Exclusive Interview with 'CLOUD VINCENT'

Everyone will enjoy the music in Cloud Vincent’s catalog because it combines pop, indie, hip-hop, and R&B styles. Piano lessons and choir participation were part of Vincent’s musical upbringing (both of which he did not care for). After relocating to Paris, he joined a number of rock bands and eventually started crafting his own sound while attending college. He released his debut single Daisy on all streaming services after graduating from college with a large collection of demos. He has released numerous songs since this one, including his debut EP Naive Summer and a ton of singles in 2021, like Can You Get Over Him? Along with fellow producer BRAM, he founded the duo collective WEIRDMEN. Dominic Fike, Rex Orange County, Steve Lacy, Oliver Tree, and BROCKHAMPTON are some of his musical influences. Despite being surrounded by rock music his entire life, Cloud Vincent has greatly increased his interest in other genres and been influenced by a wide range of music. Vincent is adding numerous hits to his discography in 2022.
Rock, R&B, rap, pop, and indie-pop are all mixed together in the song NAUSEOUS. Punchy drums, a catchy chorus, and bittersweet lyrics are all present. The main character of the song is described as feeling queasy around girls and anxious, and he wonders whether his new love will make his anxiety better or worse. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?

CLOUD VINCENT: I was born in the US, raised in Southern Oregon and I got involved in music with piano lessons when I was like 7. After a few years, I joined a school band program in middle school, and also joined the school choir. At age 13, I moved to France and sort of lost my passion for playing music for a few years. Later in high school, I was involved with several rock bands and then I graduated and went to the UK for university. That’s when I started becoming passionate about a lot of different genres of music, and towards the end of my degree I reconnected with an old childhood friend, Bram, and this sparked me to start releasing my own solo music in late 2019. Since then, I’ve kept releasing music under Cloud Vincent, and continued to improve my songwriting and musical abilities.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

CLOUD VINCENt: As for formal training, I took piano lessons for 6 years, jazz band and choir for a couple of years, and both of those required me to learn a good amount of music theory. As for learning to sing, play guitar, and write songs, I’m completely self-taught.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘CLOUD VINCENT’?

CLOUD VINCENT: The first bands and artists I liked as a kid were Weezer, Rage Against the Machine, Eminem, and Nirvana. As for my strongest musical influences (who are also some of my favorite artists now), I’d say Dominic Fike, The Strokes, BROCKHAMPTON, Kanye West, Omar Apollo, Remi Wolf, and Steve Lacy (to name a few lol).

As for the name Cloud Vincent, I wanted to incorporate my actual name in my artist name. I feel like clouds can be happy on a sunny day and sad on a dreary day, so I felt like the name was versatile and easily memorable. So yeah, “Cloud Vincent” felt right.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

CLOUD VINCENT: Key elements from my music, hm. I feel like I try to strive for catchy choruses, tight production, and always making sure a song tells a story. As for my sound, I’d say it’s a weird fusion of indie-hip-rock(?) mixing pop/rock/indie/hiphop/rnb. I don’t know, it’s a weird mix that changes a lot depending on the song I’m writing. I’ve heard it’s sort of an “anti-pop” sound…. Whatever that is.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as POP?
**CLOUD VINCENT**:
From 2016-2019, I went through different phases of emulating other artists. First hard rock (e.g. Royal Blood, Highly Suspect, Rage Against the Machine), then indie rock (e.g. The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys), and then a hiphop/rnb mix (e.g. Miguel, Travis Scott, Aminé). After making all of this, I couldn’t really decide on one style, so my music sort of blends them into this “Cloud Vincent” sound, I guess.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?

CLOUD VINCENT:

Personally, I think music can be way to express views and perspectives on political, cultural, and social things, but I don’t think it needs to be. I think some people prefer making/consuming music that is a lyrically-dense commentary on social issues, and that is great. On the other hand, some people just want to have fun and take music at face value, which is fine too. Music can have whatever purpose it wants, depending on how the artist wants to express it. For me personally, I gravitate towards music where the artist feels authentic in their own sound; whether that be a deep political commentary, or a club banger.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

CLOUD VINCENT:

I never started making music with the goal of others listening. If releasing music was no longer possible for whatever reason, I know I still would make music frequently just because it makes me happy. When I release something, I am so happy to hear that other people love the music as much as I do. I think my lack of expectations has led me to try different styles, and just improve as a musician too. (If you like any songs of mine, TELL ME!, I love the support!)

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

CLOUD VINCENT:

My creative process is sort of a mixed bag but it tends to go something like this:

Step 1: Fiddle around on guitar or find a cool sample. Step 2: Write short vocal melody instantly. (It always comes to me instantly if it’s the right guitar melody) Step 3: Message producer with voice memo. Step 4: Make it into a proper instrumental. Step 5: Go into the studio and make the whole song in 3 hours. Step 6: Leave studio and listen to the song 1000000 times. Step 7: Go back into studio, make change, and finish song.

As for the actual song content, I used to take stories from my own personal experiences and write about them. Now, I try to create characters more and come up with unique stories that I’ve never heard of before.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

CLOUD VINCENT: Deeeeeep question. Hm. I think one of the hardest things has been choosing to pursue music whilst also working a full-time job. It’s really hard. As much as I’d love to be a musician full-time and make a **** ton of money, this isn’t possible (yet). So for now I’ve had to come to the conclusion that I can do both, even though it will be hard.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

CLOUD VINCENT: It’s hard to pinpoint one moment. I think every time I release a song, it’s noticeably better than the last. So every release feels like a significant point, or a step forward to making the best music I can. Every time I release a new song, I get as excited as I do on my birthday.