How much thought did you put into the visuals for “I Hate My Ex”? How did you want them to look?
It was a spur of the moment video. We were shooting video for “Someday” and we had all the models and the location. I just was like, “fuck it” – I knew I wanted to make a video for “I Hate My Ex.” It was really on-the-fly vibe. A few days later, we shot some additional scenes to make it more of its own thing.
There is a lot of punk rock influence when it comes to your music and the video for “I Hate My Ex”. Is there anybody or anything that inspired you to go in this direction?
I’ve always been into punk rock since I was a kid. It wasn’t really a decision to add more punk rock influence, it was more of a decision to add all my influences into my music instead of just certain ones. It’s kind of like taking a wider photograph.
What is your secret to creating a catchy song that people can sing along to?
I just write stuff that I like. Whenever I’m working on melodies, I just try to keep things simple, but it’s really just what my ears gravitate towards.
Besides creating an anthem for people who dislike their exes, what music do you try to make in the studio?
I just make whatever I’m feeling at the time. I kind of like to get the basic vibe and feeling from whatever happens when I get on the mic and then kind of polish it from there.
How did you create the Smilez aesthetic? What were you going for when doing so?
I think a lot of people think it was this big idea of like “this will sell,” but it’s the opposite. I’ve always been a fan of artists that have a unique style and look weird, that don’t fit into any trends; I thought it would be funny at first and just went with it. Really, now it’s just kind of a color board that I go with to present my music.
In the song you go from saying you hate your ex to saying you hate every ex. How many exes do you have?
I have a few exes and I think it’s more of a feeling of like, “fuck the past, let the past go”, sort of thing.
How was it originally living in Dallas and then moving to LA? How different was the atmosphere?
It was completely different. Dallas is a city that’s very centered around sports; especially growing up, I couldn’t play any sports to save my life so it instilled this outcast, rebellion mindset that I’ve always had. In LA, it’s normal to be an artist, to be into music, to be into different shit, and in Dallas it’s looked at as weird. I felt like I fit in more.
Is there anything else you would like to share with us about Smilez?
I have a lot of new music coming out soon; keep your eyes out.
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