“Crashing Down” is the fourth single from singer-songwriter and producer foryu’s upcoming self-produced album. It is also one of her favorite creations to date. “Crashing Down” is an “I see you” to anyone who has ever been emotionally abused and had their world fall apart. We had the pleasure of interviewing foryu, and here’s what she had to say:
Q: How long have you been making music and how did you get into it?
FORYU: I’ve been making music/playing music since my early childhood. I played clarinet for 4+ years and was pretty obsessed with musical theater. I remember having the dream of being on Broadway but eventually, that faded as time passed, but the love of singing and songwriting was always there.
It wasn’t until 2015 that I had the deep realization that I was meant to pursue music. Prior to that, I was working in the music industry more on the business side as a blog editor and artist manager. I have always had the ability to curate music but never thought of myself as someone who “could” create it, nor thought I was “good enough”. Those limiting beliefs kept me pursuing the safe path until eventually, I just woke up and chose to go for it. I first started out with singing and songwriting and worked on music with some friends at the time. Production was something I never thought I would get into, but in 2016, a friend gave me their second license to Ableton and I’ve been hooked ever since.
Q: What do you enjoy most about being a musician and what do you think is a not-so-great aspect about it?
FORYU: For me, being able to translate my personal experiences into relatable pieces of art is so rewarding. Knowing that, although my experiences are unique to me, I can take something so unique and give others the ability to feel heard and seen. Plus, there’s something so intoxicating about the creative process that I can’t really explain, it’s magical.
On the other side, well, with our attention spans shortening and our addictive need to have everything at the tips of our fingers, it can be really exhausting trying to keep up with the world. This instant-gratification culture has put an unnecessary amount of pressure on artists to serve their fans’ wants and desires, but that takes away the beauty of creating for the self. I grew up in the early 90s and lived through the CD/disc-walkman era where it was the norm to spend weeks saving up for a CD, and that’s the only thing I’d listen to for months. I truly miss that type of excitement for music and the exhilarating feeling I’d get when I’d put a CD on and hit play. With streaming, it makes the music feel oversaturated and can feel devaluing for artists who spend months and years on our art only to be discarded after a few weeks. I am truly grateful for the accessibility we have now, but I miss some elements of music that seem to be fading as culture and generations evolve. I remain hopeful and nostalgic!
Q: Hmm. Thanks for that honest answer-I get what you’re saying! In what way(s), do you think your sound has evolved since the beginning of your career?
FORYU: It is pretty night and day for me. I originally started my project under the alias, Lolaby (pronounced lullaby) and was vocally not capable of doing certain things that I can do now. Sonically, I gravitated towards futuristic, jazzy, and electronic sounds with a heavy focus on storytelling. I have taken the last 8 years to listen, learn, replicate, and create to get to where I am now. Learning how to produce catapulted my singing in ways I didn’t know could happen. I find that my sound now feels more authentic to who I am, who I am becoming, and who I am influenced by. Now, I feel as though my sound exists in an ethereal realm full of electronic elements, multi-genre fusions, experimentation, and captivating, melodic storytelling.
Q: Can you walk us through the creative and production process for “crashing down”?
FORYU: Back when I was still living in LA, I had a lockout studio I shared with some friends. I wrote this on a random Friday night after work after eating some tacos from Andy’s Tacos in NoHo. I sat down and started playing around with some sounds and put together an interesting arp pattern and the drums. I immediately hopped on the mic and put together the melodies and wrote the song right then and there. This one was the fastest to come together and the quickest one to finish because it was effortless in many ways. All in all, I produced, wrote, and sang the demo in 2 hours! This is what I mean by the intoxication of the creative process. When you have experiences like this, it makes it so much more worthwhile, especially during seasons of stagnation.
Q: What would you like listeners to take away from this song?
FORYU: I often think of an image of a bruised apple at the grocery store when I think of this song. How often have you looked at an apple, and felt its hardness followed by that gross, mushy sensation of your finger pressing into its bruise? Do you put it back down and turn it away so only the nice part is showing? Well, this is my way of reflecting how the damage abuse can make someone feel; a false exterior that shows a shininess or strength, yet a vulnerable and corroded core. Through my own experience with emotional abuse, I have crashed down multiple times and still find a way to move forward and not let it harden me as a person. Life can be unfair and unkind to some of the most loving people and rewarding to those who have caused harm. No matter what, it’s in the act of self-love that we can pick ourselves back up and keep going. Sometimes the house has to burn down for us to build a stronger house we can feel safe in.
Q: Hmm. Thanks for that wonderful insight into “Crashing Down”! What’s your favorite genre for creating songs? Which do you think allows you to express yourself in a way that most matches your personality?
FORYU: You know, I don’t really have an obvious answer to this question. For me, I feel as though specific sounds paired with certain chord progressions are what tickle my creative brain the most. I am not one of those people that can hear the song before it’s done; I feel the song and follow the flow in whatever direction it wants to take me. I have an experimental approach to creating music, so anything that allows me to break free from any rigidity or form is truly the best way I can express myself.
Interviewed by Zoey King
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