On “Supermodel,” Kandy said, “As soon as I started the record, I knew I wanted to join forces with a strong female presence. Once Thrive connected NERVO and me together we clicked almost instantly. I shot them over the idea and they came back quickly with the finished record.”
“We were introduced to Kandy through Thrive Records (so refreshing to have a record label be so active with collaborating) and we immediately hit it off. Kandy sent us a few ideas and we finished ‘Supermodel’ off pretty quick. It was a super seamless process where everyone loved everyone’s ideas,” NERVO said.
Regarding his collaboration with NERVO, Kandy exclaimed, “This is crazy to me because NERVO was one of the first artists I saw live at my first festival before I even started producing music. It feels good to come full circle.”
“Kandy is the sweetest,” NERVO said. “It’s best when you start to work with someone and end up being friends. We had such a fun time getting dressed up and shooting the music video in a derelict warehouse in downtown Los Angeles.”
NERVO opened up about their plans for the immediate future. “We have quite a few upcoming releases that we were working very hard on, and now more so than ever because of the Coronavirus, all our energy is going into that. We’re not sure if we will be touring for the foreseeable future so it’s all about making more music and using this time to be with our family,” they said.
Regarding their musical inspirations, NERVO said, “It changes all the time depending on what we are working on. Normally we start with a chord progression or a riff idea and then a melody/lyric comes straight after that. We tend to always lead with melody. We love to mix up different styles so we try not to think about which label to release through or what artist it fits until we have finished the idea. Some of our most successful records have come from our craziest ideas so we try and keep an open mind,- especially with sonics.”
On his plans for 2020, Kandy revealed that there will be a lot of new music. “I have tons of records I am eagerly waiting to release. I also have some big events lined up that I’m very excited to share with everyone.”
Kandy gets inspired musically by a variety of things. “One of my biggest inspirations is Lady Gaga. A lot of what I do is inspired by her and what she represents. She’s a leader for a community of people that don’t feel accepted and that’s what I aspire to be as well,” he said.
Speaking of Lady Gaga, Kandy listed her as his dream female collaboration choice in the music business.
On being an artist in the digital age, Kandy explained, “I enjoy it and dislike it at the same time. The up-side is being able to share what you’re doing around the clock with the click of a button. It’s also super easy to connect with the people that support you. The downside is people get bored of things in seconds so it’s important to keep doing new things and retain your supporters’ attention.”
Regarding the impact of technology on the music industry, NERVO explained, “Although technology makes our lives easier (to record let’s say), there are parts to it that also make our lives more difficult. We can get caught up in the perfectionism of programming and can lose the feeling, or freedom. Technology in many ways has changed our taste in music. We all crave that super clean, perfectly pitched sound, which sometimes is a shame. There’s beauty in the in-between sometimes.”
“8 tracks never existed to us (unless it’s a super scratch idea). We’ve had tracks where we have had to bounce over 200 stems. We entered the business when it was already digital but we’ve worked with people who used to record on tape. Wow, those guys also pulled long hours in the studio,” NERVO acknowledged.
On their dream collaboration choices, NERVO said, “We are inspired by so many great artists these days. Everyone from Flume to Skrillex to The Chainsmokers and DJ Snake to Louis and The Child to Calvin Harris and also, of course, we love heavyweight staples like Sander Van Doorn, Bart Claessen, Gorgon City, Disclosure, Jamie XX, and MK. It’s exciting that so many sub-genres are exploding within dance music so there’s a new set of hyped artists each season.”
“Right now, we are loving a lot of Aussie talents like Robinson, Rufus, and PNAU. We’re just chuffed for anyone to work with us because most of the time it’s just Liv and Mim yelling at each other,” they said with a laugh. “Hopefully, we’ll have a whole lot of ideas free after Coronavirus passes so we will be reaching out to people after that to see who wants to collab.”
For listeners, Kandy remarked “Supermodel, “It is all about bringing out the fierce monster that lives inside of us and wearing it on your sleeve for everyone to see.”
“Here’s a track you put on to feel like a ‘Supermodel.’ There’s beauty in confidence so turn it up and strike a pose,” NERVO concluded.
“Supermodel” by NERVO and Kandy is available on all digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about NERVO and their music, check out their official homepage.
For more information on Kandy, check out his Facebook page.
