Spencer Ludwig – Just Wanna Dance

By starrymag | May 16, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) funky-feel good-pop

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) My parents turned me on to MJ, Prince and Earth Wind & Fire…My first CDs were N’SYNC, Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears…I started my first band in middle school because of The Mars Volta and Radiohead…I picked up the trumpet because of Miles Davis and Chet Baker and my current influences are Bazzi, Luav and Drake.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Just Wanna Dance.”

 

A) On the day that I went in to write “Just Wanna Dance” I was feeling very overwhelmed by the pressures and requirements of social media especially as an artist. It can often times feel like social media is taking you out of the present, which can be very frustrating for me. It can also raise the question “what is this all for and why does it have to be so important.” As much as I appreciate the way social media connects us all and helps us to spread our ideas around the world in a matter of seconds I can (thankfully) remember a time before it all existed, which may have something to do with how I can sometimes feel frustrated by it. Anyways, as I was driving to the session I was making voice notes singing fragments of the melody and lyric as I tried to articulate the feeling in a musical way. Most of those original melodies and lyrics ended up in the song that day. As we were writing the song it started to feel too negative, so we decided to focus the chorus on what I would rather be doing instead of worrying about the societal pressures of social media, which is being present, but in this case we used the idea of “dancing” to capture the essence of what I was trying to say.

 

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

 

A) I like to come in with a concept. When you have a concept, the song writes itself. I keep a running list of concepts that ranges from a combination of song titles, catch phrases, idioms, short personal stories and emotional reactions to life events. I also try to come in with melodic ideas for a hook that surrounds the concept I’m trying to write about, which naturally comes with a tempo and a groove because it’s important for me that the groove locks in with the concept emotionally. From there lyrics, melody, chords, and production ideas, the ideas are thrown rapidly into the air and experimented with until the sonic collage of ideas feels complete. Lastly, trumpet is added throughout as the final touch.

 

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

 

A) A lot. I work in Logic and Ableton and I’m familiar with how most plugins function. I’m usually tweaking or suggesting the tweaking of sounds throughout the entire process of making my records as well as every detail for how acoustic instruments and vocals are being recorded and treated.

 

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

 

A) The album is ready to go, but I won’t be ready to release it until there’s more of a fan base for me to release it to, which is what I’m working towards. Until then I’ll be releasing singles every other month.

 

Q) You’re headed to Bonnaroo, Milwaukee Pride in the coming months. What can fans expect from a live Spencer Ludwig performance?

 

A) Lots of dancing and lots of trumpet.

 

Q) You kicked off the year opening for The Chainsmokers and Jason Derulo. What did you take away from that touring experience?

 

A) Those were two of the biggest performances of my career. That stage was by far the largest stage I’ve ever performed on. My take away was that it was awesome and that I hope to headline a stage like that in the near future.

 

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

 

A) I love to perform in Mexico City because of the energy the people bring to a show. They’re wild and I love it! It’s all about the crowd’s energy for me. I feed off of it. Surprisingly enough, Salt Lake City, Utah always really impresses me as far as US audiences go.

 

Q) YouTube chose you as one of the ten acts for their “Artists in Residence” program. How did that make you feel?

 

A) I was extremely honored to be a part of that program. YouTube is smart to bring in creators in order to help make their product for creators better and they do an amazing job of giving back to that community in exchange for the service we provided.

 

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

 

A) I want to collaborate with more independent female artists. I’d love to do something with Verite.

 

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

 

A) I’m really digging Bazzi right now. I love his melodies and I love how personal and vulnerable his lyrics are.

 

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

 

A) Staying connected to the fans I make around the world is invaluable. Social media allows independent artist to be our best PR. I also love interacting with my fans and getting to know them via social media and then being able to reconnect in person.

 

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

 

A) Thank you for your support! It means more now than ever especially now that I’m an independent artist. I’m so glad that you enjoy the music because that’s why I make it!