Grooving his way in from New York, singer-songwriter and versatile pop recording artist Canyon wonders why we can't be "FRIENDS" in a sweet new single.
Canyon's previous hit, "In The Paint," landed him over 1.3 listeners on SoundCloud and an incredibly loyal fanbase. Canyon saw so much support that he decided to flee his job in tech and pursue his passion for music full time. With just a limited number of releases, Canyon is quickly making a name for himself in our cut-throat industry.
Although Canyon started his music career with raspy flows and heavy rap, which he says has landed him vast success, this time around on "FRIENDS," he's excited to show "a thoughtful side and that I can also sing," Canyon mentioned. This song is a groovy alternative pop tune that also showcases the NY-based artist's range and skillset.
Taking a deeper listen to "FRIENDS," the song opens with a playful and bright upbeat pop drum arrangement alongside warm and vibrant keyboard melodies. As Canyon rolls in with his smooth and melodic flow, he offers this relaxed blend of rapping and singing while asking, "Why can't we be friends," paying homage to the 1975 War tune of the same name.
We adore the overall psychedelic and groovy feel through the warm melodies and bright background effects, perfectly preparing us for the summer season right around the corner. We truly appreciate how Canyon merges relaxing alternative pop with subtle rock elements through the organic drum breaks. As we drift our way to the outro, Canyon closes the track on a carefree and passionate note.
Turn up with your "FRIENDS" to Canyon's feel-good new single, now available on all streaming platforms. Keep an eye out for the artist's forthcoming album, 'MEANWHILE,' in early April.
We're genuinely impressed with your dynamic approach and feel-good atmosphere in your new single, "FRIENDS." So why did you want to switch things up for this release?
First off, thank you, I appreciate that. I was aware that "FRIENDS" would stark contrast to the three singles I had put out previously, but the creation process when I made the song was pure. It didn't feel like I was switching things up when it was more natural than that. As my album will show, my music is eclectic, and I tried to put my singles out in the order that I, was a fan, would want to be introduced to an artist.
What inspired your passionate and playful lyrics in "FRIENDS?" What was your songwriting process like?
I remember the day I wrote it well. I think during a bad part of covid in Manhattan, it was like 11 am. I had just smoked a joint. I went online to listen to beats and ended up in a wormhole of this one producer I really liked. I downloaded the "FRIENDS" beat and wrote that shit super quick. I was going fast because I was on such a good thread mentally. I was really in a flow state and didn't want to lose it. The song's meaning has been misinterpreted a handful of times. Normally I'd prefer to just let people find their own meaning of whatever works for them, but in this case, I wanna clear it up. The song is not about platonic friends. The song is about finding real friendship within love.
What was it like creating the instrumentals and production for "FRIENDS?" Did you work entirely solo on this process?
I actually did not create the instrumentals for FRIENDS. Fantom did, he's the guy who produced "Dancing in my Room" by 347Aidan, and he's really talented. My engineer and I did change the production a bit in the second verse when I say, "chill and laid back like this fuckin instrumental," and obviously did a little distortion at the end of the song, as you hear. As far as the writing of the song, that was all me, and as I said, it was written in one shot.
Should we expect to hear "FRIENDS" on your upcoming album 'MEANWHILE' this April? What theme or concept will you deliver this time around?
Yes, "FRIENDS" will be on 'MEANWHILE.' The concept behind 'MEANWHILE' is based on old movies when a narrator would finish one storyline and go "Meanwhile, in…." During the pandemic, I quit my job, recorded the album, and worked tirelessly on making it have a well-crafted story arc. It's like "while the rap game was moving one direction with a ton of quantity, meanwhile, this whole other movement focused on quality was happening that rappers from different generations with different styles got behind." You only get to release your debut album once, so I really made sure it is a masterpiece and studied the best albums of all time.
What's next for you?
I'm releasing the "FRIENDS" music video soon and then my album 'MEANWHILE.' On 'MEANWHILE' I worked with Raekwon and Jadakiss (Go listen to Shark Tank and Reservations if you haven't yet). One song I'm really excited about is a joint I did with one of my biggest idols, Big K.R.I.T. I saw Big K.R.I.T. open for Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y when I was like 15, and it was like time froze, and I knew I wanted to be and would be a rapper. And a number of other rappers I really respect are on the album as well.
Comments