Exclusive Interview with 'NASMORE'

Nasmore, a musician based in Canada, grew up surrounded by instruments constantly, immersed in music of all genres as a listener, and teaching himself the fundamentals of songwriting and playing. Nasmore developed an authentic taste for diversity that he immediately infused into his own special process thanks to his exploratory and adventurous spirit, tremendous natural skillset, and courage to experiment with anything and everything new to him. He issued a number of magnificent singles in 2021. As he continued to develop, shape, and polish his talent, Nasmore made an even more crucial choice for the course of his music career by enlisting guest performers. He then started a collaborative process that quickly cemented the profound joy he had discovered in the world of creativity.
Every action he takes results in a significant advancement in his career, compositions, and insatiable creativity. Nasmore’s sound can be quirky and moody, romantic and lovely, or dark, intense, eerie, and poignant. Their authentic style expertly combines all the best elements of pop, hip-hop, indie rock, R&B, and classical music. Imagine Dragons, Nickelback, Robbie Williams, Billie Eilish, Tommee Proffitt, Metallica, Aerosmith, Hans Zimmer, and The Score are some of the artists who have influenced his music. He is following his music wherever it leads him, so his music is absolutely guaranteed to have a profound effect on the mind, body, and soul.

Some songs move you to join a crowd of thousands of people holding out their lighters and singing along in celebration, while other songs make you skip forward or cry, or both. The first of them is “When Will I Learn.” This song is the result of collaboration with Cris Hodges and Neil Taylor (a longtime collaborator with celebrities like Tina Turner, Metallica, and Natalie Imbruglia and a former member of Robbie Williams’ band “Tears for Fears”). Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:

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

NASMORE: We all come from different places. Cris Hodges comes from California, Neil is in UK, Chris Egert (our brilliant sound engineer) is in North Carolina, and I am in Canada. It started one day in 2020 with me asking myself, “what am I doing today?” and then answering, “maybe I should play some music today.”

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

NASMORE: I received formal and comprehensive musical education going from the age of five until I turned 17. Then my career had a 90-degree turn away from music and into the IT world, and it’s been so until late 2020, when COVID restrictions have limited our day-to-day activities. I was looking for something to fill my days with and thought of this skill set of mine I never really used over these years.

Of course, before I could start leveraging my music skills, I had to learn a lot (and still learn) about music production. Today, music production is my second business. I think it is most rewarding when you can enjoy this learning and achieving every day, and I hope this cycle never stops.

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

NASMORE: I grew up listening to all kinds of music, but the conservatorium developed a certain plank for high-quality music in me. It might sound odd, but I don’t listen to music day-to-day. It’s too much effort for me, ha-ha. Maybe because I’m a deep listener and absorb every sound and every vibe individually.

I think the strongest influencers are Pink Floyd, Scorpions, Aerosmith and Michael Jackson on the one hand, and then Imagine Dragons, Billie Eilish, Tommee Profitt, and Coldplay.

Nasmore is a multi-lingual wordplay that could stand for “there are more of us.”

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?

NASMORE: I’m trying to make my songwriting resonate on each level. Lyrically and sonically. I love fusing multiple genres together, and I love using cinematic sounds most of all. But then, no matter what I do, my personality kicks in and turns the sound to become eccentric and moody, sometimes romantic and lovely, but more frequently dark, intense, eerie, and poignant.

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?
**NASMORE**:
I think I attribute my learning phase to the movies. Frequently while watching a movie, I catch myself thinking, “oh, I would use such and such sound here,” or “this is a beautiful scene because the sound perfectly fits the act.”
I’m creating more rock songs than other genres, yes, but only because rock fits the song’s message the most. Though I don’t feel that I belong to a certain genre. Genres serve a role of a different ingredients in my cuisine.

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?

NASMORE:

I strongly believe that music is a psychological weapon. It can make you cry or laugh, put you in a certain mood, raise awareness, motivate and encourage you. Ancient marching music is a great example.

It is very interesting to observe how different people react to your songs.

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?

NASMORE:

I think if you keep on being persistent, never compromise and put your best at it, the sky is the limit then. But at the same time, one needs to remember that this space is very tight and keep their expectations accordingly. What’s really rewarding is when you receive a message or a comment saying how much they enjoyed that song of mine.

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?

NASMORE:

It starts with the story and a visual. Then I would think of some key lyrics lines. And then I would instantly know what it would look like sonically. After that, I guess the production process would not be anything unique. That’s where the team kicks in. Recording the song layer by layer, mixing it and then mastering.

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

NASMORE: Changing yourself. We are quick to advise others on what they could change about themselves. But changing yourself is extremely hard. Also, that applies to fighting the lazy boy in you, ha-ha. You know, when you don’t feel like doing something, and there’s no commitment to do it. Most of us would say, “I will do it tomorrow when I feel more like doing it,” and then it’s never done. I’m always trying to do things ahead of time, even if I don’t feel like doing them.

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

NASMORE: …is when my dad told me, “I don’t really have anything else to teach you, son.” I bet he wasn’t serious, ha-ha. But I remember I felt really strong and proud then. Yes, I had many other situations where I felt proud and successful, but nothing close compared to that moment.