Currently residing in Nashville, TN, Callen is the kind of artist that's influenced by a variety of musical stylings. That's the type of quality that's reflected heavily within his music, as the production, combined with vocal outflow, bring about an environment that feels eclectic. Callen has always had visions for music and his overall creative content festers for long periods of time, as his artistry has always felt intrinsic to him. Callen extends his artistry with his capabilities as a musician--playing drums, the piano, as well as the guitar growing up, Callen cultivated his overall sound with patience and time.
There's a certain kind of easy flow to Callen's latest release, titled "Warm", featuring artist Erin Jarvis. The production stylings of this particular offering from Callen captures a bubbly and exuberant atmosphere, followed by a vivid storyline of a complicated connection. Callen strategically meshed the vocals of Erin Jarvis with that of his own, and the product felt undeniably sincere. "Warm" has irony in its title because as we listened along to the track, we felt warm aspects come to light. The melody was swift but made us feel relaxed. The vocal dynamics were soothing and stayed consistent throughout the entirety of the track. "Warm" offers a positive, stress-free environment via its vivacious ambiance. We're happy for the dedication Callen has towards the creation of music, because we're excited to see where he will continue to grow his artistry from here!
Check out Callen's track, "Warm", here.
Hey, Callen! Welcome! The debut of "Warm" has come, and the song itself is effusive! How do you feel now that the track has been released to listeners? Do you feel that you received the feedback you expected to? "I feel good about the song. We worked on it for a long time and got it to the right place. There were so many different productions in the process of trying to find its home. The release process with the video is definitely a rewarding experience for me personally. As far as feedback goes, I definitely expected the majority of responses we got back from curators, but ultimately I was happy with where the song ended up sonically and cinematically. I've tailored songs in the past with curator and A&R feedback, but this song felt more personal. I'm happy with it, and I'm happy with the way people are receiving it.
Has anything shocked you thus far regarding yourself as an artist who is continuing to cultivate their ultimate sound? What would you say you've learned most about yourself during the manifestation of your sound and music? As far as cultivating a unique sonic identity, this has always been a struggle of mine, especially being a producer that tends to create a variety of genres. Something that caught me off guard recently in my creative process was certain sonic tags I have in my productions and melodies. My brother noticed it, and I didn't really recognize that I was doing that until he said something. I really noticed it when I started to collect all of the recordings I made into samples and use them in other songs. See if you can find any in warm or with other artists! It's a cool way to think about how artists and producers make themselves stand out consistently in a heavily oversaturated market.
In terms of manifesting my music, I feel a new sense of clarity every single time a song is really finished. In a weird unexplainable way (which is ironic... cuz clarity) that is how I know a song is truly finished. It is kind of like a weight being lifted off your chest with a little bit of chills and a sudden burst of energy. It is a really good feeling.
As an artist who has already had a consistent vision and passion for music, how do you feel you have an advantage over others within the music scene regarding the finding of your artistic persona?
As far as having a consistent vision and passion for music, I don't really want to say I have an advantage over other artists in the music scene, being an artist is and always will be a struggle, but in every newly added clarity I get, I learn to enjoy the journey instead of a rush to where I am hoping to be. As far as passion for music, I'm lucky I have hockey and running to refresh that passion. If I don't take a break from music at least once a week especially these days, I start to feel pretty burnt out. In regards to having a consistent vision, I try my best not to change my vision every day, better yet just strengthen and add depth to why I'm making music in the first place. Personally, sincerity from the get-go in any type of relationship is important. I'm sure anyone would agree with that. However, sincerity is not always easy and the majority of the times when it's not, things can, put simply, just fall apart. Lately, I've been writing a lot of songs about personal experience in hopes that people can relate, know that they aren't crazy or alone.
Thanks for digging the song and I appreciate you having me here!
Hello Erin, thank you for joining us today with Callen! Tell us, what was it like collaborating with Callen on "Warm"? Was this your first collaboration?
Hi BuzzMusic! Thank you for having us!
Callen and I have known each other for a few years and collaborated on other projects so working on "Warm" was a blast! Callen had an idea of saying "you make me warm" in a song, and we built the song around that hook. We finished the lyrics and stepped away from it to work on other projects, but eventually came back to it with fresh ears. This was the best thing we could have done because it revived all of the initial excitement we had for the idea, which can sometimes wane while in the workshopping process.
What was it like filming and executing the music video for "Warm"? What was the vision?
We took our time with the music video process and actually ended up shooting it a few different ways until it felt right. Callen and I really watched to capture the cinematic magic that the song already has. Every scene in the music video was authentic: we took shots at a local bar, drove around East Nashville, and even snuck into an abandoned building a few times (I still have battle scars from hopping the fence!). As much fun as it looked like we were having, we totally were!
What would you like new fans to know about you and your music?
To all the fans who loved "Warm," thank you! This is the first track I've released since my debut single "Supplier," which dropped in September of last year, and it feels awesome to have received so much positive feedback. As an artist, I think the discovery process is more fun when I am asking myself the right questions--what do I want to say and how do I want to say it--and I've been lucky to work with other talented artists, who add to that fulfillment. Lately, I've been digging into production, and I can't wait to share what I've been working on. You can definitely expect more collaborations between Callen and myself, as well as a few singles that will be coming out this summer!