Having already established himself with a string of impactful releases throughout this year, Detroit-based artist and rapper vinny olmstead continues his upward ascent with the breezy new single 'chasing'.
Honing more of that R&B-infused hip-hop aesthetic he has been cultivating for himself recently, 'chasing' makes for a beautifully warm and inviting listen. With his shimmering vocal flow riding across a captivating production from beginning to end, he continues to shine as one of the more alluring names on the rise right now.
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 loved was the electric guitar. My dad was a big fan of classic rock, 80s metal, and arena rock, so growing up that would be jamming in the car constantly. I’ve tried to learn how to play guitar a couple times but could never quite master it. I can mess around with some chords but nothing crazy.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
In my young young days I was really into the alt rock and pop-punk of that time. Fall out Boy, Panic at the Disco, Green Day, blink-182, etc. In my tween to teenage years I fell in love with hip-hop and R&B and really haven’t looked back since. The earliest hip-hop I remember listening to would have been what was hot in the mid 2000’s, so Kanye, Lil Wayne, T.I., 50 cent, Eminem, and Jay-Z.
What was the first album you remember owning?
The first album I remember vividly getting the All-American rejects “Move Along” album for my 10th birthday. That album still holds up by the way, I saw AAR about a year ago and they can still rip it.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Very tough question as there are so many songs where I absolutely love the songwriting. One song stands out though as an all timer for me in terms of writing, and that’s Hardknock by Joey Bada$$. I remember writing a college essay on the cultural significance and complexity of this GOAT mixtape. What I value in songwriting most is someone that can truly bring you into their life and perspective, especially if it’s a lifestyle or perspective you don’t experience. That song does just that and has some of the most witty wordplay and satisfying flow I’ve ever heard. What’s more impressive is he was only 17 when written, crazy.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Mainly I try to get myself in an introspective state of mind. Music has always been a therapeutic outlet for me, so every melody and every word serves a unique purpose. Sometimes it’s a matter of blowing off steam, commenting about a societal/social issue, coming up with witty one liners to make myself laugh, or challenging myself with wordplay/entendres/metaphors. Regardless, it’s an outlet for me to explore my creativity and help to know myself better.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Ryan Trey, SAFE, 4batz, FRVRFRIDAY are some new favourites of mine. They all seem to have a heavily R&B influenced hip-hop sound; that style is what I’m vibing with most at the moment. I definitely see that taking influence into some of my future releases.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Once again, a very tough question as there are so many artists/bands that would be so cool to open for! I’ll say 2 because I think my latest music has 2 distinct sub-genre fits within hip-hop.
The first would be BROCKHAMPTON, I was a massive fan the entire time they were together. My alternative hip-hop offerings are without a doubt extremely influenced by their style and feel.The other would be Isaiah Rashad. The other subgenre of hip-hop that most connects with me and I express through my own songs is the chiller conscious hip-hop vibe. This is the type of hip-hop that made me fall in love with the genre in my teenage years. Where the lyrics actually mean something. My latest releases “Chasing” and “Pause” are definitely in this category.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
The most rewarding part which I eluded to a bit earlier is that outlet to express myself. I don’t really have another outlet to do so in any other facet of my life. It’s also great personally just to challenge myself, to explore the different ways to create a song through lyricism, structure, genre, it’s all just really fun.
And what is the most frustrating part?
The most frustrating part is the social media/viral trend aspect of it. I’m not a big social media person at all, I think a lot of people are kind of moving away from it. I’m proud of my work and I’m happy to promote it, but I hate the gimmicks that often need to go along with it to blow up. I’ve kind of steered away from that in hopes that the music can speak for itself. To me trying to run some gimmick to go viral is so corny, however, it works. So I struggle with that, because being gimmicky doesn’t seem true to who I am, but could maybe help me. Then again, I think people can smell inauthenticity very quickly, so better to do it the way I want.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Not necessarily music specific but I think just good advice for anyone pursuing something is to just keep going, never quit. There’s a 100% chance if you quit that you’ll never break through, but if you don’t quit and keep going you provide yourself the continued possibility for good things to happen to you.
-
vinny olmstead's new single 'chasing' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.