Roby Koenigs – Alone in the Night

By starrymag | March 8, 2021

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) The best way I can express my sound is experimental. And, of course, sad and emotional. Lots of my tracks were made in the minor scale which is my personal favorite. I, personally, think that it brings out the deepest emotions in a listeners’ mind and heart. I also tend to always make something different, something that was never heard before, and finally managed to find my very own sound.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) My biggest influence definitely is Avicii, even until this day. You can feel his emotions not only throughout his songs but also through his live performances. If you get deeper into his melodies, you can feel the message that he wanted to share with the audience. He was just here for the music, nothing else. And that’s why he is my biggest influence in this job. Do it for the passion and for the people, nothing else is important. One of my biggest influences is also Lil Peep since I’m more into emo trap. He is also an important role in my own path. His music expressed real life problems, which every single person in this world can relate to. Depression is one of the biggest problems in the world right now, especially during the time of the pandemic. So, what is the best cure for depression? Music, for sure. Lil Peep connected people worldwide with his honesty and that’s why I consider him one of the biggest influences in music. My father, who was a musician, too helped me a lot by reviewing and correcting my music attempts in the beginning, without him who knows, maybe I wouldn’t be here still making music. I am really thankful to him.

 

Q) How did musician Avicii shape who you are as an EDM artist?

 

A) As I said before, he just did it for the passion. Since I had zero knowledge about music, his artist profile gave me a motivation that everything in the world is possible if you work hard for it. The song that is especially memorable to me is “The Nights.” I got addicted to that song and I was just wondering like, “Wow man, how did he do this? How does he make such great melodies?” One day I said to myself, “Okay, I will download a DAW (Fl Studio) and get to work.” I tried to recreate the melody of the song. But, at first, I couldn’t do it. But I didn’t stop myself. When I started to get more knowledge about music production, I finally managed to recreate his melody of the song and that’s when I knew I could do it – that I can make music.

 

Q) You studied at MPA. What lessons did you take to heart while you were learning there?

 

A) MPA was a great experience for me. I had some of the biggest music producer names here in Croatia as my teachers. We mostly learned about technical stuff like how to connect a microphone, how to record live instruments, how to eq properly and how to use effects properly. The lesson that is most memorable to me must be the one about microphones. Trap music is full of rappers and singers and now I have got a proper knowledge on how to prepare everything for a studio session which is of big importance. Music isn’t just happening on the laptop, PC, etc. You need to prepare for the session, connect everything, connect the right cables and then you are able to start to work on music. MPA opened my eyes in a different way to make music and how professional music production works. I’m really grateful I got the opportunity to study there.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Alone in the Night.”

 

A) “Alone in the Night” is actually a project I started way back in the 2018. I had an idea to combine emotion through vocal expression and also with the beat. But, actually, I firstly made the beat, which is a pretty simple piano melody, with lots of reverb and did not want to sing on it. I was looking for some rappers that I could send the beat so we can make a collaboration. After hours and hours listening to the beat, the words just got into my head and I said to myself that I’m going to try to sing it. Connected my microphone and the flow just started going and going and going. It sounded great to me and totally different than something I’ve heard and made before. That’s when I decided I’d take some more time to work on the song.

 

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

 

A) The video for my single “Alone in the Night” was a pretty quick plan with a friend of mine from Croatia who is a photographer. I had an idea to make the video look like a grunge, vintage, kinda basic emo trap music video. But we are pretty satisfied with it since it is my first official music video. In the video I am seen rapping to the beat in a dark garage and by times rapping outside in the parking lot. The song is named “Alone In The Night,” so I am all alone in the music video just vibing to the track. The message of the video is if you ever feel alone don’t be, things will only get better by time. My favorite quote is: “After the rain comes the sun,” so I would say that it is a message that is shown in the music video. Official release will be on 15th February so stay tuned to check it out.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song “Alone in the Night” that the fans connect to?

 

A) “Alone in the Night is a song that talks about some real-life problems. I am a big dreamer, personally. And the first verse is probably one of the most memorable and relatable. The first verse says: “Every time I close my eyes, I see stars in my mind. Far apart all the time, like you used to be mine.” It means that fame, money and everything materialistic isn’t important. It is okay to dream, but stay down on your feet, don’t wonder around looking for the stars. They will come to you if you work hard enough. The most important thing is to have support from your family, friends and partner – those are the things that get you going. Only love completes an individual, nothing else.

 

Q) How did you come to work with Zerarri on a track?

 

A) One morning I was just scrolling through my DMs on Soundcloud and found a message from Zerarri. Zerarri wanted to make a dubstep song, but since I changed my music taste and my path, I told him that I wanted to make an emo trap song. He was down for it. Immediately I started to work on a beat and was really satisfied with it. So was Zerarri. In a couple of days, he sent me his vocals and they sounded dope. We named the song “In My Dreams.” He is an amazing rapper, for sure, and he has worked with some big names in the dubstep scene, so I was pretty honored to have the privilege to work with him. And by the way, we are preparing something new in the near future! [winks]

 

Q) When it comes to music with lyrics, at is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) My writing process is pretty simple. As soon as I hear a beat words just keep showing in my head. When I have the beat, I always try to work on the flow too. So that, for me, is a plus-plus situation. Everything just comes to my head by itself. Sometimes I am able to write without the beat but having a beat to me is like a cheat sheet. That helps me a lot.

 

Q) As a former DJ, how much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) As a former DJ it didn’t help me too much in my music production. But it helped me a lot to train my ears and to find a groove that suits me well. DJing is all about tempo and song compatibility. So, I would suggest anyone that wants to start producing music to start DJing, too!

 

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

 

A) Yes, of course! I got some prepared singles for the next couple of months, but after that for sure. Why not? Debut album will be special. [smiles]

 

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

 

A) When I was DJing I played at some local bars and clubs. But one of the best was in a club where was around 200+ people. It was a New Year party, and everyone was having a blast. The best feeling about it is when you play a song and everyone sings along. Most important thing is that people are enjoying it. That makes you feel like you’re on top of the world!

 

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

 

A) Zerarri, for sure. But one of the first people on my collaboration list is a great underground emo rapper Lil Soda Boi. He’s a great and opened guy. Messaged him a couple of months ago on my Instagram to ask him for a collaboration. He was interested. So, who knows. Maybe we’ll make a track together one day. But more of that soon.

 

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

 

A) In my free time I listen to a lot of underground artists. Mostly in the emo trap genre and EDM. But to name some artists specifically, I love to listen to GG Rahkavelli, Nickisgonenow, Lil Lotus, Cold Hart, Emo Fruits…Found them all on Soundcloud. All of them are great artists and, personally, I can’t wait to hear their future releases. I’m always down to hear some new and fresh tunes!

 

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

 

A) Social media is number one when it comes to music right now. The biggest advantage of it is that you are possible to connect with people worldwide with just one click. For me, as a musician, that’s a really important thing because I can always talk to new people, connect with new artists and listen to feedbacks from my listeners. I am an open person in real life, too, besides social media. So, I always enjoy and love to meet people. Because of that, social media is a great way to stay connected with the audience. By the way, if anyone wants to talk to me or ask me anything, feel free to message. I’ll always answer. <3

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who are fans and supporters of the music you make?

 

A) First of all, thanks to everyone that has been with me throughout all of these years and to those who came later in my path. I am making music for all of my fans, not only for myself. And thanks for being the part of it. Expect some more singles from me in the near future. Lots of tracks are prepared and ready to be launched. This is just the beginning. Thanks for the love and stay safe.