boyhood. Interview
We got the chance to ask AJ of boyhood. about his newest EP coming out on September 15th, 2023! Keep reading to learn more about the meaning behind his sound and lyrics as well as more behind-the-scenes of his artistic process!
Interview by Liam Gibbs.
Photo by Christina Choi
Your artist name, “boyhood.” reflects your personal journey as a trans man. How does your identity and life experiences shape the overall direction and themes of your music?
The name came out of this sense of loss and grief over a childhood/boyhood that I never got to experience, and how that feeling became the primary driver for wanting to create a really full and intentional life for myself.
I was nostalgic for something I hadn’t even experienced firsthand but had instead absorbed through pop culture/tv & movies/the people around me. That feeling of missing out can be really powerful, and it made me think about nostalgia in general and how things that are distant or unattainable can feel the most pristine and beautiful in our minds. In reality, there’s a lot of love around me, a lot that is still possible, and a lot of things in my current life that deserve that degree of reverence. I wanted to use music as a vessel for exploring those feelings.
I think my life experience has also led me to appreciate unconventional approaches, to both life and music. There’s people on the internet making really interesting music with cheap USB mics, recording in rooms with no treatment or soundproofing. Kids using Bandlab and their phones are making songs that hit harder than a group of grown men in a professional studio with thousands of dollars worth of gear. Keeping an open mind makes me appreciate what everyone is able to do with their unique skill set and resources, and that inspires me to keep trying new things. Sometimes a song sounds like it was recorded on a toaster and that is actually cool and good.
Can you tell us about the inspirations behind your unique musical style and your approach to crafting lyrics that resonate with listeners?
There’s so much great informative content on the internet right now where people break down different recording/production/performance techniques. I love a lot of different kinds of music and I try to watch a lot of YouTube or TikTok tutorials and just read about the different approaches the people I admire have to their music. Dissect and Tape Notes are two of my favorite podcasts, and I just started reading Tape Op Magazine. I just try to take in a lot of information from different sources, and pray it trickles down into my own music.
I’ve changed my approach a lot while making this most recent EP. I used to just open up Ableton and mess around with samples and sounds that I liked individually until I found something that sounded cool and then I would write lyrics over top of that. Over the last year, I’ve tried to get more intentional in mapping out how I want a song to sound before I start fully producing it out. Lyrically, I try to write in a way that is pretty direct and succinct. But I also love a little riddle!
As an artist based in New York, how has the city's vibrant music scene and diverse culture influenced your musical journey and artistic vision?
I really love New York and I love my roommates and I love how easy it is to get around and how many people I get to interact with every day, both friends and strangers. We live close to a lot of small venues and it’s great to be able to catch a show and get inspired by some new sounds so easily.
I think the best parts of New York help build community and serve people over profit- public libraries, parks and rec centers, public transit, walkability, an abundance of third spaces, art and performance spaces, free programming, etc. We’re in the middle of an affordability and housing crisis that is making it much harder for people who are not wealthy to thrive or even exist in the city, and I hope New York continues to be a place where diverse art and culture can flourish.
Are there any particular artists, bands, or genres that have had a profound impact on your musical development and contributed to your distinctive style?
So many! I grew up listening to a lot of classic folk and rock music. I really love Phoebe Bridgers’s songwriting- I saw her open for Julien Baker in 2016 and then followed her around LA when she was opening for different bands before Stranger in the Alps came out. During the early stages of the pandemic, I lived with my two good friends Andrew and Mike who ran a label and event series called “Understated LA” together, and they introduced me to a lot of different kinds of electronic music.
I ended up listening to a lot of D&B and UK Garage- I love a frantic drum beat under a calm vocal, and that has ended up on parts of the EP. Also, I really love PinkPantheress. A lot of the initial production tutorials I watched on YouTube were covering Bon Iver, James Blake, and Frank Ocean, and those are all big inspirations to me. During the process of making this EP, I listened to a lot of electronic-pop-leaning music like Biig Piig, MUNA, 100 gecs, Shygirl, and the new Donna Missal project. Also a lot of Dijon, I love Dijon.
In your view, how does music serve as a medium for self-expression and communication? What messages or emotions do you aim to convey to your audience through your art?
I grew up feeling pretty isolated, and listening to music in my room made me feel like there were people in the world who understood me, and that there was a community of people surrounding the music to connect with. I love music with a lot of references and I think lyrics are really special when they feel like a perfect puzzle that was made just for you and your experience, but are still able to feel that way to hundreds or thousands or millions of other people. I’d love to make songs that make other people feel seen and build a community around my music that feels similar to what I needed growing up.
Your upcoming EP is generating significant anticipation. Can you provide some insights into the themes and feelings you explore in this collection of songs?
I put out an EP in late 2018, and a single at the beginning of the pandemic, and then there was a long stretch where I wasn’t really writing original music, and was generally feeling pretty apathetic and lost in my life. These songs are about trying to break out of that rut of apathy.
As you continue to grow as a musician, what are your long-term goals and aspirations for your music career?
I’m planning to start playing live again, and would love to tour eventually! Being on a stage makes me so gut-wrenchingly nervous but is also so fun.
My songwriting process has been pretty self-contained up until this point, and I’d love to collaborate more! “Fast” on this EP was produced by Toledo, and my friend Stephen from the band Drauve played some guitar on “Lighter.” Those were both great experiences and I’d love to just keep getting better with the help of my friends and the people I admire.
It has historically taken me a long time to finish things, but I’m already working on a 3rd EP and thinking about good collaborators for it and feeling really in the groove in terms of my workflow and general wellbeing so I’m excited to keep that going. Knocking on wood here.
Lastly, could you share a bit about the overall experience of being recognized as our Fresh Artist of the Month and how it aligns with your artistic journey?
Yeah, I’m so stoked to be featured, and really appreciate you guys for chatting with me! It’s really nice to connect with people who are passionate about what they do, and focused on building a community through music. I’m trying to think less about streaming numbers and playlists, and more about genuinely connecting with people.
