Anyone who follows RockDafuqOut would know that I have a serious love for the Swedish scene. With my playlists jam packed with artists from the Scandinavian nation, it is almost every day that I stumble across a new sound to become obsessed with. Over the last year or so, multi-talented Electro-Pop mastermind Discrete has blown me away at nearly every turn. Having covered him on the site a number of times, it is almost guaranteed that I am going to love what he drops in my inbox. One of the most consistent artists in the game right now, he has shown no sign of letting up – and luckily for us, he has just released his debut 5-track EP, “EXPLORE“.
Having racked up over 65M streams to date, while in my opinion, somehow remaining somewhat under the radar, his latest offering is a jam packed project that appeals to the masses and brings a polish usually seen from seasoned veterans. His approach thus far seems to be incredibly authentic and at the same time he is always looking to push boundaries. Discrete says, “As an artist, I always aim for growth, and want to stay away from focusing on one particular genre. People have always told me to ‘find my sound’ which is something that I like to keep in mind. I like the thought of my audience not knowing what to expect when I release music.”
Having been pretty much obsessed with his tunes thus far, we thought it would be a great opportunity to ask him a few questions to share with our readers, so that we can all get to know the man behind the hits a bit more personally. Check out the EP below, add your favorites to your playlists and keep scrolling to check out the interview!
RDFO: Can you tell us a bit about the debut EP?
D: This EP came to mind after the making of the song “Trippin’ Bout You” last summer where I had made 3 “Discrete” songs and I felt the need to make something bigger than just one single. Working on something bigger than just a single and to be able to showcase the true sound of the DISCRETE project.
RDFO: How did it come together and how long did it take to get ready for release?
D: It all started in September last year and I made a lot of demos but I was also picky with which songs I really wanted to add to it and what not. We started releasing singles from the consisting EP before the full package actually was done so in some ways you could say that the EP got self conscious before actually getting released.
RDFO: Any features or collaborators you’d like to shout out?
D:I love every single one of the songs on the EP and I really love how each song really challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and try something different. This part of music is important for me and is something that I’ll hold on tight too with the Discrete project. I’m very excited to show you what I’m working on next.
RDFO: Personally I am a huge fan of the Swedish music market… With so many great acts from home, how do you find a way to cut through and make an impact and not get overlooked?
D: Don’t compare yourself to others and build your own way, the business part of music is almost equally important as the creative part of music. I don’t try to follow trends I just want to make good music.
RDFO: Up until this point, what has been the highlight of your career? Is it a certain collaboration? A moment from a live performance? An award?
D: One thing that was very crazy to see was how the music video for the very first song I made for the project blew up with 38 Million views on YouTube. Reading all the wonderful comments gave me motivation to keep the project constantly challenging me music wise.
RDFO: You have been able to rack up some really impressive numbers to date. What advice would you give other budding artists on how to get your music heard and reach wide audiences?
D: I think it’s really important to take the risk to invest in your own music. With marketing, good visuals etc. a lot of new artists think it’s just to put it out on Spotify and it’ll blow up by itself, but you have to invest in your brand and look at it from a business perspective too. Is it really worth investing all my money into making a music video right now or should we try to do something creative with a little less budget and also invest in branding and marketing?
RDFO: Outside of making music, what are your favorite hobbies?
D: I try to work out, hang out with friends and recently I’ve tried getting myself into more active sports.
RDFO: Your production is super polished… how long have you been producing for and what steps did you take to improve your skills? School? Tutorials?
D: I’ve been producing for almost 10 years now. I started out when I was 14 but I think I first saw an opportunity to make a living of it when I was 19. Since then I’ve tried to put in at least 8 hours of making music each day. No school I’ve just learnt from friends and YouTube tutorials!
RDFO: What other hometown artists are you a fan of and do you think more people abroad should have on their radar?
D: There is a lot of great music coming from Stockholm and I’ve heard that a lot of the collaborators from my earlier songs are ready to release their own music soon, which you should look out for!!
RDFO: What is your personal favorite track on the new project and why?
D: Every song on the EP has its own personal meaning for me, not necessarily bound at all to what you hear in the song but the memories made when creating it. For example when we made “Typo”. Sistek stayed in Stockholm for a couple of months and crashed at my couch which was amazing.
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