Bo Baskoro
I automatically got inspired by Bo Baskoro’s story. His music definitely brings light to this world. His new single “The Lonely Nights” is such a great song. I love the topic behind this song and I love the melodies. To me, “The Lonely Nights” is a song that deserves to be heard from everyone. It’s a smash.
The song is about the frustration of knowing that even though you feel used, manipulated, and lied to by the person who left you, you still love them and want them to be happy, even if it’s with the person they left you for," he says.
“The Lonely Nights” is now available everywhere.
Introduce yourself - what's the story of Bo Baskoro?
I’m from Portland, Oregon. I got into music because my favorite character in Donkey Kong 64 played the trombone. I started writing sad songs because I saw an old episode of Smallville on the CW. Originally I wanted to be a martial arts instructor. I had a hip surgery that kept me from walking for 6 months and forced me to move into my moms one bedroom place and sleep in her walk in closet. After that, I started working on more music and through a series of serendipitous events, I ended up in Indonesia meeting my dad and his family for the first time which changed my perspective of who I was. Then I started focusing on my mental health. I have Tourette’s, OCD, ADHD and depression and I really wanted to learn how to navigate through my life carrying all of those things because it gets in the way of my aspirations. So I started with therapy, then psychiatry, EMDR(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and then I just finished TMS(Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)… I think I hit the bullet points, (laughs).
When did you start making music? When did you know you could sing?
I started making music after hearing the song “Where I stood” by Missy Higgins on season 7, episode 4 of Smallville. I felt so sad listening to it while this breakup was happening and i decided that I wanted to write music that would make people sad because that’s what it did for me at that point… sadistic, I know…
I don’t think it was every a thing of “realizing” I could sing, it was more that I knew how to hold a tune to get the point across, (laughs).
Who was the first person to ever believe in you and your music, professionally?
Professionally? That’s a really good question… I feel like it might have been the first sync house that ever reached out to me to put my music in their library, (laughs)! I think that’s a good sign that I must have done something right for them to want my tunes.
"The Lonely Nights" is your new single - what's the inspiration behind this song?
I think the message I’m trying to get across is “being broken hearted but also mad and low-key annoyed at the fact that you still want good things and happiness for the person who broke your heart”… I think?
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this single? Who helped you create it?
The song writing came pretty quickly. I knew what I wanted to say and I got the lyrics out pretty fast. The production was during my awkward stage where I was trying to transition through a musical phase I was going to. So it originally sounded super synth driven but I knew I wanted something a bit harder. So I took it to my buddy Justin who’s co-produced a ton with me, we work so well together and always get super weird in the studio. We mess with a lot of irrational sounds that ended making the song.
What's your favorite lyric on "The Lonely Nights”?
Oof, that’s so tough. Truthfully, I love the chorus.
“I hate that I just want you happy
even when you’re telling me goodbye
Don’t tell me that you’re hurting with me
Cuz I’m the one here with The Lonely nights”
That one has some pretty big significance for me.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
Well, I was short on time and found this photo of me, alone, at night… and I said, “perfect”.
But also I think it’s sick because the photo was an entire accident and shot on my friend’s broken camera. The film was damaged and we wanted to see what was even shot, so we had it developed and bob’s your uncle, we had ourselves an album cover.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
Working backwards, the best part is the creativity of the melody and arranging parts around it. The hardest part is that artists put so much energy into something the are irrevocably in love with and passionate about and they release it into the world and it’s often seldom heard. You have to really love it and enjoy it to be willing to put so much into something that won’t always get the recognition that it deserves.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be
I have a lot of thoughts about it… In short, I don’t think the industry is sustainable. If I could chance one thing about it, it would be that we wouldn’t have to be expected to be content creators as well. It’s become so unhealthy and again, unsustainable that not only do we have to put our energy into our passion but now we have to become machines and slaves to the algorithm in order to get any more recognition which adds to an already struggling artists mental capacity threshold. I work in a few other industries and there are so many people that get hired for one job and end up doing three other people’s jobs and it is once again unsustainable… sorry, (laughs), I could go ooooon about that.
Besides music, what are you passionate about?
Man, I’m passionate about a lot. I’m a big gamer, currently playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom and Final Fantasy 16. I also love anime and comics, which all of these were what inspired me to get into music. I grew up doing martial arts so that’s always been my outlet, I’m currently training in Muay Thai, Jujitsu and Eskrima… I could literally go on, (laughs). I have too much on my plate because I’m too easily interested in things.
What message do you want to give to anyone struggling with their mental health?
Great question… even though it can feel like nothing will ever help, keep searching and keep fighting. There are so many resources that people are afraid to try or intimated by. But I got to a place where I was willing to do anything to be able to have the tools to combat my own mind and after years and years and years of prioritizing my physical and mental health, I’m starting to feel the results. It’s always a journey and the battle will always be there but if you’re prioritizing your mental health, I promise it gets better!
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Uuuuuh, that is so hard! I think if people had genuine compassion for themselves and others, we’d probably be able to at least have more understanding of the different perspectives in the world. Shoot, if people were ACTUALLY willing to be open about the reality of different perspectives, I bet that would be a game changer.
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