LOVECOLOR – Dangerous

By starrymag | March 19, 2023

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound and who are some of your musical influences?

A) A mix of alt pop, dance and rock. Some of our influences range from M83, Chvrches, Alt J, Glass Animals and Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Depeche Mode, Daniel Johns, Nirvana and Lana Del Rey.

Q) Ryan / Vanessa, I’d love to hear the story behind the two of you connecting and coming together to create LOVECOLOR.

Vanessa: We met at a holiday party in 2015 through our friend Allison Shaw. We became friends and, when I was on tour and came into LA, Ryan would always come out to my shows. He offered to play drums if I ever needed it and ended up filling in on two songs at a show in 2016.  Then, in 2019 I was coming into LA from a tour and I needed a drummer last minute for a show. I asked him if he would play the show with the understanding that we wouldn’t have time to rehearse…He agreed and blew me away and I was like that’s my drummer.  We’ve been playing ever since.

Ryan: Over the time during which public performances barely existed, Vanessa and I were talking about potentially evolving the sound a bit. So, we did a lot of long-distance brainstorming. We were definitely in a long-distance musical relationship. Ha! It kept developing and we were really having a great time exploring what might be next. Vanessa started sending me demos that I absolutely loved. She would ask for notes and then would send me a new edit; and that’s how we developed the songs that we’re releasing in 2023. For quite some time we thought we’d just release under both our names in some feature format, but then after some thought we ended up feeling like the right thing to do was just to create something completely new and fresh. That’s how LOVECOLOR was born.

Q) Can you tell us the story behind your new song “Dangerous.”

Vanessa: The song was originally a demo and the first song that I ever created without using guitar, that was all samples and programming. I sent it to Ryan and he loved it, so we developed it further. The song’s lyrics and musical message are about a few things — one being attraction and being so completely drawn to someone that it’s almost dangerous, in a way. On the other hand, its message is really about exposing your entire self and being completely fearless and vulnerable by embracing every aspect of who you are.  It’s about being free and open with your sensuality — not suppressing any aspect of yourself, your desire or your sexuality. Growing up I think parts of me felt unable to be open and almost sexually suppressed, so I want to empower people (especially women), to fully embrace their whole true selves.  I think that’s the most powerful and dangerous thing you can do.

Ryan: To me, to be “Dangerous,” speaks to the idea of being fully awake, aware, alive and sharp in a world where parts of society and culture wish us to remain dull and asleep.  Also, in the vein of what Vanessa said, I think the song also speaks to authenticity and how — oddly enough — at times, such authenticity can feel threatening to those who don’t want others to be fully empowered and aware of what we, as humans, are truly capable of.  It’s “dangerous” to the status quo.

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

A) Some people have said they can’t get it out of their heads, which is really cool and a nice compliment. Different people seem to be connecting with different elements of the song, which is also great. Music is such a uniquely personal experience for every individual listener, so we hope that they connect to their own personal empowerment, that it makes them feel good and translates to an emotional, or even visceral experience for them.

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

Vanessa: We both initially came up with a few ideas for the video, but nothing really stuck. We were talking to our Director, Cosmos Kiindarius, and he pitched us on creating a very BLADE RUNNER-esque world that he thought would capture the vibe of the song. The ideas were, in ways, very not literal to the song’s subject; yet it kind of tied in nicely.

Ryan: When we saw the treatment for the video and realized there were these two main characters in a game of cat-and-mouse, a la BLADE RUNNER, we realized the concept actually fit really well. Here Vanessa’s main character is elusive and is, ultimately, dangerous because she can’t be captured, contained or put in a corner. She’s free and almost alien. And ultimately, though my character was in pursuit of her, in the end, he respects her ability to remain untamed and true to her own nature.

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

Vanessa: I usually start with music samples and get a melody and lyric idea. Then, from there I start to build the arrangement into a demo song and then send it to Ryan and get his feedback.

Q) Vanessa, you’re a skilled music producer. How much of hand do you have in the production of LOVECOLOR music?

A) I’m very hands on. But it’s an also a team effort – I usually will send a demo version of a song to Ryan, get his feedback and then we’ll start working on it and we’ll implement his ideas too. It’s a great collaboration. I really trust his input and his production ideas. For example, he might suggest a particular drum fill or alteration to a beat and I’ll re-program that. Or we’ll go into the studio and record his live drums over my programmed drums. Or Ryan might suggest some other melody or ear candy idea he has. At times, he’s also guided me in re-approaching the vocals from a different perspective or with a different performance or trying a different key. I think that I am so hands-on that Ryan’s collaboration and perspective in the process has been invaluable because I often feel so close to it all. Outside of LOVECOLOR, I often take things from start to finish – produce, record, mix and master, but because I’m not the artist in those scenarios, I have a great outside perspective. In LOVECOLOR, we have a great process, and it is definitely a teamwork process. For the current releases so far, we’ve also been having an outside mixer, Andrew Dawson, mix our songs which have really helped elevate the songs to a whole other level. Then I finish the songs off by mastering them.

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming from you in the near future?

A) We’re releasing singles one at a time building up to an EP.

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

A) We would love to collaborate with a handful of people like Mutt Lange, Lil Wayne, Ryan Tedder, Charlie Andrew, Greg Kurstin and David Andrew Sitek.

Q) Vanessa, your A Diamond Heart Production company was named one of eleven LGBTQIA+ and Women-Owned Labels That Are Changing The Music Industry. How does that make you feel and how do you hope to change the music industry through your label? 

Vanessa: It’s pretty cool, I’ve been probably emailing Alt Press Mag for like the last twenty years trying to get their attention. [laughs] I’ve just never given up, and one day they decided to write that (so that’s why I’m sharing this now). Maybe someone will read this, and it will inspire them to always stand by what they believe because “if you build it they will come”… If you dream of something, create it. A diamond heart comes from the heart, and it’s about hands-on, old school style A&R / Mgmt development for both the current climate and the future. I hope this inspires people/artists to go out and do things that they believe in and love, especially women. I hope it encourages more people to start their own labels and careers in music and not wait for someone to come along and make things happen. It’s not one band or artist who will change the world, but many. I really love helping support other music artists too — to teach them about the music business and how to really understand all the components and educate themselves. We’re changing the music industry as we speak. It’s up to us to set the tone and put out great music that speaks from the heart, as well as make songs that will positively impact things.

 

Q) Ryan, you’re a mighty talented actor. Are there any upcoming on-screen projects we can look out for from you?

Ryan: Well, that’s mighty kind of you to say. Thank you. Yes. I’ll be appearing in the second season of the Hulu series “Everyone Is Doing Great.”  That was a fun one to shoot because I got to work with some friends that I’ve wanted to work with for quite a while now. So, keep a look out for the upcoming season!  This summer I’m shooting the feature version of a wild romp of a Rom Com, which started out as a pilot that I starred in and Executive Produced. We’re fortunate to have the support of some great folks, who want to do right by this heartwarming, culturally prescient story. All of us involved are thrilled that we’re going to get to bring that to life in a feature format. Beyond that, I’m very focused right now on developing and writing some projects of my own.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work – whether it is music or on our screens?

A) Thank you for listening; we hope it inspires you. And thank you for watching!  We really do love and appreciate all of our fans and those who not only support what we do, but who are also affected by our work in a positive way.