It was after years of touring in America, that Bosley’s career had run into a blind alley. Being personally and emotionally at a dead end, the straw that broke the camel’s back came from Bosley being at his wit's end. Forced to start over again, he traveled Europe for 18 months where he would come to once again be that guy with a guitar, but this time; he wouldn’t be corralling his listeners and lyrics into convenient fiction. This is where Bosley’s most recent single, “Hey, Hey Ramona,” comes to grace our souls as we take in the close-to-heart record from the depths of his personal experiences. The sparse musical elements in the instrumentation allow us to focus on the soothing timbres of Bosley that cast raspy motifs into the dark essence of this single.
Through a myriad of acoustic guitar strums and the delicate, yet timely percussion patterns, there’s a descriptive layer of croons that harmonize in a united fashion in order to pull us into a warm embrace of authenticity. Produced by Grammy award-winning production architect Harry Zelnick, there is a vulnerability that lies within the therapeutic foundation emerging before us. “Hey, Hey Ramona,” takes us through a personal and mesmerizing offering that Bosley now incorporates into his music.
Navigating through the abundant dimensions overflowing into our speakers, what we have to take in, in the aftermath of life’s distractions drawing Bosley to where he needs to be. There’s a grippingly raw beauty that transpires from that. Rooted in dreams, and with hopes that it will make its way into yours, “Hey, Hey Ramona,” has Bosley proving to us that it’s never too late to start over.
Welcome to BuzzMusic Bosley, and congratulations on your return to the music industry, Bosley. Taking in “Hey, Hey Ramona,” was a remarkable experience knowing what you went through to get to this release point. How does this record stand out from music that you’ve previously released?
Thanks! Well, there's a pretty drastic shift in tone and emotional tenor on the new album in comparison to my last album Unreal Fire, for example. In a way, I suppose I've put away my need to imitate others. Before I really wanted to make music that sounded like the music I loved smashed together. But the feeling of my new album, Waves, is much more mellow, deeper, and more personal. I honestly never thought that these songs would be heard. So I wasn't trying to impress anyone or write them for a specific audience. They were for me. Hey, Hey Ramona typifies the shift back towards writing about my own inner life.
What does your new sound say about you? In your own words, could you please take us into the inspiration that brought “Hey, Hey Ramona,” to fruition?
To me, it's not a new sound, but rather rediscovering a younger version of myself. I began as a folk songwriter sort of. I played coffee shops and restaurants in Baltimore for a few years and wrote melancholic songs. But then I wrote one pop song and it went viral, and afterward, I let that quieter stuff go. I didn't think it had a place in Pop music, or the power to get people's attention. I was bored with whining about my emotions. I decided I just wanted to make people dance, and so I took my band, and I did that for 3 albums. A few years ago I quit the whole thing and did some traveling on my own for 6 months in Europe and Morocco. Suddenly, I was just a guy with a guitar again. I ended up going through a year-long depression and was forced to confront some of those old feelings I thought I had left behind. I realized I had been running away from that melancholy part of myself in a way. "Hey, Hey Ramona" is about that feeling of running away, stealing off into the night without telling anyone. It felt healing to get into touch with that version of myself again. It's like I'm taking myself back to that place and putting an arm around that younger version of myself and saying, 'It's OK. You're alright. You can come along for the ride too.' Now I'm armed with all my experience as a Pop writer and producer from the last 10 years and can bring that to the vital and authentic emotions that I've channeled on the new album.
We love the dynamic between yourself and Harry Zelnick! Could you please share a bit about your experience working with him? How did this collaboration come to be?
I lived in South Philadelphia for a couple of years and was introduced to Harry through some friends. He was already a really well-established Pop and Hip Hop producer having worked with Kelly Clarkson and Ludacris and a host of other big artists. He liked my songwriting enough to introduce me to people in the scene around Philly (I remember an especially smoky introduction with Dice Raw.) One of those intros was to Rick Frederick and Chuck Treece who were laying down the best drum sounds I had ever heard on a record for Barney Cortez. It took us a few years to work together though. I had these two songs demoed Ramona and Easy Feeling. When it came time, I sent them to him and asked if he could produce some sessions for me at Rick's. The best anecdote about me and Harry actually happened in the very first session while we were recording 'Hey Hey Ramona'. We had laid down the basic tracks and it was already sounding so inspiring. The energy and vibes in the room were insane. It felt like that moment before a thunderstorm in the summertime, like some impending electric potential. I've always produced my own records, and I was feeling super excited and inspired. I stood up and started saying, 'Alright, what's next? What should we do? Let's get some guitars...' Harry stops me cold and said, 'Yo. Sit down.' I was shocked. I sat. I realized I was not in control. Harry was the producer, not me. And then the magical thing happened: I relaxed. At that moment, I got to know how it feels to just be an artist. I didn't have to wear all the hats anymore. I didn't have to control or coerce the flow. I was just enjoying the ride. I'm still grateful to Harry for that moment.
What has been the best piece of advice that you’ve received throughout your artistic journey this far?
If you want to work on your art, work on your Life. It's progress, not perfection, process not product. But don't be fooled. I like to sound and look good, but mostly I disregard everyone's good advice until circumstances become so painful that I have to take it. The wisdom of the ages says that 'Worry is Preposterous'. I like that.
What's next for you?
I'm very happy to share that I'm becoming a father in a few weeks. This is the most exciting and inspiring new thing in my life. I hope that it influences me to write even more music and create new universes. Besides that, I am releasing the full-length album, Waves (when is still TBD) in the next while. Also, somehow, my catchy single, from last year "Are We Giving Up?" landed in the top 100 songs on an Austrian Radio Station. So I have plans to tour in Europe next year to promote the new music.