Q: I really can’t believe “CANDID” is your debut EP; you have such a mature way with songwriting. What inspired you to create “CANDID”?
Vincent Baur: Thank you! I think “CANDID” was really inspired by the attempt to figure myself out. For a long time, my songwriting felt stale, like I was glossing over clichés others pulled off way better than I can. Every song on the EP is very different to the next but I think the sort of introspective and pensive nature of the lyrics, and the fact that I stopped taking myself so seriously ties them together.
Q: What was your favorite part in making this EP?
Vincent: Probably the recording process. The songs were recorded in my bedroom studio and I started embracing the imperfections that come with that. I loved not having to work under time pressure, being able to try things and to really write and record at the same time. Obviously, being on a tight budget doesn’t allow for musical shenanigans if I had booked studio time somewhere else. I found the limitations to be incredibly inspiring.
Q: Every song on here is beautiful, but “Blaeberry Lady” hit me the hardest; the melancholic feeling of not knowing when to let go is a worldwide emotion. What do you hope listeners take from that track?
Vincent: Thank you! I hope people who listen find the beauty in such an overwhelming situation. The past can be good or bad but the beautiful thing about it is that it doesn’t have to stop us from moving on. Maybe the song is an excuse for people to say “okay, I’ll give myself 2 minutes and 49 seconds to reminisce, to feel lonely and lost, and then I’ll move on”.
Q: “Song for a Car” flawlessly encapsulates the feeling of grief; Can you walk me through your writing process in making “Song for a Car”?
Vincent: I was incredibly close to finishing the record but felt like it needed one more song, a different flavor. After losing someone very close to me I was overwhelmed by the sadness that followed but I needed time to unpack and process. I spent a lot of my free time working on cars and motorcycles and I enjoyed being in control. Machines are so much simpler than people and I can fix them when they break. I really tricked myself into writing the song. I called it “Song for a Car” and told myself that it would only be about the escape I got from pretending to be a mechanic. I guess from that point on it started growing. I thought that by making the lyrics somewhat abstract, people wouldn’t catch on to what the song was about and that I wouldn’t have to explain myself. It ended up writing itself.
Q: Your talent shines through on “CANDID”. The fact that you wrote and played every instrument on this EP is very remarkable. What first got you into music?
Vincent: Thank you very much! Definitely Phil Collins. My dad sat me down when I was two years old and showed me the first farewell tour DVD and I fell in love. We found someone who was willing to teach a three-year-old and I started taking lessons. My first kit was a set of red IKEA kitchen bowls. I continued taking lessons for eight years, always enjoying the playing aspect but never sat down to practice. When my teacher ended up leaving to tour, I decided to pick up the guitar. After a friend turned me onto John Mayer, everything changed and I really buried myself in music. Miki Grau played drums on the record. It was so good having at least one other musician to bring something different to the music. He launched those songs into new dimensions.
Q: If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
Vincent: That answer is always changing but right now, probably, Jack Antonoff. His approach, the sounds he’s getting and just in general the music he’s making is incredible. Recently, every time I find a new song I like, he works on it, it’s his song or he helped write it.
Q: How did Covid-19 affect the way you make music? Did being alone help or halt your creative process?
Vincent: Initially, not much changed. When the pandemic first started, I was already a one-man band out of necessity. I grew up in a very small town and musicians my age were hard to come by. Things did change as everything progressed. The long lasting and unpredictable nature of it took its toll on me, like it did on so many others. I was just as inspired as before but I really started having troubles turning my ideas into the material.
Q: What’s next for you?
Vincent: More music. The response to “CANDID” has been amazing and I want to keep that momentum going. Now that things have opened up some more, I am aiming to play more shows. I’m moving back to Boston in the summer to continue my time at Berklee so I’m also very excited about that.
Thank you so much for having me!
Interviewed by Melissa Cusano
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