You're Beautiful: A Conversation With Hutty
What are the most important things you envision, a newfound listener of your songs, would take from them, both musically & lyrically?
A: I want a newfound listener to experience the unexpected. I want to provide them a sound they haven’t heard before, while making it feel like they have. Lyrically, my music is all about connecting to the ones that don’t feel okay, and providing a healthy outlet for them to stay happy and motivated in life.
Does the recurrent process of cultivating & developing your overall sound, ever reach a maturation point for you, or is it truly neverending & continuous?
A: It is truly never-ending. I believe the common theme of my music has remained consistent, with certain sounds and production methodology, but just like the brain, the way I express myself will always change as life provides me more and more experience, and ways to connect to my audience. I have never really been focused on trying to recreate my most popular songs.
Who are your major influences? Why?
I’m influenced by artists such as XXXTentacion, Mac Miller and Kanye West. I also take a lot of influence from Rock Music from the 60s and 70s.
Who is your all time dream collaborator? Why?
This has changed over time but at the moment I would have to say Steve Lacy. He’s doing a lot of what I want to do and his work is amazing. His work as a producer alone is awesome. I think we could make some crazy music.
What factors initially drew you into the style(s) of music, you're now most comfortable recording & releasing music in?
I’ve always liked to include guitar and other live instruments in my music because of my dad, who would play guitar every night when I was a kid. He was in a band, and I couldn’t let go of the thought of how cool that would be, when I was younger. My uncle was and is also in a band. Aside from that, I like recording vocals in the rap genre because I was obsessed with rap growing up, it was really the only genre I’d listen to. I started by free-styling with friends but would be relatively quiet, I would go home and write all night. When I started producing, I connected the two and I’ve been in love ever since.
Stream You're Beautiful Here
Describe your EP "You're Beautiful" in your own words. How did you come up with the title?
This 3 song EP discusses the struggles of drug and alcohol addiction. The series of songs goes in order by the cycle of addiction, where you feel depressed, you find a way to become under the influence, then you feel bad about your actions. There are several lyrical points about finding a way to get out of the slump and become motivated, as I do not want the message to be overall negative. “You’re Beautiful” is me directly telling those people that relate to this they have a lot to look forward to and they can be happy.
What is the meaningful inspiration behind how each of the three songs which comprise your EP all come together?
I’ve been practicing guitar for a few years and I wanted to make a project only using the acoustic guitar. I started by coming up with melodies on the guitar, humming vocals over them, and taking it to the studio afterwards.
What is the musical significance of the acoustic progressions which preside throughout the instrumentals for each of your 3 songs?
The musical significance was to not go about a specific key, but instead a feeling. I had no reference frame of where to start, and developed the melody’s based on how I was truly feeling, and the emotion was relayed into the guitar. All the tracks consist of an electronic element for the same reason. I could sense that aspect in each, so I made that addition. That is the beauty of the creative freedom in making music.
How do you take all that's contained within your work, and bring it to life, when performing live for an audience.
Since live instruments are a key piece in the EP, I have a band with me to perform these songs. The live instruments bring about the rawness to an audience, and I can see people want more and more of this in today's generation. I sing about it differently Live, using more aggression in my vocal expression. These live elements translate well with the audience, I believe.
What is a song you wished you’d written/recorded? What is it you find special about this particular song?
Something like Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. We are definitely not the same artist, but the creativity in this piece of art is amazing. How every beat is different than the last, but it all comes together to a cohesive composition. The relentlessness to add a choir section as a solo brings the listener through a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s all amazing and my goal is to make a beautifully complex song such as this.
What are your thoughts in regards to the songwriting side of the creation process?
Songwriting is something that definitely takes me longer than the production side of things. It is because, in most cases, I take it as writing a book. Where there has got to be some purpose, some metaphorical mindfuck element, and an eventual climatic point. For this reason, I love it. When the lyrics translate well, there is no better feeling.
How do you tackle the respective sensitive topics of Addiction & Depression, both as an artist and as a songwriter?
I have personal experiences with said topic. With family members, with friends, and with myself. I’ve been in treatment and it was the most eye opening experience to date. I’ve had many friends die from drugs. I tackle it by expressing how it truly affects me. I want to express the good, but also I have to express the bad. Because it is real and raw, and I want people to connect with me, and trust me first. I don’t think it’s right to claim a simple solution to drug addiction and alcoholism. The proper way is to take a step back, look at your situation, and have motivation to make it out. That motivational part is the toughest and I want to express the way I’ve been motivated, which is by developing a hobby and a love for something bigger than myself. Music is interesting where the listener is taken on a psychedelic journey through someone else’s mind, and it really impacts you. So much can be a result of music. Today's generation is far too focused on violence, drugs, and only caring for oneself in music. I think it could be a huge help for the community if rap music transitioned into something therapeutic. Still fun, but for the people.
What aspects of your production work hold the greatest significance for you as an artist? How do you communicate these aspects with your listeners & fans?
What holds the greatest significance to me is live instruments. While my released music has been a mix of many genres, this element has remained consistent. My popular songs such as Body Low and Toxic Minds take this to an extreme, and this has resonated well with the general population. This also goes to say that the electronic elements included in my production have resonated well. I communicate with fans by trying to keep social media updated, with me playing instruments, and keeping my feed full of musical stuff.
What are your thoughts & aspirations, with respect to the music management & business side of the music industry?
Management isn’t necessarily my thing. That’s for my man, Cole Cunningham. I’ve started a label, Rinse Records, which I’ve had since I released my first song. Every song I’ve released has been independent and under Rinse. My goal is to keep it this way and grow Rinse to be a great, respectable name.
What is the single most important takeaway you would like your listeners to bring home with them, from listening to your music?
It is okay to not be okay.
What are your thoughts on digital interactions (Social Media), between yourself as an artist & your fans?
It's definitely something that’s taken me time to get used to but I love it. I grew up making YouTube videos as a kid, and a big part of the Rinse brand is to develop cool content for fans. I think they are essential for every artist and there’s a way to do it well and also terribly.
If you were not a musician, what do you envision you’d be doing instead?
I graduated as a mechanical engineer, so probably that.
How are you planning to approach & conceptualize the respective music videos for your songs?
I released a music video for my song, “The Rain”, which is a high energy visual. I like to have fun in the videos and relay a good time, cuz that’s what it’s all about.
What are you most looking forward to for 2023?
2023 is going to be a big year for Hutty. Rinse Tapes is an all house project produced by Hutty that is the works. I’m also planning out my debut album, in which I’m already playing some of the songs live at shows. Rinse Gang, which I am the singer of, is an alternative genre of rock music, and we’re also in the process of making a song. I’m going about live shows a bit differently this year, with more focus on the house elements and DJing, while also rapping, but the goal is to get in this scene and make a name for Hutty the Kid!
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