Callie Reiff – Crash Into Me

By starrymag | March 12, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I would describe my sound as having NYC club energy, mixed with a vocal-driven arrangement – I like to call it indie-club!

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Some of my forever influences are Skrillex, FKA Twigs, Mura Masa, Kito, Kaytranada and HAIM. I love all of them for the same reason, their unique sound and that they are not afraid to push a song in a new wild direction.

 

Q) What’s the story behind your new song “Crash Into Me.”

 

A) To me, “Crash Into Me“ is about being with that person that you are done overthinking with. You just want to grab their hand and jump in the deep end. It also doesn’t have to be about someone else in your life, it could be about a decision in your life you are overthinking. Trusting your gut and just having a huge dance party is what I feel describes the song pretty well!

 

Q) How did you connect with Madison Daniels for the track?

 

A) Madison sent over this topline idea that was originally called “Drown.” The vocals started playing and immediately I was putting the vocal stems into Ableton and starting to add drums and melodies. It came together pretty quickly because I really felt the emotion in Madison’s voice and the story fueled all the ideas that followed after for me. I chopped up her vocal saying “Crash Into Me” and kept that in the chorus. Those three words kept repeating in my head, so of course calling it “Crash Into Me” just made sense. The first demo I came up with doesn’t sound that much different from the final version I ended up with which I love!

 

Q) What is your songwriting process like? Do you start with the music or the lyrics?

 

A) Songwriting is new for me, so it’s been an amazing experience jumping into it over the past year. I start with an instrumental demo I have in mind or even just a simple 8-bar melody idea on loop. Then, I think of a topic or how I’m feeling, start to sing some vocal melodies into voice memos and then add lyrics to fit in sonically. It’s also a very collaborative process for me on Zoom or Skype with a few vocalists/writers, we bring in all our perspectives and try out things until something sticks.

 

Q) Do you have any plans for a full album or EP to drop in the near future?

 

A) Yes! I’ll be releasing a few singles before, but they will be included in my EP that will come out later this year.

 

Q) You’ve performed at Webster Hall, various festivals, etc. Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) Webster Hall will always remain the most important to me since that’s the first place I ever played. They trusted me enough at fifteen years old to give me a DJ residency there. It all began at Webster Hall which led to other amazing opportunities. Festival-wise, I got to play Tomorrowland pretty early on and just being at the festival and meeting everyone was super special. It feels like you are in a different world. Some of the most recent shows I got to play were four nights in Brooklyn (my home, NYC) with Deadmau5, which were my last shows pre-COVID. All my family and close friends came to the shows which made it extra special.

 

Q) With concerts currently on hold, what do you miss most about being on stage?

 

A) Oof! Name something and I probably miss it! I miss everything about performing. Getting to play your music live is something I can’t wait to do again. I have all of this new music I developed during this period of time that I haven’t played outside of my bedroom yet. Performing your heart out on stage and feeling the energy from the crowd is what I miss the most, there’s no feeling like it.

 

Q) What have you been listening to lately?

 

A) On repeat right now:

SG Lewis – “One More ft. Nile Rodgers”

Martin Garrix – “Pressure ft. Tove Lo”

Kito, VanJess, Channel Tres – “Recap”

Ama Lou – “Tried Up”

 

 

Stream “Crash Into Me”

Callie Reiff – Crash Into Me (ffm.to)