A Chat with Qwiet Type (27.05.20)
Qwiet Type is a solo artist, songwriter and producer of his own music. While his genre has been tough to describe with his music as a whole, his songs display a fusion of indie, alternative, pop, synthpop, electronica and new wave. We had to chance to chat with Qwiet Type (QT) about his single ‘Little Ol’ Me’, future plans and singing in the shower.
OSR: How did you get into the music industry and why did you choose to become a musician?
QT: My first performance was in the first grade when I played a single snare drum in the school talent show. Even though my nose started bleeding mid-performance, I must have been hooked because I’ve been performing and playing music ever since. I was always the drummer in bands, but starting Qwiet Type was finally the secret weapon to get me from behind the drums and to the front of the stage with 100% artistic control.
OSR: Can you tell us about your single ‘Little Ol’ Me’?
QT: Well, most assume I wrote it about our current pandemic situation, but I wrote this song about a year ago. The release just happened to align pretty nicely as it turned out to be a song some people needed and appreciated at this time.
OSR: Does the track have any significant meaning?
QT: I’ve just always believed in the story this song is about. If you don’t worry about the entire world and just focus on your own little world it’s much easier to achieve happiness. Also, if everyone did that I believe the whole world would actually be a better place.
OSR: I’ve listened to all of your tracks from ‘Window’ to ‘Little Ol’ Me’. Do you think your sound has evolved in the past year?
QT: I do. I was surprised by the amount of listeners and positive feedback I was receiving so I thought, “people are actually listening to my music, I better start focusing a lot more on the quality of my releases”. So the production quality became a very passionate part of the process after the core of the song was written. I have a fantastic producer now, Taylor Franklyn out of Nashville, that I needed to take it to that radio-ready level.
OSR: Is there a specific theme to your songs or do they differ drastically?
QT: Well, one of the most common feedback comments I receive is how my songs differ so much from each other. Multiple genres will be heard in my first album and a fusion of genres within the songs. Not sure why, it just happens naturally. I believe it’s because of my love of all genres of music. I guess the one theme that seems to stick around would be self-triumph.
OSR: What is your favourite part of being an independent artist?
QT: At this point I’d say it’s just a relaxing process; not feeling rushed to do anything, but just doing things when it feels right. Kind of like being your own boss, you know you have to get the job done but it’s on your terms.
OSR: What challenges have you had to face as an independent artist?
QT: I’d say it’s getting your music pushed through to people who you’d love to take a listen is a bit harder without the big boys backing you, but it’s also a fun challenge that I enjoy.
OSR: If you could learn to play another instrument, what would it be and why?
QT: I’m currently focused on learning more piano, so until I feel I’m ready I don’t even want to think about another instrument right now. Ok, ok, if I had to choose it would be saxophone! It would be so fun to unleash a nasty sax solo on stage!
OSR: Which was more difficult when producing ‘Little Ol’ Me’ – the writing or recording?
QT: ‘Little Ol’ Me’ came out of me pretty effortlessly actually. It started when I bought a new djembe and I just had to have a song with that African/worldy vibe. I started thinking about the world, my believes and just started writing. The recording process was a blast because I took this song to a Nashville studio and hired incredible musicians to play on this song, including Grammy winning horn players.
OSR: If you could meet any non-musician celebrity, who would it be and why?
QT: I can’t think of one. I’ll come back to this one… Ok, still nothing. You got me with that ‘non-musician’ part! *laughs*
OSR: Do you ever sing in the shower? If yes, what songs?
QT: I do, but it’s usually just gibberish. That’s one of my favourite places to try and come up with new vocal harmonies.
OSR: What advice do you have for any new musicians?
QT: Be you, don’t try to be what you think people want you to be. People are very sensitive to noticing true genuine talent and you will never perform better than being yourself rather than acting. I worried about crossing genres but hey, that’s me, and that now gets great praise.
OSR: What can we expect from Qwiet Type in the future?
QT: Full album being released soon. Also, a full live stream concert with amazing production and sound quality coming soon (check out my social media for updates). Then, hopefully, playing live when all this Covid stuff is behind us!
Thanks to Qwiet Type for chatting with us! You can find more about him on his official website, Facebook and Instagram.
Check out our review of Qwiet Type’s single ‘We Gotta Move’ here!
