Sometimes knowing something is bad for us and gradually becoming an addiction isn’t enough to stop us from self-indulging. In this indie-rock song, “Temporary Dopamine,” by Canadian singer Jesse Merineau, he wonders why we allow ourselves knowingly fall into this trap. We had the pleasure of interviewing Jesse Merineau, and here’s what he had to say:
Q: How did you create this tune? Was it something that flowed at once or did you get like little bits stuck in your head until you created the full thing?
MERINEAU: The first time this song was in the works, was actually an electronic dance song I created on pro-tools. Eventually, after hearing how catchy the melody was, I moved it into my main project to re-work it into the indie-rock version we know today.
Q: What inspired this song?
MERINEAU: The song was inspired by the obvious addiction we all have to “Temporary Dopamine”. We can’t help but feel good when we receive “likes” on our pictures, or scroll through our phones when we want to pass the time. We easily forget that all of this is unnecessary for the human brain to be truly happy, and it’s actually digging us into a deeper hole of unfulfilling expectations.
Q: How would you love listeners to respond to this song?
MERINEAU: I would love listeners to truly relate and understand the lyrics, and maybe… Consider the idea of disconnecting from social media for even one full day. Give your mind a rest, and focus on yourself. Take a long bath, meditate, cook a nice meal, and go for a walk. Call someone you love.
Q: What drives you to create music?
MERINEAU: My music drive comes from a deep-rooted place. It’s a combination of a natural passion for music and writing lyrics – but also the dream of not working a 9-5 job. I do not work well in overly structured jobs, they are too robotic for me. Same with school, it just didn’t work with me. My goal is to have a more creative profession that allows me to thrive, and do what I love.
Q: What role do you think music played in the early years of your life?
MERINEAU: The role of music in my earlier life was very important. I spent every dollar I had on buying my favourite CDs, reading every lyric on the booklet, and listening to the production over and over. As I got into my early teens, I spent every dollar I could on attending concerts. I would wait in line 12 hours early to hopefully get the chance to run into my heroes (which I did). Something about music gave me a sense of purpose. Eventually, I began to write and perform my own. So music impacted my childhood in a way that lead me down this exact road.
Q: How do you balance your music career with your social life/other obligations?
MERINEAU: Balancing my music career with life is quite difficult. I do work full-time as a bartender in downtown Toronto, which can be a very tiring job. Also as someone who has always struggled with mental health, I do tend to lose touch with close friends and family sometimes. I am always trying to find a better balance, but it will continue to take hard work and time. I’m just lucky that my friends and family support me and are very understanding.
Q: Thank you so much for sharing all of this with us! I wish you lots of good luck with finding a comfortable work-life balance!
Interviewed by Zoey King
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