After briefly returning with his stunning comeback single 'Take My Word For It' last year, renowned artist Ran Nir returns to the fold once again to deliver his vibrant new offering 'New Joy'.
Bringing back more of that bright and invigorating aesthetic he has become known for, 'New Joy' makes for a wonderfully fun and lively return to form. With its rich and shimmering textures, bouncing energy, and his own dynamic vocals at the helm, he is certainly looking to get us up and out of our seats with this one.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has been inspiring him most lately.
-
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
The first instrument I fell in love with was the bass guitar, however it is not the first instrument I played. I first played the saxophone for a year or so when I was about 12 years old, and later learned some guitar on an old classical guitar with the help of a friend of my older sister. I am still very much in love with the bass guitar and consider myself a bassist first.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Well I am 40, so there is plenty of “younger” to discuss, haha. My first love was heavy metal and rock n roll of the 80s, like Guns and Roses and Metallica, however I discovered Nirvana and the grunge era pretty quickly and became a total grange head. Later I was a bit of Punk (and once you are a punk once it’s in you forever) and listened to Ramones and Sex pistols often, then I started exploring the 60s and 70s and found all about The Doors, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Janis Joplin, and that took me down the rabbit hole of blues to the 40s and 50s and to artists like blind Willie McTell, Robert Jhonson and Howlin' Wolf, which led me to more strange and beautiful things like Tom Waits. Of course I also grew up in the 90s and 2000s so I was very much into exploring music on my local record store, by which I found out all about Rap, latter Hip-hop, and the more indie bands like Deus, Television and of course BRIT-POP!! but I could go on forever, or until 40.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Nirvana Nevermind was my first full length Cassette and then CD. Though I did own singles and compilations before that as well as recording the radio on to a Cassette whenever my favourite music was on.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Probably, “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, or “Don’t think twice it’s alright” by Bob Dylan, but almost any song from those two really(well maybe not Dylan in the 80s.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Not really. I write in many different ways, but no rituals, maybe I should get some. I either have a melody, lyric or idea in mind and I will sit down and try to express it onto an instrument or my DAW, or I have a full song come to me, or I need to sit in my studio 9 to 5 like a job and figure it out. I will say that onceI have a song, I rarely remember how it actually came to be, it’s all quite magical to me still.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I honestly don’t listen to much music these days other than children songs, BUT! I do love Aldous Harding & I enjoy Warhaus very much. Of course I listen to a lot of that music I grew up on.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
You forgot to say dead or alive. I would be happy to support many artists, I see it mostly as an opportunity to improve and learn and reach new audiences, from experience I know you don't get to “hang” too much with big artists if you support them, I would be happy to join a tour from a medium size artist who I could personally relate to, that’s more important to me, personally. however if we are talking bigger artists maybe Matt Berninger, Beck or Aldous Harding would be fun, I don’t know, I don’t know them.
If we are talking “currently massive", I would say Benson Boon, he seems like a lot of fun.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Being a musician. The ability to create something from nothing, to tell a story, create a melody and share an emotion that can resonate with billions of humans.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Everything else.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Being a musician is a business. So know everything there is to know about your business! Know your rights & royalties, understand the music business, follow trends and technology, and be active in all aspects of your career, making the music is just one side of it.
-
Ran Nir's new single 'New Joy' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.