Artist Felly chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about his third album “Young Fel 2.”
The official music video for “Midnight” takes place, fittingly, in the back seat of a black Maybach while Felly and his friend get driven around at night. The song showcases Felly’s signature creative rap flows and supreme lyricism over a subdued, hypnotic beat.
Starting to create your own music at the age of 13, what inspired you to get started? What artists at the time drew you into music?
I got really into the fact that you could revisit certain time periods with modern music. Like, specifically talking about the art of sampling. I remember being super young and being like, “how did they get these old fashion sounds?” That led me down a rabbit hole that I’m still in of sort of history and music, uncovering older vibes…bringing them to the surface. Pull inspiration from the past into the present to create the future. It’s far-out shit.
For your latest video for “Bones” how did you come up with the storyline and concept?
I took a lot of inspiration from like, early 2000’s/90’s rock videos. I wanted to be with a band. I wanted it to have that classic feel to it. But also there’s rap and newer sonics so I wanted to blend those as well. So you see a bit of both. I’ve gravitated a lot towards spooky stuff. Phoebe Bridgers and Tim Burton films – stuff like that really inspired the aesthetic. I wanted it to feel like Marla Singer from Fight Club could fit in.
This fall we see the release of your new record “Young Fel 2.” When creating the songs for the release, what was your overall drive and inspiration?
Yes. With Young Fel I think the overall blend was to merge my roots with my newer sound. I think a lot of people know where I come from and the sound that maybe put me on people’s radar. I’m slowly acclimating people to where I’m going because that excites me more than the past, naturally. So I wanted to come full circle with the stuff that I come from and show people where I can go. I’m taking them with me.
On the new record, you collaborate with an all-star cast from Midi Jones to Jesse St. John. What did the different artists and producers bring to the table? And did you handpick those collaborations for the record or did they come organically?
Y’all know my boys? Amazing. I started working with Midi and Todd Pritch last year. Mostly because I thought that they could best channel what I had to bring to the table. Midi brought on Jesse St. John and that was the first time I had actually worked with a writer. So it was super interesting. It created a lot of openness. I really just love creating with people who have similar intentions. To make the best music we possibly can.
Your music ties in your curiosity of spirituality, meditation, and collecting religious art. How do you blend those elements into your music?
I could cop out here and just say it’s all connected, which it is. But more concretely, I think the music is a direct reflection of where you are in your journey as a human being. You literally have these speakers playing back whatever you just recorded, so it’s kind of a direct reflection of where you are at, or more importantly, where you are not.
I think all spiritual hangups show you where you are not. Which is beautiful. So if you get mad at someone because they ruined your day or something, that experience shows you where you’re not. It shows you that there is still some work to do so that no one but you dictates how you feel.
Musically, it’s similar. If a song is not resonating in a certain way, you can assess how to get to where you want. Realizing you’re in more control than you think (but ironically, only through letting go). I know this is kind of far out.
What is your process for writing a song? Can you walk us through it?
Usually, a sound evokes a feeling, or a mood, or a memory. And then melody usually follows.
What influences come into play when writing lyrics? Is it more from a storytelling perspective, real-life, or both?
It’s essentially my life and your life. And sort of the intersections in between. It’s that space between me and you and the story between us. Sort of like a conversation. A balance of talking and listening. Storytelling and story listening.
On the new album and prior releases, your music spans genres. How do you infuse them together?
I’m still trying to figure this out myself. Usually, I’ll just take a step back after an hour or two of working on something and hear that it has like 5-10 of my favorite influences somewhere in there.
I can point out each specific little thing and why I like it – whether it’s from a place I’ve been or something I’ve heard. I get super detailed as far as how I perceive an emotion/how a sound makes me feel. I remember being in the studio and hearing a sound and being like, immediately, “That’s that fire hydrant…”
And to the room, it was like, what the hell did you just say? But in my head, the sound made me think of like, East Coast city vibes…like a Brooklyn summer…kids playing in the street, water spraying from a fire hydrant. Almost like those paintings. It felt obvious in my head. Sounds immediately offer me a world/setting. So I go from there a lot of the time.
What message do you want to bring to the world with your music? What are you looking to convey to audiences?
I used to have almost like a “crusader” outlook on my quest as an artist. A seriousness. Like, “I want to save the world! I want to rescue people” I don’t really feel like that anymore..think that’s pretty egoic in it of itself. I want people to take whatever they need to take from my music and I just keep the trust that whatever I’m giving is enough. Everything is in its right place, with or without me.
Young Fel 2″ is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about Felly, follow him on Instagram.
