A Chat with Yellowlees (28.04.20)
Described by This Is Noise as “instantly likeable”, Pete Rapp (also known as Yellowlees) is taking the indie scene by storm. Previously performing as Pedro, Rapp decided to make a change in 2018 adopting his new persona. We took a moment to chat with him about his latest single ‘Eliza’, being a DIY artist and future plans.
OSR: Many people choose a stage name when starting projects. What made you decide on the pseudonym Yellowlees?
Y: To be honest, I think I initially went with a stage name so that I stood out a little bit. There are endless singer-songwriters around, especially white boys with guitars like me, plenty of whom are great, but I didn’t want your average listener to write me off subconsciously as “just another one like everybody else”. It’s a difficult balance, but something as subtle as using a different name could be the difference between someone giving your stuff a first listen and them ignoring you. As for the roots of ‘Yellowlees’, it’s my mother’s maiden name and that seemed like a perfect fit for me as an artist.
OSR: Did you always want to be a musician or were there other career ideas? Perhaps you wanted to be an astronaut?
Y: Music has always been up there. The only “proper” job I ever thought about was journalism, but that disappeared pretty quickly. I studied drama at uni and that’s constantly competing with my music as, like, the dream! If I’m spending time making music and/or theatre, I am a happy bloke.
OSR: What can you tell us about your latest single ‘Eliza’?
Y: ‘Eliza’ is a song I’m really proud of. I think it blends my background as an acoustic act with pop-based production really well and it’s got one hell of a hook. It’s all about wanting somebody who just isn’t good for you – that classic “head says no but heart says yes” thing. If you’ve ever felt unable to quit somebody no matter how much hurt has been caused, then I’m sure you can relate to it! It’s pretty chilled out but has plenty of energy and lush instrumentation to dive into. Lovely summery stuff.
OSR: If you had to describe ‘Eliza’ in one sentence, what would the sentence be?
Y: A catchy as hell ode to how difficult it can be to love someone.
OSR: Was creating ‘Eliza’ a simple process or did it take a long time with lots of revisions?
Y: It took me a while to finish writing the song. An early version of the chorus existed back in May or June 2019 and I couldn’t find the path to finishing the tune for a long while. The chorus always stuck around though and then, while I was randomly noodling away just after Christmas 2019, I suddenly stumbled upon the second verse. Once I had those rapid-fire lyrics down I hurriedly set to work on the rest of the song!
Production-wise, things really did take a while simply because I didn’t want to overwhelm the song with too much flashy instrumentation. There’s a lot going on, but we managed to get all the cogs working well together with subtle changes and updates to parts throughout the song; that way, the focus stays on the hook and tight groove. I’m so glad we took our time though because I think the finished product fits together perfectly.
OSR: Can we expect a music video for ‘Eliza’ in the future?
Y: I would love to make a music video for the song, especially as it really tells a story, but I don’t have any immediate plans. Global pandemic aside, once I have the time and money and a concept I like I’ll crack on with making plenty of videos.
OSR: What do you think is the most important consideration to make before becoming a musician?
Y: Don’t do it for fame, make sure you do it for the love of doing it. Unless you’re very lucky you’re probably not going to be a superstar. It’s brutal, but that really is how it is. If you’re happy just making music then you’ll never go far wrong. Follow what makes you happy and not what makes you famous.
OSR: You adopt a true DIY approach to production and promotion. What would you say are the benefits of a DIY approach?
Y: I love the creative control I have. It can be really stressful working as a one-man team, believe me, but you never have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. You rely only on yourself so everything’s under your control.
OSR: What about the pitfalls?
Y: Oh man, there are so many! Finances, time management, making contacts, looking after your mental health – it’s all difficult. Nothing worth doing is ever easy though; you’ve got to put the work in. The good days really do make the hard work feel worth it even if they come and go.
OSR: What do you want to achieve in your music career?
Y: That’s a big question! There are a few places I’d absolutely love to play. To get a slot at Barn on the Farm Festival would blow my tiny mind! It’s my favourite festival by miles and I’ve been there heaps. Then there’s the bigger stuff like Glastonbury, playing a show in the USA or playing shows in different countries. I’ll try and think about achievable goals!!
If I could head out on a headline tour one day that would floor me. If I could hold one of my records in my hand that would be amazing too! Honestly, whenever people tell me they like my songs, that it made a difference to them, that feels like a massive achievement to me. I just want to make a difference to people and connect with them.
OSR: You’ve been releasing singles and EPs since 2018 as Yellowlees. What is your favourite Yellowlees track to date?
Y: Argh, that’s like asking me to choose my favourite child! It’s so difficult! I think in terms of sound, ‘Heading West’ really represented a step forward for me stylistically and production-wise which was a big achievement. ‘Brother’ from my Homemade EP is a song that means heaps to me lyrically and always cuts to my core. I think ‘Heading West’ is my favourite at the moment, but there’s stiff competition and it changes ALL THE TIME.
OSR: If you were a superhero what would you want as superpowers?
Y: I think about this more than I probably should. For a while, I was all about time travel, but I think there’s just too much scope for messing up the entire world if you try and correct anything. Maybe freezing time? Nah, I’ll go with teleportation – that would be awesome!
OSR: If you could meet any celebrity, who would it be and why?
Y: That’s so difficult! I’ll go for non-music people because otherwise, we’d all be here for ages. For someone who’s still alive, I think I’d want to meet Barack Obama to get his uncensored thoughts on all he’s done and the state of the world nowadays; it would be so interesting. As for anybody dead or alive, I’d go for Robin Williams because he’s a total legend and a massive hero of mine.
OSR: What can we expect from Yellowlees in 2020 and beyond?
Y: Well, there were quite a few plans for live gigs, but they’ve been put on hold in a big way thanks to the coronavirus. I’m hoping to release plenty more music this year, probably a single or two more and maybe an EP. Let’s see how things go.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Y: Try to be kind. Everyone messes up from time to time, but as long as you’re trying to do right by others you’re fine. So, just always try to be kind wherever you can, especially while the world is such a scary place!
Thanks to Pete for the chat! To engage with him and enjoy Yellowlees check them out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
