EXCLUSIVE: Interview with singer-songwriter SHEARE
SHEARE – also known as Brandon Sheer – is a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter who’s about to release his debut EP, TURBULENCE.
The five-track EP marks a shift in the artist’s sound. Best known for his sparkly pop songs, SHEARE lets loose with a darker sound during TURBULENCE, which was inspired by a break up. As usual, his brilliant songwriting is captivating, allowing anyone who’s been through a break up to resonate with the poignant lyrics.
We recently spoke to SHEARE about his new EP, favourite lyrics, Brooklyn’s influence on him and much more.
Let’s talk about your new EP TURBULENCE. The EP is generally darker than your previous singles – what inspired this transition?
That it is. I went through a break up, and I had a little bit of a delayed reaction to it. It was kind of like those time-released capsules they have now with medicine, initially you don’t quite feel it, and then it hits you and it all kicks in. When the reality of the break up kicked in, I felt it pretty hard.
You locked yourself away during the January ‘Post Holiday Blues’ to make the EP. What was the whole process like?
January in general in NYC is a strange time. Everyone starts coming down from the sugar high from holiday food and the holiday spirit is replaced by this cold, grey place that was nothing but lights and jingles a month prior. It was fitting that I wrote a darker EP around that time but it was also really cathartic.
You’ve already unveiled one of its tracks, ‘R I P’, which you’ve stated as being the most honest track on the EP. Did you feel a shift in emotion after getting all your thoughts out in the song?
Somewhat, I actually wrote that song maybe second to last, and I still felt I had a little more to say after writing it, and that’s where the last song on the EP ‘F E N C E S’ came from. That song kind of metaphorically was the nail in the coffin for me.
https://soundcloud.com/shearemusic/r-i-p-1
We know you’ll be proud of each song on the EP, but is there a particular song which has a special place in your heart? We’re loving ‘L E V I T A T E’.
Thank you! I think “F E N C E S” might be my personal favorite. The song is about how with modern day breakups there’s like a digital trail of breadcrumbs that we all follow. Short of completely blocking people (which is a bit middle school) it’s still very easy and tempting to want to peer into people’s lives through social media. We’re all guilty of posting our every move throughout the day, so it becomes this almost masochistic cycle of “I don’t want to know or see what there up to” and “JK, I hope they post more, so I can still feel a sense of connection with them”.
Do you have a favorite lyric which stands out for you?
“I find it kind of haunting, I go out and try to forget. Still there is such a longing cause you’re the only one in my head” from ‘R I P’.
A lot of people are going to resonate with your new material. What do you hope people will take away from your music?
I think we’re just coming out of a time in music that was and still is to a certain extent about escapism. The entire EDM music scene is about escapism, which in itself does invoke an emotional response, but I think people gravitate to music that they have a long term emotional connection to and that’s my hope for what people walk away with when listening to my music. Look at The Smiths or Adele, their whole careers are based on that. Now if I can just find a way to sell 80 million records, I’ll be set ha!
https://soundcloud.com/shearemusic/l-e-v-i-t-a-t-e-3
You’re based in Brooklyn. How would you say that the city influences your music?
NYC sadly is in a state of transition for a lot of young artist. So many artists especially musicians have moved to LA or Nashville just because the economics here are really difficult. That being said, I still find NYC to be the most inspiring city in the world. There’s just a grit and hustle here that doesn’t really exist anywhere else. I think it’s cyclical and eventually arts will start coming back to the forefront of NYC. In the meantime I still am finding plenty of inspiration, and don’t have to sit in LA traffic searching for it. #BURN haha.
Where can fans see you perform your new material?
If you’re in NYC, I am having an EP release party on May 9th at Café De La Equina in Williamsburg from 7-10pm (Rsvp:[email protected]) If you’re in LA I am playing the Bootleg Theater on May 24th.
What does the rest of 2017 have in store for SHEARE?
Well I actually already finished all the production on the next 4 or 5 songs so now I just have to mix them and I’ll probably put another few singles out before the end of the year! I think constantly hitting people with new material forces them to start to notice, which is great.
Thank you to SHEARE for his time! TURBULENCE is available on May 12.
Share your thoughts on SHEARE with us! Get in touch via Twitter @CelebMix
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