Born in Colorado, raised in Washington, and now back in Boulder, maybe even for good, EDM maestro Carmeezy wants everyone to feel as happy to stick around as he does.
1. You’re the first artist we’ve ever interviewed who’s made a song with a cat.
Story?
It was a moment, you know? I was making “Don’t Hit My Juul,” and I used the
cat to help me make the beats. It’s actually kind of sick. You can look it up. I
love cats, man. I know dogs are awesome and cuddly, but you can go to work or
go to school, and you can let cats roam outside and do their thing all day, and
then you can come back at 5, and the cat will just be chilling. So, I’m going to
throw it up for team cats on this one. Probably going to get booed for that.
2. Is the cat song out yet?
It’s coming soon – August 28 th on Jendex Records! I’m actually committed to
putting out a song every two weeks now. Because, making music, I’m going to
work super-hard to make it for real now, a full-time thing. It’s been my only
income for college since last spring. I’ve been producing, making beats for
other artists and stuff… so we’ll see.
3. You started out as a rapper. What happened?
Honestly, I just hated the way my voice sounded, so I was like, dude, nah, I
can’t be a rapper anymore. There’s just no way. But I always loved electronic
music, so I decided to dive into that realm. Around that time – it was high
school -- I went to an EDM concert -- Diplo, Zeds Dead, Dillon Francis, GRiZ.
I didn’t really know who they were, but I was like, dude, this whole world just
seems super new and interesting. I bought a little DJ board thing -- I thought
that’s how you made music originally. Then I learned a little more, and I got
started on Garage Band, and then went to Logic, and now I use Ableton. So, I
just kind of slowly progressed into it, and now, here I am, trying to do it for a
living.
4. “You Know Where I Was” has 15,000 listens on Spotify. What would you
say is making your music connect with people -- like, what would you say
your songs are about?
Maybe it sounds simple, but I would say generally they all have the message
that even though a lot of negative stuff can happen in life and get you down,
it’s always good to have a positive attitude about everything. I mean, I’m
generally a very upbeat guy.
Honestly, I just hated the way my voice sounded, so I was like, dude, nah, I can’t be a rapper anymore. There’s just no way. But I always loved electronic music, so I decided to dive into that realm.
5. We have to ask if that’s somehow connected to your complete lack of tats.
Yeah, I might be the last DJ without them. I think I’m just not 100 percent
certain what I want for a tattoo, so that’s keeping me from it.
6. How do you make your music?
Every track starts differently. If I’m listening to club music, I just replicate a
party banger basically; my influence is the dance scene. But when I write
music, something else goes on. I always start with a shitty lead up, and then just
focus on the drop, and make that the coolest part, and work on the rest of the
song later. If I’m making more of a chill track, I’ll always try to find a little
vocal sample, and try to chop it up and pitch it differently.
7. Why’d you ditch Washington for Colorado?
I was actually born in Colorado, and then grew up in a small town in
Washington called White Salmon. So, for college, I kind of wanted to check out
somewhere new, and I had the opportunity to come here for in-state tuition
because of my dad, so I was like, “You know what, I’m going to take it.” And
I’ve always loved Colorado. I’m a big snowboarder, and it felt like the right fit.
8. Did the Boulder music scene worry you?
Dude, the music scene in Boulder is actually really sick. I’ve been able to do all
sorts of collaborations with people making music here. Dirty Harry – he’s a
pretty sweet producer, he just graduated actually, we’ve collaborated on
different projects. This track SHAKE just dropped, it’s with my friend Soup
De’Jour. He’s one of the dudes from Low Hanging Fruit. They’re pretty big out
here. You guys should check them out.
There are so many different musicians in Boulder, and just so many creative
people in general, it makes me want to stay in Colorado for even longer.
9. What’s up with your name?
Well, back when I was a rapper, I used to call myself NC Weezy because my
voice cracked when I was growing up. My friends actually used to call me
Weezy, like, “Lil Wayne Weezy.” But when I left rap, I thought, “NC Weezy,
nah, that’s not going to be the brand. I’m not about NC Weezy anymore.”
So, my last name’s Carmichael, and this one girl I always had a crush on, she
called me Carmeezy. Her and me, we didn’t end up doing so hot, we kind of
went our separate ways, I hope she’s doing well. But Carmeezy stayed.
10. Any songs about her?
Sorry, Savannah on that one, but no. All the love tho.
Check out Carmeezy below!
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