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10 Questions with ... Greg Holden
April 22, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. I really only use Instagram at this point; it's great for connecting with people quickly and creatively. Twitter is just a bunch of angry people yelling at each other, and useless click bait. Facebook is more irrelevant than MySpace and plagued with algorithms that mean only 5% of your followers actually see what you post -- even Instagram is becoming that way now. Honestly, I wish I could just send a telegram to my fans and get off social media completely. It's an unhealthy addiction and makes me sad
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1. How has 2019 been treating you so far? How are those New Year's resolutions going?
This year has been pretty brutal so far, personally anyway. Lots of difficult changes have been made and I'm preparing for a year of self-discovery. The New Year's resolutions are long gone, but I'm doing my best to look forward to positive change.
2. Growing up, how important was music in your life? Can you recall the moment when you decided that you wanted to be a musician?
The first time I realized I wanted to be a musician wasn't until I was 18. I was working in a bar in my hometown in the north of England, and late one night, one of the other bartenders pulled out a guitar and started playing some songs he'd written. I was transfixed. I didn't even know people who worked in bars could do that. I saw all the girls swooning over him and demanded he immediately teach me how to play guitar, and he did.
Deciding that it would be what I did for the rest of my life was not difficult; I needed a goal like that at that time. Eight years later I was living in New York as a working musician and songwriter. Pretty wild when I say it out loud like that.
3. If you weren't a musician today, what else could you see yourself doing?
I have aspirations to be an author one day, and I used to work as a photographer before music was my job. I really can't imagine myself doing something that doesn't involve me expressing myself creatively. I think about doing something else every day, though -- I think that's natural for creative people -- but I've dedicated a large chunk of my life to music, and I can't imagine not doing it in some capacity.
4. What has been the biggest surprise so far about making music your career?
Last year I bought a house in Los Angeles -- all from income from songs I've written. I think that was a very hard truth to get my head around. I had a hard time accepting it; I kept thinking someone was going to show up and say, "Just kidding! We'll take the house back now, thanks!"
5. Tell us about your new album, World War Me that was just released.
This time around instead of working with a producer, I produced it myself. So that was the first and main difference. The record is a lot more introspective than my others have been, and a lot of that came from the experience of moving across the country, and the things I learned about myself during that time.
6. What has changed about your style of music?
Well, I don't sit and write on acoustic guitar anymore. I tend to pull up soundscapes, and experiment with instruments I've never used before. That way, things remain interesting for me. I ran out of chords on the acoustic guitar years ago.
7. What would you say is your favorite way to connect with your fans now?
I really only use Instagram at this point; it's great for connecting with people quickly and creatively. Twitter is just a bunch of angry people yelling at each other, and useless click bait. Facebook is more irrelevant than MySpace and plagued with algorithms that mean only 5% of your followers actually see what you post -- even Instagram is becoming that way now. Honestly, I wish I could just send a telegram to my fans and get off social media completely. It's an unhealthy addiction and makes me sad.
8. What artists are you most impressed with lately?
I love Phoebe Bridgers. She's been the most inspiring artist I've heard in the last five years. I've also continued to be inspired by bands like The Killers and The 1975, and artists like Tom Petty, Jason Isbell, Springsteen, and I've been super into Rostam lately.
9. Where can fans see you perform next?
I'm on tour all spring in the U.S. and then Europe. Dates are on my website.
10. At the end of the day, what do you hope people take away from your music?
A feeling of empathy and compassion for other people.
Bonus Questions
Tell us about your songs, "The Lost Boy" and "Boys in the Street," and how they have raised money for two important organizations.
"The Lost Boy" wasn't written intentionally to be part of a charity; it just sort of happened organically. I actually wrote that song about the Dave Eggers book, "What Is The What?," and through the power of the universe it found its way into the right hands ... and the song just sort of took on a life of its own. It ended up raising $80,000 for The Red Cross and helped build schools in Africa.
"Boy's In The Street" was written intentionally, for some friends of mine who run an organization called Everyone Is Gay. They'd asked me to be a part of a compilation record they were making, and I gratefully obliged. I didn't really know what kind of song I was going to write for them -- the brief was "the gayest song ever," which, being straight, I couldn't totally relate to. So, I tried to look for something I could grab hold of personally, so that the song sounded authentic and sincere. I chose my relationship with my stepfather. The rest sort of just happened, I can't really explain why.
Interview by Leah Brungardt
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