Thank you so much for your consideration to listen to his album โInto the Sunโ. He started the production of this album on February 16, 2014, and was chipping at it (between doing film scores) until June 2022 last year when he finished the last track.ย He first started doing music in the goth scene with his first album โLand of the Blindโ in 1998. Since then, he has been on numerous compilations, four albums releases (two of them classical), and many film and TV soundtracks. Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
DESAR: I am from everywhere in the US, really. I was born in South Carolina and lived in Illinois, California, Texas, New York, and Florida. I live in Brooklyn with my wife now. Music has always been something that has been in existence in my life since I was very young. My first memory was around 3 years old when my sisters placed me in front of a piano and an electric organ, and I screamed in fear. I had this Mickey Mouse radio/amplifier my parents gave me that I would always sign into and sing to the radio. It was only when I was 11 years old my parents wanted to buy a piano as an accessory for the living room that I begged them to pay for lessons for me.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
DESAR: Yes, I received eight years of piano training and then took several courses in college in composition. No formal degree.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name โDESARโ?
DESAR: My strongest musical influences are widely varied. Bach would have to be foundational simply because so much western music is structured on his composition and how it relates to harmonies and counterpoint. I am also heavily influenced by Claudio Simonetti, the Italian film score composer for Dario Argento. Also, the composer Krzysztof Penderecki had music in โThe Shining,โ but if you watched โThe Omen,โ his signature sound is in all that. I am also influenced by George Lewis, a famous clarinetist from New Orleans. Then there are the rock influences like David Bowie, Peter Murphy, and Sisters of Mercy. The name โDESARโ is my last name. I used it for rock/pop/gothic music. When I release classical music or my soundtracks, itโs under my full name.
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?
DESAR: I hope people just enjoy my music and resonate with them. Every artist desires to be heard or seen on a fundamental level. I think my music is reading Grimmsโ Fairy Tale. It takes you on a journey through the dark, forbidden witch woods twisted with gnarly branches reaching out for you as you walk past.

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 ROCK?
DESAR:
When I first started learning music, I learned all these rudimentary songs to build my skills for the piano. After about a year, I started making my own compositions and entered competitions for them. I fundamentally like composing my music instead of playing other peopleโs work. Although sometimes I like doing covers of other songs just to add some variation.
6. Whatโs your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles โ 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?
DESAR: Artists are susceptible to their surroundings, including political/cultural/spiritual/social issues. Itโs either a direct or subconscious inspiration when creating art. Usually, my ideas come from a story from reading books, historical or fiction, and sometimes visual artwork. In one of my songs on this album, โExhale,โ I wrote the lyrics, composed the melody, performed, and recorded it one day. I wrote it after seeing all these school shootings in the news (and still happening!) My incentive to do it was more an act of catharsis than being political. Itโs difficult to be too direct and write a song for the exact moment in time because that song might not be as impactful years later. So I think musicians usually have to strike that balance of being present for their music but also making it viable for listeners in the future.ย
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
DESAR: I think all artists want recognition for their music. They can say they donโt care in public, but they really do. For me, I just want to be heard. My core reason for creating music is that I am not that great at communicating in real life. Also, creating a story or emotion with my music. So I feel fulfilled as more and more people listen to my music, and I am incredibly grateful for it.
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?
DESAR: This question is what has perplexed me for years and years. Which do you create first? The lyrics or the music, or the beat? Iโve asked so many successful musicians who have different methods. Iโve done every variation of writing lyrics first, then the music, or vice versa, with mixed results. It wasnโt until a year ago I saw a documentary on Gary Numan (Gary Numanโ Android in La La Land โ 2016), and Gary discusses his process of creating his songs. He establishes the beats for it, adds the layers of music, and then adds a temp instrumental track for the vocals. Then he marks out the syllables (beats) from that instrumental track and then adds the lyrics based on the tone or feel of the music. Once I saw that and tried it out โ it was like my eyes were fully opened, and I could write music much more efficiently. Every technique works for songwriters; just knowing which works best for you that you must identify.
9. What has been the most difficult thing youโve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
DESAR: I think it was self-doubt and worrying about other peopleโs thoughts about my music. So, I was creating music considered popular or what others would like. Now I make music that I would want to listen to myself. If people donโt enjoy my music, I canโt take it personally because itโs just a matter of taste. All art is subjective.
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
DESAR: The first time I heard my song on the radio. I was in a cab in Boston coming from the airport, and the radio was on, and it played one of my songs! I couldnโt do anything but laugh continuously because it was bizarre.ย
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