Sydney-based artist, Mulholland Blond, has been serenading the world with his sultry and infectious pop music for the past few years. Fresh off the release of his newest jam, “Dreams,” Mulholland Blond took a moment to chat with us about his plans for 2020, where he gets his inspiration, and what he hopes to accomplish with his music.
Photo by Dane Wang
Photo by Dane WangMelodic Mag: When did you start making music?
Mulholland Blond: I first started making music when I was around 14 years old. I was listening to a lot of Elliott Smith and Jeff Buckley at the time, which inspired me to pick up a guitar and start mucking around. It was really therapeutic for me as a moody teen to have a channel to express myself. Writing music definitely got me through some of the heavier teenage years. I also come from a musical family. There’s always been instruments around the house, so it runs in the blood. I think the whole thing was inevitable.
MM: How did you land on the name, ‘Mulholland Blond?’
MB: A few years ago, I had just wrapped with a bunch of bands and decided to travel to the US to work with some producers on solo material. I remember I was in LA by myself. It was my first time there and the whole gritty, grimy vibe LA gives off took me by surprise. It kind of shattered this illusion I had of LA being a glitzy, glamorous city.
I was skating down Mulholland [Drive] late one eve listening to some mixes and there was no one else around. I was alone on this hillside and I remember looking out at the city from afar, at that high viewpoint. Tiny, twinkly lights scattered out ahead of me. In that moment, I found the heartbreaking beauty of a city that might not necessarily be so traditionally beautiful. I like to think of the name as a tribute to that moment, recognizing that sometimes beauty lies beneath the surface and it reminds me [to] not take things at face value.
Also, I tagged on the ‘Blond’ because I thought it made me sound like an 80s pop star.
MM: The album artwork for your singles is really creative – where does the inspiration for them come from?
MB: To me, visuals are just as important as the music. When I’m working on a record, I always have visuals front of mind, so when it comes time for the artwork design, I really try to bring those ideas to life. I hope my artwork captures the essence of the song and gives the listener a deeper look into the soul of it all.
MM: Your songs focus on topics that a lot of people can relate to, such as lust and desire, but wouldn’t necessarily describe aloud. How important do you think it is to explore these kinds of feelings? Do you find it hard to share them with the world?
MB: I feel desire and lust motivate or influence our lives every day, maybe more than we care to admit. So to me, it almost seems natural to discuss these themes and bring them to the forefront in a song.
Music is about escapism. If somebody can listen to a song, find that they relate to what is being presented, something they maybe wouldn’t talk about out loud, and in turn discover parts of themselves they tend to block out. That idea in itself continually inspires me to write songs with ‘delicate’ subject matter.
Photo by Dane Wang
Photo by Dane WangMM: Your newest single, “Dreams,” is about having lingering feelings for someone from your dreams – a really riveting concept! Could you describe the process of creating that track?
MB: I was chatting with someone about the sway dreams have over our conscious state of mind late last year and the line, “In my dreams,” ended up stuck in my head. So I just started writing a song about the idea, basing everything around that phrase.
Generally, when I’m writing a song, the lyrics will always come last. It’s music/production first, followed by vocal melody and then finishing with lyrics. So I really tried to ensure the song had a dreamy feel before I even came to writing the lyrics. That way, whether you’re paying attention to the lyrics or not, you still have an idea of what the song is touching on, based on the sound.
“Dreams” was mixed and engineered by the very talented Rohan Kumar (Fickle Friends), who I’ve worked with for years. He’s incredibly talented musically and really helped bring the song to life!
Photo by Will Edgar
Photo by Will EdgarMM: What do you have planned for 2020?
MB: Releasing a whole lot more music. I’ll have a few more singles released before the year is out.
I spent most of last year writing and experimenting with different sounds to finally end up where I am now. I’m really excited to finally have new music out. A few Mulholland Blond live shows are definitely on the cards too.
MM: What do you want people to take away when they listen to your music?
MB: I want people to dream, to feel inspired.
MM: Which track (released or unreleased) are you most proud of so far?
MB: I think “Dreams” is a great introduction to the new sound I’ve been working on. Though, I might be most proud of a song titled “Recover,” which I plan to release in the future. It’s lyrically a little different to what I usually write about and it pushes my new sound a little further. I was watching a heap of 80s teen dramas when I wrote it, if that’s any indication. I’m really excited for people to hear it.
MM: Anything else you would like to add?
MB: Thank you so much for having me and for the great questions Christine x
Thank you, Mulholland Blond! We look forward to hearing more music from you soon.
You can check out Mulholland Blond’s music on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Keep up with Mulholland Blond: Twitter // Instagram // Facebook
