The Manitoba-based musician, singer-songwriter, producer, and public speaker John Wiebe pairs up with rapper Enkay47 for their relatable and emotional release, "Crazy (feat. Enkay47)."
Despite being born with one vocal cord, John Wiebe continues to defy all odds while acting as an inspiration to those told they couldn't. With vocal stylings that resemble a blend of The Calling and Lifehouse, John Wiebe's alternative-pop sound and honest lyricism are destined to land him a loyal international fanbase.
Recently releasing his heartfelt single, "Crazy (feat. Enkay47)," John Wiebe opens his heart to listeners and holds their hands through life's trials and tribulations with his soothing instrumentals and warm vocals. When speaking upon the single, Wiebe had this to say, "A song that was written for those looking for an outlet from feeling crazy, outcast, and neglected by those who they love the most."
Taking a listen to "Crazy (feat. Enkay47)," the venture begins with a soft acoustic guitar and light mid-tempo drums. As John Wiebe enters the track with his soothing vocals, the instrumentation drops into an anthemic and emotional foot-tapper as he begins venting about a troubled relationship and its repetitive arguments.
This track is straight out of 00s alternative, as the instrumentals continue to groove with sonic emotion and tenderness with help from a bright electric guitar and crisp drum breaks. As Enkay47 begins rapping his verse, we can hear a similar raw and passionate vibe to MGK as he spits intense and ground-breaking bars like "They say there's plenty of fish in the sea, but I doubt it, I've gotta take a break from the water, cause I'm drowning."
If you're looking for a song to touch your mind, body, and soul, look no further, as John Wiebe's latest hit, "Crazy (feat. Enkay47)," will do just the trick. Find the single on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, John Wiebe. We highly appreciate the vulnerable and relatable themes you've touched on within your recent single, "Crazy (feat. Enkay47)." What compelled you to create such a raw and genuine single like this?
Hey! Great to be here. I'm so glad you enjoyed the song! I always write my music from a personal experience I've encountered or one that I've heard from someone I've come to know. Writing "Crazy" wasn't a particularly easy feat. I had gone through a pretty rough breakup & found myself losing my sense of self, believing lies about myself & slowly losing control of what I knew as truth. This song came from that tumultuous & difficult relationship. In the end, you always want things to work out but if you're sacrificing your mental & physical health for the benefit of other people & in the 'guise of being "happy" in a relationship, it's never going to work & will just leave you more broken & hurt than before you were together.
Why did you feel that "Crazy (feat. Enkay 47)" needed a rap verse, and what drew you to the stylings of Enkay47 to feature on your single?
Originally, I actually didn't. I had initially written a whole third verse of myself kind of 'concluding' the story of how I was feeling by attempting to rap/sing myself. I had gotten that take mixed & mastered, but just wasn't satisfied & honestly felt like something was missing. So, I decided that it was now or never! I hit up my buddy Nate & we got to work on the record. I had always wanted to work with him & have looked up to him for a while. I always wanted to work with him on a single but would never find the right time, the right sound, or the right song to feature him in. Luckily some positivity can come from heartbreak & he summed up the track in his verse in a way that I never could! His lyrical vulnerability not only on this track but on his own music is awe-inspiring & drew me to want to work with him even more. Might as well hit the nail on the head with even more lyrical vulnerability & rawness!
In terms of instrumentation, how did you create the sounds for "Crazy (feat. Enkay47)" to further enhance and amplify the song's reflective and emotional theme?
I went through multiple different kinds of instrumentation for this track. The vocal s& acoustic sample in this song was the first thing that was thrown into the production, followed by drums, strings & piano. As the production began, I realized the song needed more to bring it to life on an emotional impact. So what better than live drums? I was able to get in contact with Dan Konopka, the drummer of "OK Go" & he just brought something that basic software drums couldn't achieve. I was then introduced to David, my mixing engineer who added in the finer details like the electric guitar & all the other elements to bring this track even more of an emotional impact than I thought it already had. It allowed me to actually feel the lyrics & emotion even more & I hope everyone that gets the chance to take a listen to this track is able to feel as close as I did.
How do songs like "Crazy (feat. Enkay47)" inspire your audience? What did you want your listeners to reflect on or think over after listening to this piece?
I honestly hope that this song has the ability to inspire everyone that listens to it, the message that it's okay to be okay. Heartbreaks suck, getting hurt sucks. Feeling like you aren't good enough for someone is even more challenging, maybe that person was bold enough to say it right to their face how "difficult" they are to love. I hope when people listen to this song, that they don't feel so alone...And to know that there is hope & things get better as you heal from whoever or whatever hurt you in the past. The first step is accepting that what happened wasn't right, that you deserve better & that you aren't "crazy" for having emotions & feeling the weight of people's expectations on your life or their comments.
What would you like new listeners to know about you and your music?
Well, if you're a first-time listener...Welcome to my life through music! I've struggled with social anxiety since I was a kid & battled depression as well. Music has always been an escape for me ever since I was a kid, it allowed me to be in a safe space where I didn't feel so alone. This is why I started writing music as well, I want people who come across my music to have the same feeling I do. Feeling like they're heard & they aren't the only ones going through struggles, they aren't the only ones who battle & that they aren't alone. I hope you stay awhile, and even more so, stay alive. This last year has come with more tribulation than we could ever imagine, and we need each other (and music) more than ever before.