Exclusive Interview with DARRIAN GERARD

The new single and music video for Canadian pop/rock artist Darrian Gerard, “Explosion,” is available right now on all digital streaming platforms. ‘Explosion’ is the lead single from Darrian’s highly anticipated new album, which is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2023. The uplifting, angst-filled F-you song on the anthemic pop-punk track is perfect for when you’ve had it with life.

This song, according to Darrian, is about not caring if other people perceive you as moody or “cold-hearted” for wanting to be who you are and pursue your interests. It’s about that time of the day when you feel like starting an explosion if someone says or does anything else that bothers you. One day, she really wanted to write a joyful pop-punk song, but it wasn’t quite coming together. Eventually, she picked up her electric guitar and amp, and as soon as she heard this cool tremolo sound, the words just started to flow. In contrast to how she usually write songs, this one was inspired by a preset on her guitar amplifier.

All of Darrian Gerard’s music is created in the comfort of her own basement studio, where she also plays, records, and produces it. She was born and raised in a small town in British Columbia, Canada, where she also started writing songs at the age of 7. After that, Gerard picked up the bass, piano, drums, and vocals very quickly, and she formed her own band. She didn’t waste any time after the pandemic started learning how to produce her own songs and work in the music business. She created covers of her favorite artists’ songs on her YouTube channel to begin her musical journey, and the channel quickly attracted attention from the fans of those artists. Check out her song ‘Explosion and the exclusive interview below:

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

DARRIAN GERARD: I am from a small town called Duncan on Vancouver Island in BC, Canada! I started taking guitar lessons when I was 7 years old because I had begged my parents for what felt like my whole life at the time, then quickly started writing and learning other instruments. It wasn’t until 2020 when I really started my official music career as an independent artist though. I started a YouTube channel first in 2020 with covers to get my bearings on recording and producing, then in 2021 I released my first single!

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

DARRIAN GERARD: I started guitar lessons at 7 years old and did those until I was 10, then I just started teaching myself! I then learned piano, bass, and drums by just playing around with them.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences?

DARRIAN GERARD: Avril Lavigne is definitely a major influence of mine and basically the reason I started making music in the first place! My Auntie sang her song “Sk8er Boi” to me when we were camping and I instantly fell in love and needed to learn every Avril song. Avril Lavigne is still to this day an enormous influence of mine and I definitely would not be making music if it wasn’t for her.

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?

DARRIAN GERARD: I like to think people resonate with the rawness of my lyrics and the intensity of my productions. I put my entire heart and soul into each song and always stay true to myself when doing so. When I first started to realize I was able to put out music independently, I thought I was going to have to go for a more pop sound because that was what was popular at the moment, but thank god I didn’t. I stuck to my roots and turned to a more alternative-pop-rock-punk vibe that I know and love.

5. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try to 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?

DARRIAN GERARD:

I love when the big names use their voice to amplify issues and stand for what is right. Halsey and Taylor Swift come to mind when I think about artists who use their platforms and musical abilities to share their beliefs and political views, or give a voice to those who may not have a very large one. As an artist, it lets me know that it’s okay to voice my opinions on topics that matter to me, and I think it also inspires not only other artists, but the fans too.

6. Could you describe your creative processes? How do you 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?

DARRIAN GERARD:

The usual way I start a song is from my acoustic guitar. I’ll start with a lyric in my head or a topic I want to write about and just start playing around with chords on the guitar until I find something I like. I’ll then just start word-vomiting and hopefully something sticks out. Sometimes when I get stuck lyrically, I take a look at my notes app on my phone where I write random sayings or phrases I hear throughout my day that I think would be cool lyrics.

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

DARRIAN GERARD:

I think the most difficult part is burn out. You want to “make-it” in music so badly so you work as hard as you possibly can as an independent artist. You do all of the producing, singing, instruments and prep work and the marketing and the content creation. Then when it comes to the song actually being released sometimes I find myself so mentally exhausted that it’s extremely difficult to try and continue promoting it. I find taking a quick break, getting your to-do lists done one at a time, and making time to take a breather really helps.

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

DARRIAN GERARD:

I am honestly just so proud of the music I’ve made. Sometimes I’ll sit and listen to a playlist of all the songs and be in awe of the fact that I made these songs, and how proud little 7-year-old Darrian would be that she has professional, radio-quality songs out in the world. If we’re talking numbers, I sometimes can’t believe that over 3000 people listen to my music monthly on Spotify. I can’t believe I’ve been on commercial radio, and I can’t believe that some people think my music is good enough to be put on their everyday playlists. I definitely don’t take anything for granted on this musical journey and I am so proud of everything that has happened so far.

9. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

DARRIAN GERARD: I’d love to say I don’t pay attention to the hate comments but I definitely do. My strategy is to read it and forget. I get so many – SO SO many wonderful comments and messages from people telling me how my music has gotten them through a hard time, or how much they love my sound or my voice, and it would be completely wrong of me to ignore those and focus on the negative ones.

10. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

DARRIAN GERARD: Both. Absolutely both. I can vividly remember times when I produce a sound and put it together with another guitar layer, or a vocal, and visibly dance around with happy tears in my eyes because it sounds so good to me. I can also recall being on stage and watching people sing my songs back to me, or waving back to kids, or hearing the crowd laugh back at my in-between song rants. There is nothing like creating music and listening back to it for the first time, and there is also nothing like experiencing a crowd whether it’s the first or 1000th time.