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Interview: Ronan!
Hi Ronan! Thank you for talking with me today!
Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this. I was really ecstatic when my team reached out for this interview. It's truly a pleasure when someone wants to talk to me about my music.
You are set to release a new song soon! Will you tell us a bit about it?
YES! I have a new single coming out in about a week, and it's called Invisible.
This is going to be one of the most spontaneous projects I've ever done because the idea for this song came to me in the midst of working on my last single which hadn't even come out yet. It took me 30 minutes to write it down and hardly 5 days to get it produced and mastered. When you're putting out new music, you have a million things going on inside your head and there's this long list of things and steps you have to do prior to release, but with this song I didn't want to overthink anything. I didn't want to overdo anything at all. I submitted this song to my distributor way before my last song came out. It just felt right at that moment to put it out without a specific release strategy and a proper plan.
The song is about everyday struggles that we youngsters go through. I wrote the song from the perspective of knowing and being so close to someone, that they're the one who ends up hurting you the most. It happens every day; We often expect so much from someone and then they end up hurting us the most because they know us so well and they know exactly which buttons to push to hurt you! So, I'm really excited to see how the world is going to welcome this song.
What is your favorite part of your creative process?
My favorite part of the creative process is writing. Because it's always so unpredictable. I was talking to a friend who was going through a tough time. He was ranting and saying things like; 'Noone talks to me. No one likes me. Everyone looks through me. Am I invisible to everyone?'
And it just clicked! As soon as I heard him speak 'am I invisible?' I knew it was going to be a song title. And then I sort of said; 'Can you wait for like 30 minutes? I just have to work on something' And then after 30 minutes, Invisible was born. Songwriting has always been the it-factor for me while making music.
Who do you like to share your music with first, before it is released?
I love to share unreleased projects with my friends to get an honest overview. I have this close group of people who have stayed with me since the 5th grade and they're all really supportive and really really honest about whatever I play them.
But when I was putting out my last single, I sort of realized that it's not always a good idea to share unreleased music with everyone. Because everyone has a different taste and will try to incorporate their own taste/spin on the song. For example; Someone who doesn't like the sound of the electric guitar will ask me to remove it. Someone who likes the sound of the piano will ask me to add it to the song. And I always get this sound in my head of what the final product should and will sound like. So, if I start taking these recommendations into account, I'm definitely going to end up with something I don't necessarily like, and that sort of negates the whole concept of me making music. But I do appreciate honest constructive criticism. For example, if someone speaks 'You know? You can come up with a much better lyric or a melody.' I will take that criticism and work on it because that's eventually going to benefit me and my music. So, I only have a certain specific one or two friends that I always play my new music to, but not everyone I'm close with.
How do you keep your music authentic to you?
I think the only way you can keep your music authentic to yourself is by making music that you love. It's so easy to get lost in the thought and mindset of making a hit, making a radio-friendly song that lasts only for 3 minutes, and writing about things people would like to hear. And honestly, that kind of music never lasts long. I've only had two singles in the world so far, and I'm already learning these valuable lessons that how important it is to stay true to yourself; making what you love and writing about what you believe in.
I write mostly from experience and even when I write creating imaginary stories and melodies, I still try to stay true to myself. I don't like the imagery of smoking and drinking, and so I've never written about that, not even when I'm writing from someone else's perspective. I never swear in my daily life and that's why you'll never hear me swear in one of my songs.
You are also in medical school at the moment, right?
Yes, I am in med school, and for the kids who want to get into med-school and become doctors; DON'T DO IT. IT'S SO HARD!
I'm just kidding. Even though med school can get a little overbearing but it still definitely is worth it. Because we go through piles of cases every day, you have to study real hard and people don't realize how much depressing it is to work in a hospital where there is always an uncomfortable/uncertain vibe going around, so kudos and salute to the doctors, nurses, and other staff members who do it for majorly a huge portion of their lives.
Although we haven't been invited to campus yet due to the covid, I can't wait to go live in a dorm and write songs about being alone, miserable, and away from home. It's going to be so awesome! And the best part is, we have separate rooms and that's going to be so convenient for me because I often get up at 5 am with an idea for a song and start playing my guitar, so this way, I won't be bothering anyone else. Although, I do think I may have to soundproof my walls, otherwise my neighbors are going to get me kicked out of the dorm.
How do you find a balance between school, life, and creating music?
As I mentioned before, we haven't joined campus yet so right now it's not that hard to maintain a balance but even so, I still feel like struggling sometimes. Because even though I always have free time on my hands for writing and playing guitar, I'm really tired most of the time. We have virtual classes at 8 am and sometimes they last till 3 pm in the afternoon. Then you have cases to study, assignments to complete, and do other things at home, and by the time you have the time to yourself after 7 pm, you're basically so tired to even stay up to watch your favorite TV show. So, that's the only thing I find myself struggling with right now but as a songwriter, it's a relief to see that inspiration never stops coming your way if you're on the hunt for it. Like I got this idea for a poem after talking to an old friend after a long time. I'm always coming up with melodies in the shower or when I'm scavenging for food in the kitchen at 2 am. Sometimes I'll be watching a movie or an interview, and I'll hear something I really like and I'll just pull out my phone and write it in my notes or record a voice memo. Ideas and inspirations are always there, I just have to find some energy to sit down with my guitar and work on them.
What keeps you inspired?
Mostly it's romance and relationships. I'm a hopeless romantic and for someone like me, it's really easy to romanticize basically anything and write a song about it. For example, I always and always end up writing a song when it's raining. I don't like the sun and the heat, so whenever it's windy or cold, I just grab my guitar, and inspiration lands in front of me. Other than that, I mostly write about the stuff that I go through every day. Songwriting is the best way of catharsis for me. I feel so relieved once I have jotted down my feelings and emotions into a verse or a chorus.
Sometimes, I'll write about the things that my friends are going through in their lives. And just like that Invisible is an example of such a song that is mostly about someone else's life and their struggles.
I'm a twenty-year-old guy and most boys at my age are really into Captain America, Iron Man, and Fight Club, etc. But I love watching rom coms. And it so happens that I'll watch a movie or a TV show, and there'll be this really romantic moment between the guy and the girl when they are like dancing in the rain or driving in the car with the windows down. I love writing about that as well.
What is your favorite part of being an artist?
I don't think I'm an Artist yet, but I think once I hopefully am one, it's going to be the feedback from the people. Because even now when I have such a small audience, I still get texts from people saying how much they loved my song. How much they could relate to my lyrics. Like yesterday, I got a text from someone and they said 'Your lyrics are so romantic and relatable.' You have no idea how much that is fulfilling to someone who writes his/her own songs. It feels so good when someone comes up to you and says something like 'What you wrote in that song, I go through it every day. Your songs helped me get through it.' That's going to be my favorite part when I do become a successful artist.
My dream is to have a crowd of thousands of people and have them singing every single word of my songs back to me.
Please let our readers know where to find you!
You can listen to my music everywhere. It's available on all major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, Deezer, iHeart Radio, etc.
You can follow and reach out to me on Instagram @ronanace13
You can also find my Facebook page under the name Ronan Ace.
Please, listen to my next single, Invisible available everywhere on the 14th of May, 2021.
Thank you for your time!
Thank you!