Today, homegrown rapper Axel Brizzy unveils his new single 'Thursday', featuring the honey-voiced chanteuse Marian Carmel. The R&B-facing track is ethereal in its upward glide towards the simplest and most complex sentiment of the human condition: Love.
Hear65 speaks to Axel about how it all came to be and what it implies for the music he will make in time to come.
Hey Axel, thanks for your time. What’s kept you busy lately?
Hey Indran, thanks for having me. Lately, I’ve really been focused on school but thankfully, it’s finally my holidays so it’s back to the studio, doing shows and writing more. Besides that, I’ve been working on a bunch of new tracks and experimenting with different styles with the man, Jason Gelchen.
Congrats on 'Thursday'. What was your vision for the track?
Thank you! Big ups to my man, HAEMOND, for producing the beat. It all started with me wanting to explore and doing a track that’s outside of my comfort zone, something that’s really different from my usual repertoire. We started from that beat alone before we moved on to the concept and whom to bring on board.
What’s the personal significance of Thursday to you? What’s the background story behind the song?
During the writing process with Marian, both of us were tossing ideas around and thinking out loud with phrases and words that we use. However, we couldn’t think of anything so we went a step further by sharing our personal love lives and experiences. Marian looked through her old love letters and I went through old saved messages and we realised that both of us happened to meet our partners (my ex now) on Thursday. It was crazy how coincidental it was so we decided to use that as the concept.
And what made you want to collaborate with Marian Carmel on the song?
When we first met, I realised that both of us had a lot in common. From our ages to our love for writing and so on. When HAEMOND and I were looking for a female singer to get on the track, right off the bat, I knew I wanted a singer who can write and appreciate the process as much as I do. The first person I thought of was Marian – that’s when I knew I had to reach out.
How would you describe your chemistry with Marian on the track?
I feel that we both worked well together during the creative process. From finding the right melodies to the right lyrics to fit in the track, it all came pretty naturally for us and before we knew it, we had a whole new song before us.
'Thursday', which is a love song, is definitely a change from your more aggressive style. What inspired the different direction?
My drive to try out new things definitely played the biggest part, but to a large extent, I would say Childish Gambino inspired me to not only experiment but to not categorise or box myself up. Also, I haven’t written a proper love song yet besides my previous single 'All You Need' so I thought it was a good time to switch things up.
Will you be singing more in the future? Which do you prefer more, rapping or singing?
Definitely. It’s still so new to me but I’ve always wanted to since I was young. What better time than now? I prefer rapping, for sure, because it’s really what kickstarted me with music and got me attached emotionally but with singing, it’s a new territory, which also means if I do it well and surpass my own expectations, it’s way more rewarding.
Will 'Thursday' be part of a larger collection of songs, such as an EP or album?
Unfortunately, 'Thursday' will stay as a standalone single. But I’m still constantly working and creating new music so stay tuned. 'Thursday' is definitely a precursor to new sounds that I’m experimenting with.
Lastly, what would you say is the best rap song of 2018, and why??
Damn, this is a real hard one with all the good music out so far. Personally, I really dig Andy Mineo’s “I Ain’t Done”. The story behind the track and how it came about literally gave me goosebumps when I heard it for the first time. It was mad inspiring.
