KNDRGRTN Talks ‘Sleeping With My Clothes On’ EP And Recording During Quarantine
“I’m very fortunate to be in the position where I work from home. It is a very tough time for the world, and every individual is being affected by it.”
![KNDRGRTN](https://www.maxim.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/kndrgrtn.jpg)
Presented by T1
On the heels of his first EP, Sleeping With My Clothes On, alternative artist KNDRGRTN looks forward to soon releasing a multi-part video series to accompany the project. Despite many of us required to quarantine at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, KNDRGRTN has still managed to keep working on his music. Fortunately for him, working from home isn’t challenging when it comes to creating music and content. We recently caught up with KNDRGRTN to talk about his creative process, his upcoming video series, the challenges he’s faced during the pandemic, and what he’s looking forward to in the future.
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Can you walk us through your creative process?
Recording and writing go hand and hand with each other for me. Most of the time I’m writing right in the studio with my producer or engineer, reflecting back on everything. Going through the notes on my phone or through my random notebooks grabbing ideas and melodies, compiling them all together into songs. I don’t have a specific formula for writing; most of the time I get an idea at the most random time and I throw it in a notebook or on my phone and hold onto until the times right. Once I’ve decided what I want to put out when it’s ready, I brainstorm my next moves and go from there.
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Can you tell us about the video project you’re currently working on and where the inspiration came from?
I’ve always loved the idea of animated videos paired with music. From the little edits people do online to full-blown animation music videos put out by other artists. Shortly following the release of my latest music video for the track “Old Folks Home” off the project, the idea came to me for the next to be animated. There are a lot less boundaries of how far you can take something when its animated. It’s a great way to communicate more of a “fantasy” or “dream-like state.” I’m very excited to share what I’ve been working on with everyone, and I feel like it will be a perfect addition to the project and listening/viewing experience.
Do you feel like the coronavirus pandemic has affected you as an artist? What are some things you’ve been doing to overcome the challenges of quarantine?
It definitely has. I’m very fortunate to be in the position I am in, where I work from home a majority of the time. It is a very tough time for the world, and every individual is being affected by it. For myself, I’ve really emphasized acceptance of what’s going on and aimed to be as optimistic as I can and help others. Personally, I thought at first it took away from my creativity in the sense of gaining more experiences to draw influence from. As time passed, I realized this in itself is an experience, and one that has given me so much to write about and so much to draw influence from. The main things that have been helping me are communication with friends and family, diving further into music, and maintaining a healthy amount of time away from the Internet.
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Can you tell us where the idea came from for the title Sleeping With My Clothes On?
It’s a metaphor for the lifestyle of a lot of artists and people who are constantly on the move. From working to traveling, partying to recording, etc. A lot of people, including myself, don’t stop moving from one place to another. When you finally end up back at home or wherever you spend the night that night, you crash with your jeans still on until the next morning, when you repeat the process over and over again.
Beyond making music, you seem very into fashion and art. What do you see yourself getting into in the future besides making more music?
I’ve recently been diving into films. Obsessing over acting, cinematography, and everything in-between that makes a good movie or show. I also paint and recently was a part of a gallery show overseas. I’m into a lot of different things, and I want to try and experience all of them.
To keep up with KNDRGRTN, follow him on Instagram or visit his website.