Fly By Midnight are a retro-pop duo who formed after a songwriting session in their New York studio. The duo comprises of Justin Bryte (who previously starred on MTV’s Dream Bigger series) and Slavo (who worked as a producer for Emergence Music Group).
Their songs have so far been up-tempo and extremely catchy – we cannot stop dancing to their latest single ‘Vinyl’. They currently have over 190 thousand subscribers on their YouTube channel. As well as this, their videos have had over 15 million views.
Justin and Slavo recently took time out of their busy schedule to chat with us about their latest music, some of their biggest collaborations and what the rest of 2017 has in store for them.
1. Firstly, how did you choose a name for the duo, and how did you decide what sound you wanted to focus on?
J: Wish there was a super cool story behind the duo name laughs
S: Yeah .. after weeks of shooting names out there, Fly By Midnight felt like a cool culmination of our retro vibes mixed with how late we usually work on our records.
J: Our sound came really organically. With our first single “Brooklyn” being the first song we ever worked on together I had told Slavo I wanted to mix the feel of 80s pop (The Outfield, Toto) with something more modern. Within a week Slavo had crafted this electro/retro/feel good genre that we’ve ran with ever since.
2. Who were your musical inspirations growing up?
S: We’ve always had our own individual influences, but definitely share a ton as well. I’ve always been inspired by Billy Joel. His narrative songwriting has always been a backbone on how we approach the stories behind Fly By records.
J: I think throughout high school listening to The Beatles made me become addicted to the songwriting process.
3. You collaborated with Nicolette Mare & Nicole Medoro on your cover of Charlie Puth’s ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’. The cover has been very successful with the video having over 3 and a half million views on your YouTube channel. How did this collaboration come about?
J: I go pretty far back with Nicolette & Nicole. I think I had Facebook messaged Nicolette maybe five years ago about working together. I’m pretty sure it looked like “Hey .. I know you don’t know me, but we should totally sing together one day.” Probably not the coolest line in retrospect, but years later we asked them to be in the video & it was kind of history ever since laughs We actually wrote Morgan Page’s last single “Other Girl” with them. Most people don’t know that so it’s always a fun fact to share :]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2SNurf7B9M
4. You have also collaborated with artists including Brielle Von, Jax, and Katie G. Are there any other artists you would love to collaborate with?
S: We have tons of artists we’d love to collaborate with. Phoebe Ryan has been on our list for awhile. Really natural swag about her that we think would compliment a future record of ours.
5. Can you tell us two fun facts about each other?
J: The only time Slavo & I fight is when he smokes cigars .. I have no idea why. He also needs a friend to go to the gym with him or he won’t go.
S: Justin takes longer than my mom to get ready in the morning & he wears a shower cap.
J: Dude next interview I’m digging up way worse dirt. laughs
6. ‘Brooklyn’ was the first single you released. Why did you decide to release this track first?
J: “Brooklyn” was the first song we wrote together so we didn’t really have any other song believe it or not. It was a record we had such fun creating that we were too impatient to not put it out. After people started gravitating towards it we raced to shoot a video in hopes they didn’t forget about it yet. laughs
7. The song is so catchy and it looks like you had fun filming the music video. Who came up with the idea for the video?
S: Justin & I were sitting in CheeBurger CheeBurger in Staten Island eating & came up with the idea top to bottom in about an hour flat. Brought it to our childhood friend Matt Ligotti & said “hey dude, down to help?”
8. We love your latest single ‘Vinyl’. What was the inspiration behind the song?
S: We always say “Vinyl” is the first song we’ve written with a real relatable message to people our age.
J: It was entirely inspired by how Slavo & I were feeling at the time. Just two dudes in our early 20s kind of confused by this new dating culture like everyone else. “Vinyl” really turned into this confessional of how weird & bizarre social dating apps have become.
9. You have done various covers of artists including Drake, One Direction and One Republic. If you could choose three songs out there right now to cover, what would they be?
J: Definitely “That’s What I Like” by Bruno Mars. Had that on repeat non stop.
S: “Hard Times” by Paramore & “The Outfield” by Night Game.
10. We hear you are currently working on your EP called Party Favors. Can you let us know more about the EP, from the sound we can expect to the release date?
J: Tons of experimenting sums it up. Eclectic influences, as well as creative liberties we’ve always wanted to incorporate in future records.
S: Whether you’re a new fan or one who’s been around with us since the beginning you’re definitely in for a treat.
11. Finally, what plans do you have for the rest of 2017?
J: More touring, gearing up to release the first single for the EP & more late night craziness.
S: Filming the experience more also. We’ve been posting these vlogs #studiobymidnight on our FB. They’re fun & pretty much our daily life :]