Welcome Wind Meets West! You have a new single dropping today titled “Technicolor” congrats. Did you write the song? If so, what was that experience like? The song sounds very personal.
Yes! This song comes from a very special place in my songwriting journey.
In the past, my songs have typically been a way for me to process darker emotions like heartbreak, loneliness, and my struggles with depression and mental health. But I was experiencing this bout of writer’s block for a good reason: I’ve been feeling happy and supported by loved ones. So for this song I went to a different emotional palette: happy memories from when I first moved to New York City. I thought about this Tinder date I went on with a girl in a bright blue dress in the summer of 2018 and the colors of autumnal landscapes that paint the sky with red and cherry gold. There’s nothing quite like leaves in the Northeast! I want this song to help folks cherish memories as they are and embrace them to find joy again.
Do you get nervous before you release new music or is it more of an excitement for you?
Honestly, it’s a combination of both…excitenerves? Okay, Dad joke aside I share the philosophy that John Green has with his books: once the song is out it’s not mine anymore, it’s the world’s. As I keep doing this artist thing, I’ve gotten more comfortable with the fact that I can’t control what my music does, how it’s received, who listens to it. I can only hope that when folx listen to my music they feel something and carry it with them. It’s helped me turn negative nervousness into excitement for the opportunities I’ll get to connect with people through my music.
Was there anyone or anything in particular that pushed you to pursue music?
TW: depression
I’ve been doing music my whole life but I actually studied Computer Science in school and went on to work as a software engineer for a year. As a child of immigrants, I was told my whole life that a stable 9-5 job was the key to happiness and that music should just be a hobby. But in that year, I had fallen into such a depression that it was a struggle to get out of bed every morning and drag myself to my job. It was a really dark time because I realized that I had done everything right and by the book, but I was fundamentally unhappy.
I’ve learned that when you’re in a negative cycle you have to do something to break it. I made the decision to go pursue music and embrace the fear and the unknowns. I’m happy to say that I don’t regret this decision at all, and I’m firm in my choice to live life in the way I deserve rather than what was expected of me.
How did you decide to make this your next release?
It was between two songs and I wanted it to be a song that had that autumnal vibe. When you hear this song, I hope you can feel the way the wind changes in the fall: it gets colder and pushes you to reminisce about the past summer and look forward to the future
Other than your own, what has been your favorite song released this year?
I loooove “Fake” by Lauv and Conan Gray. I want to be brave and brash enough to write a song like that! Especially with all the tension in the US right now it’s the perfect song to belt at the top of your lungs while cooking.
Tell us where we can find you online and get our hands on your new music?
My new single “Technicolor” is out now on all the streaming platforms! Please go stream it, follow me on Spotify and support independent artists. If you want to follow my journey, you can follow me on Instagram and TikTok (@windmeetswest) where I talk about my journey, give singing/producing tips, and let folks into my songwriting process. If you’re free tonight at 8pm EDT, I have a show with Bonfire Live, an amazing organization who puts on shows whose ticket sales go 100% to the artist! I’d love to see you there, go to bonfirealive.com to get your tickets.
