and felt the pressure to perform at a certain level. Its hard to just be creative without thinking about how other people will perceive your work.
How has your sound evolved during this music hiatus?
I would say it’s still evolving as I really zero in on what I want to sound like moving forward, but I can say, I really like the direction I’m heading in sonically. I’ve been playing around with more psychedelic sounds, and trying to mix it with what I already know.
Your creative process during the pandemic?
Or my lack thereof actually. In all seriousness, just playing around with sounds that I like and seeing what comes out of it. I've also learned a space for you to just work and be undisturbed is very important to the process.
What made you want to get into music production? And will you be self-producing a lot of your music in the future?
I got really tired of waiting and making excuses for why I couldn't make music, so I tried my hand at it. I don’t really see myself getting heavy into producing, but Im open to it & I definitely want to have more of a hand in production; aside from some arrangements I’ve done before.
How has your upbringing/neighborhood influenced your sound?
I would say a lot in the sense of I am a reflection of all the music. My parents and friends played around me, and I see myself still gravitating toward sounds that resonate with what I used to listen to.
What steps do you take to improve your vocal abilities & songwriting?
I should honestly take some more steps to improve my vocals. I’d be open to training to get more consistent with singing. As far as song writing goes, studying a lot about the structure of my favorite songs & how to use artistic writing elements & pop culture references to elevate whatever I’m working on.
How hard is it to manage life & music career?
It’s kinda like having an alter ego, but the worst part is social media presence. It’s weird to feel a sort of pressure to behave a certain way and look a certain way to get noticed. It’s also hard to feel like I let people down if I don’t constantly release high quality stuff or keep them interested.
Any advice you would give to someone that is thinking about getting into music?
Really work on what you want to sound like and just as with all other things, this takes time. We’ve all been stuck at 70 streams and feel like its not moving fast enough, but just don't give up. Find your reason to stick with it. You need something to remind you why you're doing this when you feel like quitting.
Favorite Song Of Yours?
Ivy by Frank Ocean is gonna be top of the list for a while probably
Future Plans?
To drop more music soon. I’m excited for what the future holds.
