SEAWAVES
SEAWAVES unveiled their new single “Her” on March 9th.
Formed by vocalist/songwriter Si Van Brussel and instrumentalist/songwriter Daniel Benjamin, the Manchester-based duo released their debut album “The Motion Picture” in 2017. Along with the success of their first LP, their records have been placed on numerous TV and commercials worldwide by blockbuster brands such as Walt Disney Pictures, Mercedes-Benz, Sony, The Olympics and many more.
Currently working on their second album entitled “The Soundtrack”, the duo revealed “Her”, an empowering pop-electronic anthem with timeless melodies.
“Her” is now available worldwide.
Introduce the duo.
Si Van brussel - Lead vocals, cowriter
Daniel Benjamin - Instrumentalist, co-writer
How did you guys meet? How long have you known each other?
Met in 2011 i think? So we’ve known each other for 7 years. SEAWAVES officially began 2012.
At what point did you know you had to work as a duo? What makes it work?
As we both went to music university together there was a moment during a lecture where we were both working on some obscure song to a brief which took us about half an hour to do and it sounded that good that our lecturer thought we had written it previously when it was just on the fly. He was pretty shocked, and thought we were lying.
When and how did you start making music together? What is the first track you’ve ever made?
We had a uni project where we had to record a “band”. We both just recorded each other, turned out we were good at writing together and decided to make more tracks. At the start, Si couldn’t sing, I couldn’t produce. We were terrible. Si got singing lessons and practiced, and I kept producing, failing and learning until I got better. Over time we started to develop and get noticed.
Could you tell us more about your new single “Her”? What’s the story behind it?
“Her” is about empowering yourself through your own mind. The title could easily be called “Him” (maybe that could be part 2?) but it’s about realising the potential within yourself to meet your goals.The internet is full of self help books and really the answer is within. Belief is truly a magical thing.
Describe us the recording/production process of “Her”. How long did it take to finish the record?
A simple loop riff to begin with, then it resulting in a bunch of ideas. The song was written really quickly in about 48 hours. The production took longer but once the ideas are down, it really becomes easy to put together.
In 2017, you signed with the American publishing companies Luna Music Group & North Star. How did things change now that you’re working with these two companies? What made you want to sign with them?
North Star Media had bagged us some great syncs previously including our biggest sync to date with Disney when we were non-exclusive, Jordan & John are top guys and a pleasure to work with, really friendly people. Luna Music Group are a brand new publishing company who approached us with new ideas and links to help further our music.
You are currently working on your new album. What can you tell us about it so far? How did your sound evolve from your last LP?
We have way more direction with this new LP. The last LP was written over 3 years (maybe more) where we just released single after single. We were really finding our sound with our first few songs , and discovering our strengths and weaknesses. We began to develop a style and sound that you can recognize as ours. This time we have a clear vision of our we want to release, and to push the boundaries even further.
What music softwares/equipments do you usually use?
We have 2 seperate studios. Cubase 8.5 on PC OS, Prism & Burl Mothership converters, Focal & Dynaudio monitors, Gibson/ibanez/fender guitars, Roland V-drums, API pre-amp, Phoenix audio Nicerizer 16 summing mixer.. We have a rare modded microphone from Michael Joly which we record all the vocals on. It can’t be bought in stores anymore.
In your opinion, what makes a good production?
Sounds that work well together. A solid structure. Highlighting the best parts of a track, and finally most importantly translating the moment to the listener.
What advices would you give to young producers?
Keep doing what you love. As long as you enjoy it, keep going. Experiment, learn, fail, succeed.
How do you listen to music? Do you listen to the production first, or the melodies, or the vocals first?
Generally the overall ‘feeling’ of the song, the music is there to tell somebody’s story and to convey somebodies emotion, I always listen to the story that’s being told first, the production is there to help tell the story better.
What do you think of today’s music industry? If you had to change one thing, what would it be?
If were just talking about 'pop’ music , I think a lot of it has no emotion attached, it’s like the mcdonalds equivalent of music. People consume it but it’s generally just garbage. It’s a shame because a lot of amazing tracks are bypassed (for example) if they have “a long intro” or don’t fit specifically into a genre or box. It’s such a shame for music.
You are from Manchester, UK. What can you tell us about the Manchester music scene?
Manchester has always been a thriving city. We’re both proud to be mancunians and there’s always something going on here. We have a love/hate relationship with it.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
Anywhere away from the studio. The studio is just a place to put the ideas together, like a laboratory. All the emotions, the feelings, the ideas come away from the studio and are taken from everyday life. It could be something as simple as a new film, or a line you heard someone say on the train, or a specific memory. It could be anything. Once you get the idea, I’ll write it down, or save it to my phone. We’ll pass the ideas back and forth until we’ve got this mapped out track. Now it’s time to sit in the studio and put it together…
What message do you want to deliver through your music?
We want to give people a comfort and escape from the pressures of life that everyone faces on a daily basis. A way to connect with their emotions and help make someone’s life easier. A lot of people out there are just trying to get through the day and we want to help them do that.
What’s your purpose?
To keep working at our craft, keep making the best music we can, and to keep telling great stories and making great art for people to connect with.
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