RHODES has been away for a while, but is now back. And he is ready to share everything with you.
Good To You, the latest single from his upcoming album Friends Like These (out January 27), is an emotionally vulnerable, orchestral pop ballad about losing someone you can’t live without. I sing all my fears of things.
“If I’m not good for you, I’m good for nothing,” sings RHODES in the chorus, RHODES’ first album since their 2015 debut album Wishes, which peaked at number 24 in the UK. shows his return to his first album in..
With the release of a new record, the Hertfordshire-born artist has made a huge difference in the music industry. He is now independent after being previously signed under Sony. He has also found new expressions in his TaP music that have guided the careers of Dua Lipa, Lana Del Rey, Ellie Goulding and others.
We spoke with RHODES about his newfound musical freedom and how RAYE thrived on his recent chart-topping single Escapism. The Independent has encouraged his artiste and what fans can expect from his most open and honest work to date.
Good To You comes from a very personal and emotional space. Was it hard to share it with the world?
yeah, it was. It was hard to share it with the world. Because sharing it all always makes me feel so vulnerable and in danger. But it was written in a really safe environment with friends, and we kind of had fun when we wrote it.
We were trying to make uptempo songs, and there were people like electronic producers at the time who enjoyed finding the balance between something emotionally deep and something quite uptempo. It evolved a little over time, and as we started to evolve the songs, it became a little easier to detach emotionally. Somewhere along the way, it was easier to let it go.
The new album was recorded during lockdown. While this is clearly not the most ideal scenario, it seems many artists have looked back on cases like this and spent their time making the music they always wanted to make. Did the state of the world at the time spur your creativity?
I think it’s because everyone just has time and realizes how busy they really are, or how preoccupied they are with the world around them and all the things they have to do on a daily basis. When all of that is taken away, you literally have time to sit alone and think, dive into your own soul, and begin to make sense of things.
From that perspective, it was very creatively inspiring to just sit and think and have all the ammunition come out and have nothing to do but do it.
You’ve been open about your struggles to find your place as an artist in the major label system.
Freedom felt great. Major also said he had a great time working with Major when it came to his label. I love it, but I didn’t want it to be my main focus. So I wanted to rediscover what the essence of what I was doing, what it was, or really, I tried to reconnect with why I started doing it in the first place.
The freedom felt great, but it’s also pretty scary because I’m the person who has to decide everything right now. I wanted creative freedom, and when I got it and was looking for feedback, it really wasn’t there. extinguish it. ‘It takes a little getting used to, but I think he’s one of them.
Freedom feels really great now. In fact, for me, it’s been more creative to surround myself with writers and producers, as well as musically trusted friends and people in the industry, rather than relying on the ideas behind a commercial major’s label. I think. release music.
Cover art for RHODES’ new album, Friends Like These
RAYE recently became the first independent artist to reach number one in the UK on Escapism…Is it time people realize that artists don’t always need major backing to be successful?
I think everyone is really excited about having access to social media, movement, streaming and all that stuff. Good story behind it, it’s the kind of thing people discover.I still believe in those moments for people, like what happened to Ray. Because everyone always knows how great she is. We knew she was great because of the work she put out in the collaboration, but she was actually saying something deeper and more meaningful.
It’s amazing how she turned around and was able to do that, and I think it inspired a lot of people. It certainly affected me. I just left the majors and it’s scary. It’s daunting, but we can do it. None of us want to be super crazy and leftfield.It’s not about that, it’s about being able to say what you want to say.
You recently signed with TaP, who have helped with the careers of Dua, Lana, and Ellie Goulding. How did your vision align with theirs for the album?
It was very interesting because I had quite a few toxic relationships with different people and managers in the industry in the past and it felt like something needed to change. My world and I had to try and find people I liked working with. Then I was with my manager at TaP, Tony Beard, and strangely enough, someone sent me my album. It was almost finished and he wanted to talk to me about it.I told him.He was going through something at the time.Our values, what I wanted Stuff, what are my ambitions, and he seemed like someone who could help me get there and achieve it.
I think being part of a company that is a bigger management company than I’ve ever been in allows me to get the infrastructure that probably depends on the label or someone else. It’s the old saying that it’s not what you know, but who you know. I think in that networking sense, it’s been amazing and just being able to be a part of that culture that they’ve created in their place. I was very happy to meet them and now I am part of them.
With a series of UK shows scheduled to mark the album’s release next month, are you excited to be back there?
A lot. We toured a bit last summer, summer 2022, and forgot how much we needed to connect with our fans and the people listening to our music. It’s an incredible feeling to be in a room with people sharing those moments. This tour is our first headlining tour since 2018 so we hope it will be really special. Yeah I can’t wait. it’s going to be great.
The album won’t be out until the end of the month, but are there any songs people haven’t heard yet that they’re excited to discover?
There are several. I have some on the album. There’s a song on this record called Satellite, which was one of the first songs I wrote for the album, and this record was written over the years, basically writing songs. I keep in mind that I was traveling all over America and Europe in this way. That was one of the first things I wrote about him that I just wrote in my bedroom in the old apartment I used to live in and I really believed it and thought, this is great, I’m on to something I remember Then things change, the demo hits the bottom of the pile, and you forget about it. And then I rediscovered it and recorded it for the record.
Part of it was recorded in London and then part in New York. It kind of shows in the songs, and for me what that means is an evolution from where we were at the end of the last album to where we are now, and I think it resonates with people.
Good To You has been released. Friends Like These Drop Jan 27/
