Bryan Stave is a rising pop star from the US. He grew up in Greenfield, Wisconsinin in a home filled with sports. He started playing football and basketball from an early age, athletics were his first love, and when his playing days ended he spent three years coaching high school basketball and working different university camps throughout the summer of 2012 and 2013.
It was those summers on the road that helped Stave discover his true passion and love for music. He often spent hours playing his guitar and singing in his dorm room between camp sessions. Now he is turning his passion into a career.
Here we speak exclusively to Bryan Stave about his new music, inspirations, future plans and much more. We also bring you the world exclusive first play of his brand new single ‘Chasing Platinum’.
Growing up what or who inspired you to get into music?
For me, it was more of a gradual process of discovering my passion for music and eventually deciding to go all-in on making a career out of it. I’ve always been a huge music fan and grew up playing the piano and guitar with my brother, but it wasn’t until my college roommate introduced me to the indie folk singer-songwriter scene (Tallest Man on Earth, Bon Iver, Elliot Smith, etc…) that I developed a love for the art of songwriting.
Who are your musical icons?
The biggest one for me is definitely Ed Sheeran. He has a unique ability to connect lyrically with his audience and isn’t afraid to step out of the traditional “pop” genre which is something I aim to do as well given my diverse tastes as a music fan. Outside of Ed, there are countless other artists who I consider personal icons and influences on my work but some of the most prominent would be Eminem, Bob Marley, Passenger, Garth Brooks, Jack Johnson, and Chester Bennington.
If you could collaborate with any artist who would you choose?
Wow, this is a really tough one but I’d probably go with Mike Shinoda. I love all of Linkin Park’s work, and with Chester’s tragic passing, I’ve gone back and listened through [so] much of their older material that I hadn’t heard in a while and am consistently reminded of how freakishly talented Shinoda is. As a producer, lyricist, and rapper, he’s about as good as they come, and I’d love to work together on a softer, less edgy tune with a similar feel to Fort Minor’s ‘Where’d You Go’.
How would you describe your own music to someone who has never listened to your songs?
I would describe it as falling under the “pop” umbrella with elements of reggae, hip-hop, folk, and country across different songs. I’ve got a fairly high and clear voice and my lyrics tend to be easy to understand, so in that respect, I’ve heard Jason Mraz comparisons quite frequently. I try to pull from many different musical influences when I’m writing so I may be working on a reggae song with the full double chop one day and a Lumineers-inspired folk ballad on the next…it just depends on the message and feel that I’m trying to convey.
What is the inspiration behind your new single ‘Chasing Platinum?
My new single, ‘Chasing Platinum’, is about an artist who’s seeing success with his music but struggling with the time and travel demands of the job. He’s looking back nostalgically on his relationship to when things were less complicated, and although he wouldn’t trade his current life of playing music, he feels some guilt in not being available to his girl in the way he’d like to be. This song is essentially me looking into my own future. I absolutely love music and connecting with people through performances, but personal relationships are extremely important to me as well and I know that’s a balance I’ll have to strike as my career grows and I find myself on the road more and more.
Here we bring you the exclusive first listen of ‘Chasing Platinum’ :
How much fun did you have filming the video for your last release ‘Monday Song’?
I had a ton of fun making the ‘Monday Song’ video! We rented a beautiful house on the Southwest side of Nashville and spent all day filming with different lighting, smoke, and from varying angles so it was really cool to see all of the things that go into the process. Destinee (the model) was great to work with as well. She was on The Voice back in 2013 so was very comfortable in front of the camera and made things much easier for me in my first video shoot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpdkipF-Eo0
You have shades of Hunter Hayes to your music so would you say Country is a big influence for you?
Absolutely! I’d say the biggest way that country has influenced my music is in the straightforward nature of the songwriting. I don’t use many metaphors or try to put lots of hidden meanings into my work but instead focus on telling a story that reflects the message or feel that I’m trying to get across. I think that’s pretty consistent with what you hear in most country songs and spending years listening to country radio certainly helped shape that in me.
What do you hope to achieve over the next ten years?
I have three defined goals for my music career with each marking a major jump in professional growth and personal validation.
1) Sign to a major label and be able to financially support myself as a touring artist…obviously this is the minimum level of success to continue in music
2) Meet and become friends with Ed Sheeran…he’s been such an inspirational force to me as an artist and just seems like a really cool guy
3) Organize a bike and camping trip from Seattle to San Diego with other artists/outdoor enthusiasts, collaborate with the other artists on new songs, make a documentary on the trip and writing process, and use all of the proceeds to help improve the foster care system in the United States…clearly this is a lofty and oddly specific goal but if I’m able to reach a level of success in music where I can bring attention and funding to foster kids and parents, there’s nothing more I could hope to achieve.
Make sure you follow Bryan Stave on Twitter @bryanstave to keep up to date with all his latest music and tour news!
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