Rilan – Love or Drugs

By starrymag | May 24, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I make pop with a twist. It’s fun and catchy and danceable, but it’s dark and quirky and full of satire. It’s the soundtrack to the spectacle that is me. It’s ridiculous, but it’s honest. It’s popular music for unpopular people like myself.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) David Bowie, Prince and Madonna are my Unholy Trinity. They’re my influential bread and butter. Their combo of rock ’n’ roll attitude, out of this world stage presence, clever lyricism, catchy melodies and overall star power as legendary superstars is what make them my heroes. They were different than all other artists in their time and their genre, and because of their uniqueness, rose above them all. If you ask me, they were pop perfection. I also love darker synth driven music, like Soft Cell, Nine Inch Nails, and Marilyn Manson. Throw in some “In The Zone” era Britney and a handful of musical theatre classics, and you’ve got what I do. It shouldn’t make sense, but in my twisted mind it does.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Love or Drugs.”

 

A) “Love or Drugs” is my way of combatting the norm. I’ve never been cool. I’ve always been the weird kid on the outside looking in. I was never invited to a single party in high school or my brief stint in college. And even after I moved to LA I still felt like an uncool drifter. But I realized that that’s who I am. I am the weird kid and I love it. I don’t want to go to a party full of normal people. What they find interesting bores me. Party culture isn’t my scene. “Love or Drugs” is making fun of those cool kids in Hollywood and beyond. It’s a total satire of what it means to be the cool kid at the party.

 

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

 

A) I think different people connect to different things. Pop music fans like the melody and the production. Party people like the imagery in the video and the song’s danceability. What I think my people like is the sarcasm in it. It’s not celebrating sex and drugs. It’s poking fun at them. It’s my way of reminding other weird kids out there like me that we’re cooler than what’s cool. Weird is the new cool to us. It always will be. This is our time.

 

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

 

A) The video takes every party stereotype and amplifies it. It shoves everything that happens behind closed doors out into the open for the world to see. It’s over the top and outrageous and pushing boundaries and that’s the point. I’m here to honestly talk about controversies. Pop with a point has been lost for bit. It’s time to bring it back.

 

Q) Talk about working with Richy Jackson for the choreography for the video.

 

A) Richy is my second set of eyes. I trust his creative vision more than anyone else in the world. He understands the importance of weirdness in pop music. Without it, you’re just popular and that’s the worst insult I could ever receive. He always says, “It’s so wrong, it’s right,” and that’s the best compliment in the world. He offers ideas I wouldn’t think of and elevates my own to a higher level. He’s the secret weapon behind pop music.

 

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

 

A) I need a concept before I can do anything. I have to have something to talk about. Otherwise, why even write? I’ve always liked songs that have something say and those songs come from artists with their own point of view. Mine is that of an outsider. I think nowadays, with social media, everything is hyper-popularized. People are easily influenced by what they perceive as being popular and cool. I’m here to shake that up. I’m here to offer the alternative to popularity – originality. Sure, I write about love, but from a darker perspective because that’s what I’ve experienced. Yes, I write about Saturday nights out, but from the eyes of the loner in the corner wanting to go home. That’s who I am and that’s what you’ll get from me. Regardless of what I write first, melody or lyrics, I will always start with a concept and an alternative to reality.

 

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

 

A) I work very closely with all the producers I work with. When writing with others, my sessions are very collaborative. We all get our ideas out on the table and then start to edit according to what the song and its message need. Sometimes we start with piano chords. That’s how I always write when I’m alone. Other times we’ll start with a production element, like a drum loop or a baseline. It all depends on the song. Once we’re finished for the day, I sit with the song and listen to it over and over and over again until I pick it apart for better or for worse. Then, the producer and I will go back in the studio and make the changes we’re feeling. To me, that is what makes art be art – editing and re-editing until it’s as close to perfection as possible. I hear a lot of artists say that their music was made quickly and effortless and everything just fell into place. That’s not how I work. I live and breathe my music until I’m sick of it in the best way possible. That’s when I know it’s right.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Rilan performance?

 

A) Spectacle. Performance has taken a backseat in music over the past few years. It’s been more about a vibe than a show. That’s not me. I’m not vibey or chill or cool. I’m out there and crazy and weird. I’m here to put on a show. I’m here to give you an experience. I’m here to take you away from reality and bring you into my own little twisted pop paradise. It’s nonstop theatrics. It’s fun. That’s what music is to me. It’s not about fitting in. It’s about standing out in the crowd. That’s what I’ll always do.

 

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

 

A) Yes. I’m currently finishing an EP of antisocial pop jams. I’m excited to share them with my fellow weirdos.

 

Q) You’re mentored by Randy Jackson. What advice has he given you over the years that you’ve really taken to heart?

 

A) Randy always tells me to be myself. He says the music has to come from the artist. That’s the only way it’s going to work. People can see through inauthenticity. It’s so refreshing to hear. Over the years I’ve worked with so many people who’ve promised me the world if I change this or do that differently or write like her or dress like him. I tried to do what others told me would succeed, but they were wrong. What worked for someone else will never work for me because I’m me. I’m not here to tone myself down in the hopes of being liked or successful. That’s not what my heroes did and that’s not what I’m going to do either. Randy always encourages me to stick to my guns. It sounds so simple, but in “the land of broken dreams” it really has been the key to everything I’ve accomplished thus far and I’m just getting started.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you? 

 

A) My favorite place to perform is the stage. Period. I’ll perform anywhere and everywhere and anything can be a stage. I’ve performed on coffee tables in clubs, the back of booths in bars and two-by-two wooden blocks in front of jukeboxes. I’ve played everywhere from the stairs of the Las Vegas House of Blues’ dining room to the Moulin Rouge in Paris. I don’t care where I am. If you want a show, I’ll give you one. Whether it’s the swankiest place in town or your own living room, I will perform like it’s a stadium. That’s what you’re always going to get from me.

 

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

 

A) I’ll work with anyone who wants to work with me. You never know what’s going to happen until you get into the studio with someone. Some of my favorite songs have come from collaborations with the most unlikely of people. That truly is the beauty of music. That being said, most of my dream collaborators are dead, so once I’m gone call me on your Ouija board and I’ll let you know how my dream collaborations are going.

 

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

 

A) Honestly, I’ve been listening to Marina and the Diamond’s Electra Heart from 2012 on repeat. It’s everything I miss about music – sarcasm, cleverness, melody and fun. It’s the age-old story of fame told by an outsider looking in on the Hollywood crowd they dream to be a part of but never will be. It’s a masterpiece.

 

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

 

A) The only good thing about social media is connecting with people who listen to my music. There’s a lot of noise on socials. The majority of it is manufactured. People show you the life they want to live, not the life they’re living. People are now famous for being ordinary, not extraordinary. It makes me feel like my dreams and my music and my perspective are all pointless sometimes. The one thing that knocks me out of that are the other weird kids out there who connect with me. They get what it’s like to be the outcast because they are the outcasts, too. It’s a support system for weirdos. I’ve made incredible connections with fans over the years and I’m very grateful for each and every one of them. They make the bane of my existence (social media) worth it.

 

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

 

A) Stay weird kiddos. It’s so much cooler than being cool.

 

 

“Love or Drugs” Video

“Love or Drugs” Spotify