Exclusive Interview with TYLERDURDAN*

As we listen tylerdurdan*’s music, we’re not just hearing a new album – we’re experiencing the future of music production. Check out the exclusive Interview below:

1. Your roots can often shape your journey. Can you share a story or moment from your early life that had a significant impact on your path into music?

TYLERDURDAN*: I grew up listening to Italian music, the kind my parents used to listen to. Lucio Battisti, Franco Battiato, and Italian music from the 70s and 80s in general. Then, around 1994, when I was 11, I started discovering American rap, which was just beginning to make its mark, as well as Italian protest music like the one made by 99 Posse and the committed songwriting of Fabrizio de Andrè and Francesco Guccini. Those were eye-opening moments that made me realize there was more to music than just light pop. There was a whole world out there to discover

2. Did your musical journey begin with formal training, or was it more of a personal exploration? How has that shaped your unique approach to your craft?

TYLERDURDAN*: Technically, my musical journey started just 4 months ago, in June 2024, when I began using generative AI software to create voices and music for my lyrics. It was love at first sight. In less than a month, I released ‘Buffet,’ the first rap album created with generative AI software, which brought me recognition from around the world and allowed me to sign with a traditional record label, Visory Records. I’m not a musician, I can’t play anything at all, but I’ve been writing professionally for over 15 years. So, I used my copywriting skills to break down the barrier that prevented me from producing music, not being a musician. It’s an incredible feeling of freedom, I recommend everyone try it.

3. Who were some of the most influential figures in your early musical life, and how did they inspire your sound? Also, what’s the story behind choosing the name ‘TYLERDURDAN*’?

TYLERDURDAN*: To launch my music project, tylerdurdan*, given the chance to choose from all genres, I decided to go with rap due to its affinity with my work as a street photographer. Rap and street photography are the same thing, expressive ways of communicating the reality around us. In this, both precursors like Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac, and contemporary artists like Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West have been my teachers. The name tylerdurdan* comes from an elective affinity with the character from Fight Club, Tyler Durden. I believe the metaphor of the split personality is particularly significant in the times we live in, where everyone has different personalities, one for each social media platform, plus the one for real life, which is in turn divided between family, work, and friends.

4. What do you believe sets your music apart? How would you describe your sound to someone discovering you for the first time, and what emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in your listeners?

TYLERDURDAN*: First and foremost, it’s important to understand that the voice you’re hearing doesn’t actually exist. And nobody technically played those instruments. Instead, you should know that someone, me, Raffaele Annunziata, wrote these lyrics and created that sound using generative AI software. Knowing this can be an alienating experience, different from the usual. If you don’t know what’s behind it, you might fall into the trap I’m trying to set for my unsuspecting listeners. And if you like my music, regardless of how it was made? If you agree with the words you’ve heard, would you care about the way they were generated? By addressing sensitive and political themes, I hope for an active listening experience, different from the usual.

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 HIPHOP?

TYLERDURDAN*: I believe that the concept of invention is a 19th-century notion that has long been surpassed. Everything draws inspiration from everything else, in graphics, as well as in design or literature. If I write the way I do, it’s because I’ve read Burroughs and Rimbaud, because I’ve seen films by Rossellini and Truffaut, because I’ve listened to the music of Bob Dylan and the Doors. Rap, then, comes naturally. It’s like when they asked Bukowski where his poetry came from. And how do you breathe, he replied.

6. Music often transcends entertainment. 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?

TYLERDURDAN*: At 41, I’m appalled at how music has lost its power to drive social and political change. The decline of collective consciousness and the dominance of mass culture have, to the delight of the establishment, neutered music’s ability to spread radical ideas. Everything’s become a spectacle, just as Pier Paolo Pasolini predicted in the 70s. This realization has compelled me to use music as a platform for political messages, particularly to end the ongoing genocide in Palestine. This is my sole focus now, even though I have a full-time job and wasn’t involved in music six months ago.

7. Do you feel the rewards of your musical career match the energy and passion you invest in it, or are there different kinds of fulfillment you’re still seeking?

TYLERDURDAN*: I’m not really chasing any particular outcome, except to move even one person’s consciousness after listening to one of my songs

8. Can you walk us through your creative process? From the first spark of an idea to the finished track, what’s the most essential part of your process, and how do collaboration or external influences shape your work?

TYLERDURDAN*: It all begins with a note on my phone. I jot down striking images, words, phrases, and vivid scenes. I then develop these into verses on my phone, usually forming one or two quatrains. Sometimes I add a chorus and then start experimenting with sounds and rhythms using generative AI. The entire process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to two weeks to complete a song.

9. What’s been the most challenging hurdle in either your personal life or music career, and how has it shaped you as an artist?

TYLERDURDAN*: Balancing my time between my job as a Digital Media Specialist at Seed Media Agency, my passion for photography and Napoli Football Club, and raising my 4-year-old daughter, Denise, has made finding time for the Tylerdurdan* project a challenge.

10. On the flip side, what moment or achievement in your career so far has made you feel the proudest, and why? And let’s talk about your latest release and future plans.

TYLERDURDAN*: Self-releasing my first song on Distrokid, transforming a 15-year-old lyric into a full track, was incredibly exciting. Hearing my daughter ask to listen to ‘her’ song was the icing on the cake. Moving forward, I’m aiming to blend more organic elements into the project. My upcoming album, “Primo,” will be mixed and mastered by the renowned producer Max Bertoli. It features a track with a beat by jazz pianist Raffaele Ranieri and another based on a beat by Ginola_. I’m also collaborating with Neapolitan rapper SVAMP and Vesuvian rapper lamaconlospazio. The possibilities of AI in music are endless.