Q&A: adam brian paul ‘wait, the path never ends?’ EP
☆ By JUSTINE HOOKS ☆
ADAM BRIAN PAUL IS CLEARLY NOT ONE TO SHY AWAY FROM GROWTH OR CHANGE - The Hong Kong- born, Vancouver-raised artist realized about two years ago that his natural creativity was taking a back seat to day-to-day life, and on a whim abandoned the steady comfort of his job and hometown to work on music in rural Montreal. An intense period of writing, recording, and reflection in the countryside has resulted in Brian Yim’s debut EP, wait, the path never ends?, a swirling and dreamy exploration of the young artist’s journey towards self discovery. By combining diverse musical influences such as nostalgic pop punk, modern indie pop, and the 60s classic rock albums that his father played him as a kid, Brian has created a project that is uniquely his own and yet warmly familiar. Introspective and open, the EP touches on topics such as mental health, confidence, and figuring out one’s own identity. Read our Q+A with Brian below to learn more about his musical journey, creative process, and inspirations.
LUNA: Congrats on your debut EP, wait, the path never ends? - very exciting! How does it feel to finally have this project out for everyone to hear?
BRIAN: Thank you :) so many feelings. I’m glad it’s out there - it’s been a long time coming. it’s vulnerable and I fear it won’t be liked, so the same way I feel a lot of the times I guess. I feel like I’m unveiling a mirror, and I’m anxious about looking into it. There’s also the perfectionist side of me that feels the tracks just aren’t there yet, so I’m trying my best to learn to let go. It’s a good place to be but I also can’t wait for what’s next
LUNA: While the EP has an overall feel to it, each track definitely brings its own flavor. Can you take us a little bit through the creative process for the EP?
BRIAN: I’ve been writing and producing music for about two years now, and about a year ago, I wanted to come up with a concept album not unlike Tyler’s IGOR. On a whim I dropped out of recording school, left my hometown, and drove across the country to live in a little house by the river in rural Quebec. It was there I tried to figure life and music out. If it had gone as planned I would’ve come out with a self-recorded album - but that’s clearly not the case. I learned a lot about myself and realized I’d been trying to box myself up into one neat sound instead of just letting things be. I’m always learning, but now I let the creativity flow through me wherever it wants to go rather than trying to write with a preconceived idea. That’s the only way it works for me. the concept album will have to wait until I know what I’m doing ;)
LUNA: What were some of the favorite sonic elements you got to explore with this project?
BRIAN: This project has a little bit of everything I’ve explored so far, starting with moving on. Instrument wise I love synth drones (excelsior, 2003) and detuned/vibrato/chorusy guitars. I definitely wasn’t detailed enough with getting exact sounds down - a lot of the times I got things 80% of the way there and moved on to the next thing. The real nuisance of it all was trying to find where my voice fits into all this. I was never a singer until I started writing music. So the question was: do I write music around my voice, or do I fit my voice to the music? What does my voice even sound like? I think it shows that I was experimenting throughout the EP, from washed-out vocals to falsettos to upclose and intimate vocals.
LUNA: You’ve previously mentioned a lot of musical influences from Good Charlotte to The Beatles. Are there any non musical influences shaping the feel of your music?
BRIAN: Haha oh Good Charlotte. They were one of my favourites growing up. I think a lot of stuff I listened to has shaped my musical tastes subconsciously. Like we’re just a sum of our lived experiences right? If music is an expression of an emotion, then that emotion has gotta come from somewhere, whether it be an explicit sadness over a breakup, or something deeper in our unconscious. That’s where lyrics come from too. So yeah, I guess the non musical influences would be my life really, and often (always?) the subject of my music
LUNA: The EP explores topics of mental health, empowerment and existentialism. How have you seen your writing style / the topics your drawn to change since you first starting making music?
BRIAN: I write what comes naturally to me, which is whatever I’m experiencing at the moment. I feel like the past couple of years has been a transitional phase for me where I suddenly discovered all these new things about myself - a lot of it had to do with overcoming mental health challenges and past trauma. Also figuring out who I am for the first time in my 20s sent me into the deepest identity crisis. It’s about coming out of the collective society I was raised in and finding my own individuality - something I’m still grappling with. I’m in a new city now and I’ve got all the space I need to grow so I feel like I’ll find some solid ground over the next couple of years. We’ll see :)
LUNA: Which set of lyrics are you most proud of writing?
BRIAN: Off the EP, probably from ""excelsior”: “it’s all been decided / our fate and our dreams / there’s no way to hide from it / so let go and see”. It’s about relinquishing control and trusting in something greater. Whether that be life or god or the universe, it’s spiritual in nature. I think often times we try hard to get some place to be happy - but the truth is it’s all been decided and we’re just out here playing our roles. It doesn’t matter how hard I try and ruminate or plan because what is, is, and what will be, will be
LUNA: While you always had a passion for music, it wasn’t until more recently you decided to pursue it as a career. What advice do you have for those stuck with a 9 to 5 type job but want to switch to music?
BRIAN: For me music is just about self expression. I wouldn’t call it a career, it’s more of a passionate hobby of mine that’ll always be around. I used to have an idea of making it pay the bills - if you love your work you never gotta work a day in your life, right? well, that’s probably the fastest way to kill creativity, at least for me. It’s not fair to put expectations in art, it’s not in our control whether it sells or not. So my advice is non advice, do whatever you think is best !
LUNA: A fun one - if you could have any superpower in the world what would like to have?
BRIAN: Maybe the power to enlighten all of us ?? But oh the world’s perfect the way it is :)) No thank you
LUNA: With this project out and the year coming to a close, what do you hope the next couple of months have in store for you?
BRIAN: Time to work on new music! There’s not much pressure but hopefully I’ll have a good collection of tunes by next summer when I can do some recording for another fall release. It’d be cool to get a band together and play shows but the live scene probably won’t be happening, so we may have to hold that thought!
CONNECT WITH adam brian paul
SPOTIFY
-
From Pavietra 🕊️ https://t.co/BXVgWlZud8 -
slowthai by Rosie Matheson 🤩 https://t.co/z7SDfFQ5iF
-
RT @i_D: Ian Kenneth Bird photographs young punks on Polaroid: https://t.co/MKT0tMUqO9 https://t.co/a0tTl12ML5
-
RT @AnOtherMagazine: #DreamHome – this isolated idyll in the mountains of Lanzarote 🌵 📸 via Nowness, photography by Clemence Blr 🔁 https://t.co/GUusdxD0cg
