Rory Powers – Stories

By starrymag | January 9, 2023

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I write energetic, electronic pop music that makes you want to dance and cry at the same time.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Because I always focus on songs over artists, my musical influences are a bit all over the place, everything from K-pop to punk to electronic. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Hyperpop and I’m loving the next level production of Glaive and Brakence. Then, on a larger scale, you’ve got artists like Charli XCX, Madeon and Porter Robinson who have been inspiring me ever since baby Rory was strong enough to hold a MIDI keyboard.

 

Q) You recently released your debut single “Stories.” What made you decide to begin working on music as a solo artist?

 

A) At the end of the day, what I really wanted was a level of openness between my music and my audience. To me, a big part of that was not being behind an artist name. Now, you hear these songs about feeling burnt out, or lost or angry and it’s coming straight from Rory Powers. I think there’s something pure about that.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind “Stories.”

 

A) ‘Stories’ was born out of me trying to capture the frustrations of being “chronically online,” something I think a lot of young people struggle with right now.

The song is about relationships where people are idolized based on who they are online and how that clash between expectations versus reality can tear people apart. Just like burnout, what happens when a relationship like that is pushed too far?

 

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

A) I feel like everyone has experienced that feeling where something in their life wasn’t what they thought it was going to be. A person, a place, an achievement. That feeling of frustration is what powers this song and I think people can feel it. It explodes out in the form of this high-energy, electronic pop.

 

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

 

A) The whole song is about expectations versus reality and where better to see that than on social media? So, we created an entire music video that looks like it’s one big Instagram Story.

The video ended up being this cool, chaotic, clash between real videos from my life and fake videos we shot just for the project. We even created fake ads promoting the single inside of the video, as if this fake mess was collapsing in on itself.

 

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

 

A) For me, it always starts with the music. Once the song has enough of a body to it, I’ll start writing lyrics as I listen to it over and over. It helps me capture the mood of the song in my lyrics and write alongside the flow of the track, rather than trying to squeeze prewritten lyrics into place which can be a pain.

 

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

 

A) Every track was produced alongside my music partner Kit Grier Mulvenna. We’ve been working on music together our whole lives and this track was no exception. We spent hours together recording, mixing and ordering 2am UberEats deliveries to the studio (which in most cases was a bedroom). He always helps me take the production to the next level. He’s also one of the only people who can put up with me obsessing over every single little detail. God bless him.

 

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

 

A) Hell yes! “Stories” is just the first track in a big wave of new music I’ll be releasing over the next year. I’m so f**king excited to release new tracks, play new shows and work with more artists.

 

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

 

A) I grew up on the North Coast of Northern Ireland and was raised on a diet of local punk and metal gigs. It was so inspiring as a teenager to watch these bands on stage just giving it their absolute all, 110% energy. We recently played a show at one of the same venues that I went to a lot as a kid. It was an amazing experience to try and follow in the footsteps of the local bands that had inspired me. Plus, the pints are super cheap.

 

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

 

A) Just one?? Oh man, the list is endless. Porter Robinson would be a strong contender. I’ve been a fan of his for years and he’s always pushing the boundaries of what electronic music is. I’d also love to work with some of the hyperpop artists that have been inspiring me lately such as Aldn, Brakence, etc. Their music drives me to be better.

 

Q) We love your podcast “The Paranormal Life.” What is it about phenomena that intrigues you?

 

A) Honestly, when we started the podcast, I knew nothing about it. That was kinda the joke – that we were these Paranormal Investigators that knew nothing about the paranormal. But I’ve always loved the mystery of it, covering stories that can’t be explained. I think of the show as telling ghost stories around the campfire.

 

Q) What case have you not covered yet on the podcast that you and Kit are eager to explore some day?

 

A) I’m a sucker for a good UFO case and there’s so many great stories we haven’t covered yet. I could tell you what they are… but then I’d have to… well, you know…

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of your music, the podcast and/or comedy?

 

A) I love you. Thank you for supporting my addiction to creating as much cool art as I can while I’m alive on this earth