STRUAN
The first thing that caught my attention with STRUAN was his visual art. I'm a fan of great art and seeing STRUAN's visuals got me interested in his music. After seeing how great his visuals were, I hoped for his music to be that good. I always say that the visuals have to be as good as the music. It's so important (at least for me) because having good visuals can make a song stand out even more.
And STRUAN's music is GREAT. His EP No One Knows You Better is one of my favorite projects of this year. I instantly knew that “make it” (with LVRBOY) will become one of my favorites records.
And today, the Nashville-based artist has a new song out. It’s called "Over You" and it's another big record with another big hook. He has this ability of writing big hook melodies just like “Elizabeth” and “Better” - it’s pretty amazing to hear.
Congrats on your new single STRUAN and thank you so much for this conversation.
“Over You” is out now :)
Photo credit: The Dwyers
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I grew up in Arlington, Va, just outside of DC. I went to college in Charlottesville, Va at UVA with a brief interruption to come to Nashville for a year. I knew I wanted to come back so I moved down in May of 2015 the week I graduated. I was doing singer/songwriter stuff before—basically figuring out who I was musically. I think the STRUAN stuff was the first time I felt I’d created something that was truly me.
When did you start feeling connected to music?
One of my earliest memories is dancing to “Bennie and the Jets” in my living room with my siblings and mom. She would sing to us and play piano and her little Spanish classical guitar. I remember strumming on it at the age of about four “writing songs” about cowboys or something. My dad also plays bagpipes and I would walk around my pre-school humming “Scotland the Brave” all the time (look it up you’re gonna get a good laugh).
What did you grow up listening to?
From an early age I listened to The Beatles and all the classics. Later I found bands like Third Eye Blind, U2, Coldplay, The Killers, and Tom Petty. I feel like those are my big five—my biggest influences, along with Don Henley and a few others.
Do you remember a specific moment where music made a huge difference in your life?
There have been countless moments where I was going through something painful and I heard a song that felt as if it had been written about my life in that moment. My first heartbreak at sixteen was one where I remember listening to “Mr. Brightside” and “Read My Mind” by The Killers on repeat. My goal with my music is to write songs that make people feel as understood as I did.
I think most people act as though high school relationships aren’t serious because they don’t last (and in most cases shouldn’t) and therefore teenagers don’t understand real heartbreak. I would argue the opposite. I think that I occasionally still draw from the feelings and tumult of that initial relationship for inspiration and that much of all art is inspired by youthful romance. Because you’re so innocent at that age, you haven’t become jaded or cynical, and therefore you feel everything more deeply. Music got me through high school, heartbreak, and is getting me through my twenties. I think the coolest thing would be to be a part of someone’s story like that.
At what point did you know you had to be an artist and release your original music?
I grew up in an Army family—my dad was an Army officer and both of my brothers are Army guys as well. As a little kid I always thought I would do that. By the time I was in middle school though I was in a band, playing shows, writing songs, making terrible recordings with my friends. I knew it was all I ever wanted to do.
Who was the first person to ever believe in you?
My family was always very supportive. I’m very fortunate in that way. A lot of people think because my dad was an Army guy he would be by-the-book, but in a way he’s more willing to say, “go for it, take a risk, commit fully”. My sister was always selling my merch and even tickets to my shows. My brother is the first one who started playing drums and showed me a few things. That really got me into actually playing music in the first place.
How would you define STRUAN, the artist?
STRUAN is who I am without any filters. The good and the bad. In every day life, and especially in dating, I can’t always be totally honest. I’m not saying I’m deceitful, but I can’t reach out to my ex and say I miss her. I just write a song about it instead. STRUAN is an honest outlet for every urge I have that gets shut down by my inhibitions—every late night text I never send (or do), every impulse that crosses my mind but that I never act on, and my doubts about my decisions.
When I started this project I had been feeling pretty burned out and I wanted to make music fun again. Part of that meant sonically writing music that sounded like a band—that people would hear and think “band” not “singer-songwriter/solo artist”. It also meant writing songs about my life that I felt deeply and that people would connect to easily and would want to sing along to. I made a creative brief at the beginning and in it I wrote this:
“STRUAN is music for the teenager who went to college and discovered alcohol and girls and then realized that life looks more romantic between ten AM and four thirty AM and lit by city lights in sky scrapers. It’s about never being sure if you should have broken up with her. It’s three AM on your friends couch in their apartment in LA and you can’t sleep.”
