Q: ‘Life’ is such a well written song! Can you tell us the story behind how ‘Life’ came to be?
MASUNO: First off, thank you! Life is actually a song I wrote and produced in my bedroom in Barcelona while I was quarantining because of a positive COVID test. It was in early September, 2020 so it was really good weather outside and it’s a time when everyone comes back to the city so I was really bummed to be stuck at home. That got me thinking about wanting to be outside in the sun or at the beach enjoying good company and really living to the fullest whenever possible! I also felt a lot of nostalgia about times before the pandemic that were more free and I reflected a lot about my time during the big lockdown that started in March, 2020 which had me, like many others feeling really disconnected from everyone which led to the inspiration for the beginning of the first verse “In my room for three weeks straight, don’t know if I relate to the human race”.
Q: ‘Life’ is also your first music video! What was one of your favorite moments during the filming process?
MASUNO: Life actually came together in large part due to my friend Pablo Rosano who suggested we do a video for the song after I showed it to him at his house. We came up with the main ideas for how we wanted the video to look and feel and Pablo ended up directing the video! We filmed the whole thing during a weekend at the end of March, 2021 with our cameraman, Dario and some other friends that helped out! It’s hard to choose a favorite moment because we had a great time going to all our different filming locations around the city over the weekend but, if I had to choose, it was probably when we jumped the fence to film on the baseball field in Montjuïc because we got some really dope shots and it was just really funny to around that huge empty field while talking through walkie talkie to Pablo and Dario who were filming from the other side.
Q: How do you feel living in Barcelona has influenced you and your music?
MASUNO: Barcelona is a part of who I am as a person and, by extension, as an artist so my sound, style, aesthetic, world view just wouldn’t be the same without it! I love Barcelona with all my heart because it’s my home, somewhere I can always go back to, where I have my family as well as my chosen family who are my friends. For me, Barcelona isn’t just a place but the sum of all the experiences, growth, and people that I’ve met throughout my life here. So it’s safe to say that the influence that this city has had on me is essential to understanding who I am as a person and artist.
Q: If you could collaborate with any other artist, who would you choose?
MASUNO: That’s a really tough question because it’s easy to say big names like Kendrick Lamar or Tyler, the Creator, who I really look up to but, I’ve always been really into artists that are growing and aren’t super well known yet despite making amazing music that really bends genres and makes you feel some sort of way. So, in that respect I would say I’d love to collaborate with Ralphie Choo or Danny Schiller, among many others because they’ve been my two favorite artists this past year and they’ve had a big influence on the new music that I’ve been working on throughout 2021. On one side, Ralphie is an amazing producer and just blows my mind with how unique his sound and musical universe is. On the other side, Danny’s music is very relatable to me because I have a similar background to him but he manages to express himself and his experience’s through his music in a way that just hits different honestly. Definitely check them both out!
Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of music?
MASUNO: Honestly, I’m a huge fan of anime and manga so if I ever have free time that I’m not spending on music, my go-to activity is watching new episodes of my favorite anime, starting a new one, or catching up on manga chapters. Some of my favorites lately, in no particular order, would be Tokyo Revengers, One Piece, Solo Levelling, and One Punch Man, to name a few.
Q: What’s coming next in your musical journey?
MASUNO: Lots of new music! I just finished my first EP a few weeks ago so I’m planning on dropping at least a couple singles in the first half of 2022 and hopefully not long after, the EP as well as some collabs with other artists that are in the works that I either produced or feature in. I also just moved to New York! I’ll be finishing my university studies over the next 6 months here before I go back to Barcelona so I’m definitely gonna try to work with as many artists, producers, and musicians out here as I can! I’m honestly super excited to share everything I’ve bee working on over the past year and a half with Life being just the tip of the iceberg so plenty of stuff to look forward to! 🙂
Interviewed by Kaitlyn Westerman
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