Camylio – love and hate

By starrymag | August 29, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) To me my “sound” is really about my voice, writing genuine songs and being innovative with how we build the production. We get a lot of flattering comparisons to some other artists with incredible voices and, as much as I truly love and get influenced by those people, the goal for us from day one has been to do something new. I didn’t want this upcoming project to be all stripped piano and guitar ballads because that’s already been done amazingly well by other people in the past. Honestly, the “Camylio sound” is a familiar big voice but with production and a vibe that’s inspired more by modern pop and hip hop.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) I grew up a massive Ed Sheeran fan, especially in the way he writes. Nothing beats a great song and I look to live up to that in every session I’m in. I’m a huge fan of The Weeknd. I think there’s something special about the vibe he creates across his songs. I definitely draw inspiration from guys like Lewis Capaldi and James Arthur too – the way they use their voices to create emotion is inspiring in itself.  What I love about getting to have my own project is that I feel like all of these influences and so many more kind of melt together to make up what I sound like.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “love and hate.”

 

A) “love and hate” started the way most of my songs start, with a chill conversation with some amazing writer friends that turns into hours of sharing stories. The memory that really sparked this one was actually a comment about how I was having trouble listening to some of my old playlists because I associated certain songs with an ex. My amazing co-writers Moli and Dennis Neuer and I really just spent a few hours after that initial spark piecing together stories about what it felt like to watch an ex move on first and how easy it was to let yourself hate them to make yourself feel better. The honest truth is that there isn’t “one story” behind love and hate but a couple. I think that’s part of what makes it so relatable.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) A big part of it is we were honest. The lyrics were directly inspired by true stories, and I think the experiences people go through during breakups are actually pretty common. It might feel like you’re all alone and going through the worst thing in the world, but in reality, a lot of people have experienced and made it through the same thing. My hope is when people hear love and hate they can connect with even the smallest part of it and feel like they’re not alone.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) I think a huge part of this song is the story that’s told throughout it, so finding a way to really emphasize the lyrics with the video was big for us. Having the story laid out the way it is in the video really connects the story together in a way that I think might not be as clear if you’re just casually listening.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) Every time I sit down to write is different but for me it usually starts with the “big idea” these days. Almost every session I have with other writers starts as a long conversation about life and what’s on everyone’s minds. If I’m being honest, the songs I’ve written that started writing not “just to write a song,” but because I “needed” to write a song are the songs people love the most. Once we have that it’s almost always about finding the melodies and chords that give off the feeling that matches that big idea even before we write the lyrics. From there it’s just talking through stories to find the lyrics that tell the story the right way and fit the music.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) Nine times out of ten I’m the one doing the initial production for the demos we write in the sessions. What I love about that is it gives me the chance when I’m recording the initial version of the song to guide it in a musical direction, even if one of my amazing co-producers eventually takes my stems and adds on to it. I actually started in music dreaming of being a pop producer so getting a chance to co-produce about half of the EP has been an incredible experience. I think multiple awesome people working on one project almost always gets you the best result, but I’ll admit producing a full project by myself is definitely on my bucket list.

 

Q) You have an EP in the works. What can you tease are some themes you’ll be exploring on it?

 

A) What I love about the EP is that it feels like a cohesive story and, to be honest, it’s really a collection of my experiences over the past few years. I’ll be honest that a lot of it has to do with relationships and heartbreak but it’s not just black and white. The EP explores the grey area of a relationship falling apart, the optimism in trying to work things out and the complicated emotions beyond just sadness that you go through when things fall apart.

 

Q) Do you have a final list of tracks nailed down or is that still pending?

 

A) Yup. [smiles] Unless something crazy happens in the short term future the EP is finished.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Ed Sheeran.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) The Kid Laroi has been on repeat recently. The dude’s voice is wild, and the songwriting is just so good. I’m a big fan.

 

Q) You’ve had a lot of success on TikTok. What advice would you give other musicians looking to get started on the app?

 

A) My advice on getting started is to actually get started. The best way is to learn by “doing” and posting consistently. Be a fan of others and really become a member of the community so you better understand how to communicate on the app. My first two to three weeks of posting everyday were terrible and my account had less than one hundred followers during that entire time. I had to figure out what didn’t work in order to get closer to understanding what does. Last thing is don’t beat yourself up based on video performance, momentum on the app comes and goes in waves and you can’t let yourself get too high or too low. You got this!

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) Being a kid from a tiny town in upstate New York with no one in my family being a musician let alone in the entertainment industry would’ve meant a long road to make it into the industry pre social media. Because of social media I can put myself out there and directly connect with people from my bedroom and that’s really special. Not only that but I can really give people a glimpse into my life by posting non music things, too. Social media is the reason I’m here and it continues to give me the chance to open a window into my life to the outside world.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Thank you. In the last few months, you’ve changed my life and given me the chance to do what I love for a living, and I can’t express how much I appreciate each and every single person who listens to the music or follows me. The music coming soon is as open as I’ve ever been, and I can’t wait for you to get to know me better through the process. Above anything else, thank you!