"Over You" is your new single - what's the story behind this song?
“Over You” came while I was in a phase of running away from the fallout and all the friends I felt I’d lost through a break-up. I was on a layover in New York on my way to London and found myself literally stumbling through Manhattan with a buddy from high school and I remember thinking, “what the hell am I doing? I’m way too drunk, and I’m not having any fun right now.”
Could you describe us the songwriting/production process? Who helped you create it?
Sometimes I find that I write songs that later come true. My friend Oren and I were in LA on his rooftop and had been playing with some melodies when the chorus just came out whole. It felt really cathartic but I didn’t know what it was about. Shortly thereafter I broke up with my then-girlfriend. Maybe it was subconscious and I knew deep down I was going to end things with her and felt conflicted about it. I sat on that chorus for months before I wrote the verses.
What made you want to release "Over You" as a single?
Sonically it’s a step in the direction that I’m going. A little less 80s. I also just wanted to release something anthemic that has a little more energy than my last singles, “Make It” and “Elizabeth”. I love those songs; I just want to keep things interesting. I think of this song as part of the second iteration of STRUAN. I’m working on the third right now to be released later this year and it’s fun to see a progression.
What's your goal for this new single?
I’m really proud of it. I want people to hear it. I hope they connect with it emotionally. That’s always the goal really.
You recently released "make it" with LVRBOY. What's your favorite thing about this song?
He’s my best friend—he’s literally in my family’s group text, and we’ve written so much together. This song blended both of our sounds, songwriting, and stories as people into something that is somehow equally representative of both of us. I love that. We got to live out our dreams of being in a band again for a little.
My favorite thing about that song specifically is that the chorus is fun and hooky, while also painting a true picture—“all those nights drunk in the kitchen, I stayed up trying to fix it”. That was a picture of both of me and LVRBOY’s last romantic relationships.
What lessons did you learn after releasing your EP "No One Knows You Better"?
I knew I was proud of all of those songs and had played them live and seen a good response. To me creating good art that speaks to others is the priority—I have little control of how it performs. Spotify was awesome enough to add the songs on “No One Knows You Better” to some big editorial playlists—a few New Music Fridays in different countries as well as some of the genre ones—the biggest one being “Indie Pop”. I guess the lesson was to trust my gut, and ultimately just to put it out there and see what happens and be grateful to have the opportunity to share my music. Also, I learned that the curators at Spotify really do care about finding new, smaller artists and I think that’s amazing.
Who's helping you create your visuals? What vision do you have for your art?
Two of my best (and most talented) friends—Connor and Rachel Dwyer. I’ve known them since before they were married so it’s really fun to get to see how they work together as a team now that they’ve joined forces, so to speak.
I want to take more risks with my newer music, both musically and visually. I have the next two EPs written and almost fully recorded. In my opinion, they’re the best songs I’ve ever written and I want to take this thing as far as it’ll go. Once it’s safe for everyone with the pandemic I want to tour—nationally and internationally.
What does it mean for you to be an artist?
It means giving up my privacy and sharing my experiences in the hopes of creating something meaningful for others. I think I’m creating some raw, fun, emotionally honest songs that are going to be fun and cathartic for people to sing along to. Hopefully my ex is okay with it.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
In spite of everything going on right now, the world is a beautiful place with a lot of good in it. Trials like the pandemic or on a smaller scale the Nashville tornado—as terrible as they are, bring out some of the beauty in the way people respond to it through acts of kindness and self-sacrifice. We’re all going through this together and there’s a comfort in that. I think simply remembering that you can make beauty out of bad things and finding a way to do so is a step towards making the world a better place. This is especially relevant for us songwriters trying to make beautiful songs out of sadness that help others feel understood or give them hope.
What message do you want to give to the world?
My love life is a mess too and at the very least I hope belting “Over You” in your car helps you get over your ex. We may not have it figured out but at least we can have some fun singing about it.
Connect with STRUAN: