Exclusive Interview with ‘NEON BLACK DREAMS’

Neon Black Dreams, a 2021 formation, combines Pop, Synthwave, Post-rock, and R&B-infused vocals to produce a unique sound. The fifth single from Neon Black Dreams is Paradise Lost. At the end of Eternity, JJ was taken away, leaving Yara to consider life without him. The subject matter of the song is loss, grief, and life’s progression. She decides to free him and be with him no matter what the cost is as she reflects on everything they meant to each other and the future they still hope to achieve. Even during the darkest of times, there is hope in this melancholy ballad.

Although it might seem like paradise is lost, it can always be found again. Neon Black Dreams revives your memories of the past. With their distinctive fusion of influences, the band has quickly surpassed 20,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and is continuing to expand across all social media. incorporating elements of Arianna Grande, Depeche Mode, Madison Beer, and The Eurythmics. “Kiss of the Universe,” their debut full-length album, has just been finished. The plot involves two souls who are eternally destined to meet after experiencing various lifetimes and destinies. The first album, which takes place in the late 1980s, tells their thrilling and tragic tale from Yara’s perspective. The experience takes the listener through each chapter of this epic story, creating a soundtrack to a truly emotional experience, even though each song is intended to stand alone. As JJ looked for the ideal voice to tell the story, the band formed in the latter half of 2020. Early in 2021, Yara joined the group, and everything changed. The two have very dissimilar musical backgrounds.

With music that combines Pop, Synthwave, Post-rock, and vocals with R&B influences to create a different sonic dimension. The band refuses to accept boundaries imposed by musical genres and instead lets the songs’ emotional impact and intensity shape the sound. JJ tries to convey the characters’ unadulterated emotions by bringing his passion for film scores and early synthesizer artists. having studied classical music and working as a musical engineer. He believed that the entire world should know about this project. Listeners travel on a journey with Yara as she assumes the role and feels the emotions of the main character. Her brash demeanor and vocal assurance are a spirited addition to the group. Each song has two other meanings in addition to the one intended when it was written to tell the overall narrative. Without knowledge of the album or the main characters, one interpretation of the song can be made. And the second meaning, which may or may not be clear upon first listening, is always something very personal to JJ. Every song was written by the band with the idea that it would get better with each listen and offer something fresh. The live performance of Neon Black Dreams is brimming with passion, feelings, tears, and lasers. They are eager to tell the story as they perform for fans all over the world. A new video will accompany each chapter of the book to keep readers interested and eager for more. Check out the official video & the exclusive interview below:

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

NEON BLACK DREAMS: The idea for Neon Black Dreams started during the lockdowns. I had wanted to do something focused entirely on synths and with the additional free time, I started writing. As writing the music began I felt there needed to be a underlying concept as the music to me felt like a soundtrack. So I wrote the story and then went back and completed writing the music to be the soundtrack for that imaginary movie. Once I realized the band needed to have vocals to deliver the atmosphere I wanted I began searching for the voice. It was st this time I met Yara and her voice blended perfectly with the music.

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

NEON BLACK DREAMS: I had formal music university training but originally played drums. So, in that regards essentially self taught for most instruments. Yara also is self-taught from her love of singing.

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

NEON BLACK DREAMS: Yara definitely cites Madison Beer and Arianna Grande as her biggest influences. I would say for me, Depeche Mode, John Carpenter, Erasure and some Duran Duran. The Band name actually came from a song “Forever” by the band Nevermore. I wanted to use Neon in the band name and was listening to this song and the idea of having a dream be neon black just seemed to fit the character of the band perfectly.

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?

NEON BLACK DREAMS: Each song truly tells a story in 3 different layers. The first being the soundtrack to the Kiss of the Universe story. The second being how I would imagine most people would interpret the meaning of the lyrics. And the Last is a more secret personal meaning that each song also hides. The underlying message is always about never giving up on yourself and always pushing towards your dreams.

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?

NEON BLACK DREAMS:

The most important aspect for me is that music can provide hope to anyone. I want the music to be able to transcend most political and cultural boundaries and speak to the listener on another level and hopefully, inspire the same optimism that writing and performing the music does for myself. Most importantly I believe music is there to entertain and provide and escape from our daily lives.

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?

NEON BLACK DREAMS:

Well I only really expected to make the album and not much else. So I can say that each new listener is exceeding my expectations. Of course we really want to get out and play live shows all over the place and hopefully that will happen as soon as the conflict in our home is over.

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?

NEON BLACK DREAMS:

I start with either a melody or a bass line. With that I build the song around that piece. Once I have a complete song idea, I go about adding layers and accept and of course the drums. When I am recording the final parts, on occasion, the analogue world introduces some happy accidents, which can also change the course of the song. Before I begin in this case I already have the story ready so I know the tone the music needs to convey. But the lyrics are written after the music is completed.

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

NEON BLACK DREAMS:

Well most definitely the war in Ukraine, as we had to leave our home and all of the music gear behind, not to mention show cancellations. We are lookig forward to doing some fantastic live performances as soon as this is all over.

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

NEON BLACK DREAMS: The release of each song has been phenomenal so far. The reception and reactions really bring a lot of joy. We still have 5 more songs to release this year and hope that they will also get equally positive acceptance and introduce our music to even more people worldwide.

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