A rising star in his own significant lane, we touched base with upcoming music prodigy Hearts<3 to get a more in-depth view on his California upbringing, the inspiration and artistic vision behind the exciting release of his new single "Germs", and a more clear understanding on his shared project "The Factoury"!
Hey Hearts <3, care to tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m a 20 year old artist out of Los Angeles, originally born in OC. I started out making clothes in LA and somehow found my way into making music. Music has been a part of my life from the jump though, as I've always enjoyed performing, playing the guitar, and singing. It felt natural to make the move.
Did your OC upbringing influence you to pursue music?
In my case, quite the opposite. I found myself in a band at a young age, but later got some negative reactions from some of the kids at school when I would play guitar and sing. That always stuck around in the back of my head, but I’m glad I ended up making it work.
You fuse together Hip Hop and Rock to create your own personal sound that we know and love. Who are some of your musical influences?
Rock was always more natural for me to feel a part of. The suburban lifestyle of OC made me feel more of the emotions and stories behind a lot rock music. Paramore, Pierce The Veil, and a bunch of other emo bands were really influential.
Growing up skateboarding though, a lot of the older homies put me on to hip hop. Ironically being a west coast kid, the first artist that really caught my attention was Biggie. My homies mom once bought me a Biggie CD collection for my birthday, and I listened to those most nights. Lil Wayne was another huge influence for me, and when he introduced rock to his already insane style, it really opened my eyes to what I could create.
Tell us more about the inspiration behind your new single, "GERMS"?
To start off, a “germ” is another way of calling someone a lame. So, you know, I don't fuck with germs. From there, it's self explanatory.
During production, did your lyrics come first or the guitar additions? Which one comes to you easier?
My producer Luke Wild came through with a piano loop, and it instantly caught my ear. I had him throw some guitar over it to fit my sound. I hopped on the mic, free-styled the hook, and that first take became what you hear on the track.
Can you give us a little insight to The Factoury?
The Factoury is where I make music every day. It originally started off as Jesse’s (Jesse Rutherford of The Neighbourhood) personal brand, and he developed a studio for us to come together and have therapy sessions, whether thats making music or just talking things through.
What are some of the contributions from the people on the team at The Factoury? What role do you play?
Jesse (@jesserutherford) is the bossman. He’s the superstar dad at the Factoury. He gave me a chance with this music thing and i’ll always be thankful for that.
Beef (@viabeef) is a legend. He is the best DJ in LA and knows how to write a damn good song.
Danny Parlay (@dannyparlay) is our engineer. He’s incredible. He’s also a great producer and songwriter.
Alex Mcdonell (@alexandergmcdonell) is our in house photographer. He’s the one who takes all the photos you see.
As for me, I’m the young gun making hits, writing songs, and working every day. Trying to help in any which way I can and make the team proud
What keeps you going in this music industry?
My love for music will always come first. The bags I'm chasing will come if I just keep doing what i’m doing.
What can we expect from you this year with your music? Do you have any upcoming releases or performances?
I have a song coming out on Valentine’s Day called “I Wish That You Were Coming Home” that will have a visual attached. A bunch of more music after that. There’s a lot of exciting things in the works right now. You’ll just have to wait and see.
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