Is social media a tool to express your thoughts or a medium to hide the reality? The paradoxical nature of the social media and the power influencers hold on networking platforms have time and again been discussed and contemplated on.
17-year-old singer-songwriter and producer Greg Marks is using his platform to address this conflict and showcase the contrast between the social media feed and the real life. With over 400K followers, the artist is redefining “influence” while attempting to carve a niche for himself by initiating a conversation around authenticity.
In his new song “Real Life”, Marks is talking about the realities of dating in Gen Z and dealing with the pressures of social media. “Real Life” features Greg’s signature smooth R&B vocals atop a current production, that Greg produced himself.
CelebMix got a chance to catch up with Greg Marks to talk about his journey, his new song and upcoming projects.
We would like to know about your journey as a musician.
I started playing guitar and singing at just seven years old. I fell in love with music and entertaining people, and my parents knew, this is my path.
As an artist who writes and produces his own music, how do you perceive your art?
A lot of times, I will have a vision for something before I even start on it. The vision could be a story, a person, or usually simply a feeling.
Even as a social media influencer, you have charted a long journey. How does it feel to be able to become a voice on social media? Do you feel a difference in your role as an artist?
Social media can be used for many things, but I feel like having a following should result in a responsibility, to guide people towards good, while still being yourself and authentic.
What kind of creative process do you usually follow to create your artistic piece?
I like to dig into a feeling, and think of it as putting different colours onto a blank piece of paper. A lot of my songwriting is without a pen and paper and mainly freestyle straight into the mic.
Congratulations for “Real Life”. Can you please tell our readers a bit about the song?
Lately, I have been seeing a lot of couples who are more worried about what people on social media think of their relationship, rather than each other. I wanted to talk about liking someone for them, not for a feed.
Real Life tries to depict the difference between love showcased on social media and the love that one gets to experience in real life. Social media has been used differently by different people. How do you perceive the medium?
I think the best way to use social media, is to be real and be yourself. Post what you want, look how you want, which is easier said than done as there are a lot of people to judge, but the more you are yourself it shows and is detected.
How do you try to maintain an organic contact with your followers on social media? What kind of relationship do you wish to build with the medium?
I am quite personal with my fans. I love DMing into group chats, I love liking their edits and showing support back. Although all done tastefully, I want my fans to feel like my family.
Would you like to share with us your future projects or endeavours?
I have so much new music and in my opinion, every song is better than the next. I’m not rushing to release them but they will be out soon and as long as y’all stick around, there will be a lot of new music you guys would enjoy. Some very different styles also!
What do you think about the single? Share your thoughts on Greg Marks via tweet @CelebMix.