CUBBI unveils "nothingspecial"
South-African singer/songwriter/producer CUBBI unveils his debut EP nothingspecial.
Fusing elements of pop, electro and r&b, the musician is revealing a promising debut EP. The 6 track EP explores his hardships - confronting his battles with sexuality, addiction, and mental illness.
“It’s pretty much a documented journey from being really badly cheated on with my long term, now ex, partner and rediscovering who I am through what I thought was a “good and healthy grieving process” of binge drinking, drugs, and being a serial rebound dater, to put it lightly. It was a wild time, let me just say that,” explains CUBBI.
With the help of David Balshaw and Bubele Booi, the Cape Town-based artist painted a truthful record through unique productions and crafty melodies.
nothing special reveals CUBBI as a genuine artist with a story to tell.
The debut EP includes his previous releases “Rippling”, “GTFO”, "Buzzkill" & "White Lies, Like Flies".
nothingspecial is now available worldwide.
Hi! How are you? What have you been up to since our first conversation?
Hey again! I’ve been doing well thanks, just a bit stressed out at the moment. Lots of work to get done. Since we last spoke I’ve been working on getting my live show together which is now happening in Cape Town on April 25th, as well as reimagining my already released music for more stripped down live videos which we are shooting soon, so I’m very excited about that. I have also been working on a couple secret projects to be released sometime before the end of the year. But that’s very hush hush for now.
You’ve just released your debut EP nothingspecial. Could you describe us the songwriting/production process? Who did you collaborate with?
It was a very fun project to put together. I worked with extremely talented engineers and producers such as David Balshaw and Bubele Booi. Not to mention my manager and engineer whom without them this project couldn’t have been possible, Kelly Sayer and Pedro Calloni. The songwriting process varied from track to track, but everything came from a very personal and heartfelt place. Listening back to the finished product it feels like the soundtrack of the past few years of my life.
What are the different topics you are talking about on this project?
I discuss heartbreak, breaking hearts and the struggles that come from both, specifically the emotional toll it takes on your mental health. It’s pretty much a documented journey from being really badly cheated on with my long term, now ex, partner and rediscovering who I am through what I thought was a “good and healthy grieving process” of binge drinking, drugs, and being a serial rebound dater, to put it lightly. It was a wild time, let me just say that.
"Lose A Love" is the first track of the EP. Could you tell us a little bit about this song? What made you want to put this particular song as the first track of the EP?
It’s the start to the journey of the EP. It’s the introduction to the kind of heartbreak I wanted the listener to hear before continuing through the songs. Ironically for an “intro song” it’s the longest track on the EP. I was inspired by Fiona Apple’s writing (it’s hard not to be) as well as Francis and the Lights when making this one. Perhaps that’s why I wanted it stripped when it came to the production.
"White Lies, Like Flies" is the last track of the EP. What did you feel when writing this song?
All the feels. Wow. This was actually the first track on the EP I had full produced before anything else was done. It’s the story of my relationship with my ex, and my relationship with myself after things had finally ended. It was a very messy break up. It’s me telling myself I need to move on. When trust gets broken, and I mean like smashed to pieces, sometimes it’s better to move on and heal on your own rather than spending time trying to repair things. You got to know when a relationship is too messed up to stay in it. It took me a while but I got there eventually.
What was your favorite part about making this EP? And what was the hardest part?
When it came to making the EP, my favorite part was hearing myself back after cutting the vocals for the tracks. There’s some level of magic hearing a demo for the first time, hearing a specific part of your life reflected back at you through music. I’m always like damn, I can relate to this song, I can relate to me so well lol. Hardest part has been fine tuning tiny parts of each track to where it’s at a certain level. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to my art and if it isn’t where I know it can be then I keep changing things until the song sits just right.
What did you learn about yourself after finishing the EP?
That I should believe in myself. I can do this whole artist journey thing. So much self doubt and questioning before, it was sometimes paralyzing.
What made you want to name your EP nothingspecial?
nothingspecial is the nihilist in me making a joke of my own work and experiences. Just like the relationship that sparked the first track of the EP wasn’t actually special, this EP could be the biggest load of musical trash out there and maybe I’m just too deaf to hear it. It’s a fail safe for me, if the project crashes and burns and people listen to it and hate it I can always say “I told you it was nothing special”.
But also seriously, it doesn’t suck, go listen to it now if you’re reading this and DM me on instagram @cubculture_ to tell me what you think. Shameless plug.
What message do you want to deliver to the readers of this blog?
I want to remind them to floss daily. And to stream nothingspecial while they do so.
Lastly, I wanna give everyone at Thread. a shout out for always asking the best questions and for the continued support. Hope you guys enjoy my debut project.
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