Chris Lanzon
Chris Lanzon might be one of the best artists I’ve ever featured on my blog. To be honest with you, I am always very proud to get to feature amazing artists every day, but featuring Chris Lanzon is a true honor, and let me tell you why.
His art is inspiring. I think it’s the best word I can find to describe what he does. His music inspires me. His visuals inspire me. His new project Far From Perfect inspires me. It is seriously one of the best things I’ve heard in a long time. It is by far the best project I’ve featured on my blog in 2021 so far. It’s new, different, unique, honest, vulnerable, beautiful and real. Australian artists are definitely some of the best out there and Lanzon is no exception.
Chris Lanzon has a bright future ahead and he definitely has the potential to be one of the greatest artists in the game, sooo make sure to check him out :)
Far From Perfect is now available worldwide !!
Photo credit: Joseph Clough
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
Hey! I’m Chris. I’m 20, almost 21, from Sydney, Australia. I make music. It’s something I’ve always been drawn to as my most ‘natural’ form of expression. It’s really my way of getting my thoughts and feelings out of my head. As for my story… Once I found my love for music I started busking and getting up at local open mic nights around the age of 10, just to get out there. I would mainly do covers, but was writing and performing some of my own stuff too. I also did a bit of acting around this time and had an agent, and when I was 13 they told me about this TV show that was coming to Australia called ‘The Voice’ but for kids. They asked if I’d be interested in auditioning. I wasn’t a huge fan of reality talent shows like that, but decided to give it a go. It was a huge and accelerated learning experience and I’m grateful for it. It also gave me a little bit of an audience, more people were watching what I was doing. After the show I started a band with a couple friends, it was like teen pop, and we were still so young and had no idea what we were doing - but it was fun and a great learning experience through those years, so I’m grateful. That all ended when I was 17, and I took a couple years off to figure out who I was and just grow up a little. Through that time of growing up, trying to find myself and working through suppressed feelings of loss, confusion and loneliness, I made my debut project Melancholy and have been working on my own stuff since!
How would you define Chris Lanzon?
The simplest way of defining my music I think is ‘music for your feelings’. I write from a super personal and vulnerable place, and I hope in turn people can relate to the songs with their own feelings and experiences. And to define ‘Chris Lanzon’ as a person… well, what an existential question! I guess I’m a guy who really cares about making meaningful art and adding value to people’s lives in some way. A good friend, partner, and collaborator. That’s what I strive to be, at least.
You recently released your new EP Far From Perfect - how do people respond to this project so far?
The response has been really warm! Leading up to this project I wanted to make more of an effort to really engage with the people who have been listening to my music. From being more active on social media to creating a discord server and mailing list - I feel like I’ve gotten a lot closer to my audience, and that’s made the release even more rewarding seeing them react and connect to the music. I’m really glad that they’ve been responding so positively!
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this project? When did you start working on it?
It was an ongoing process of learning new things with each song, and each feeling I wanted to dive into. I started working on it about a year ago, with early ideas for a couple of the songs - then as I kept writing the concept of the project started to take shape. My process was quite isolated for it, partly due to the pandemic, and partly due to the introspective headspace I was in. I wrote, produced and mixed the songs alone in my home studio set up, only collaborating in a couple of brief writing sessions with friends for a two of the songs.
What different topics are you talking about on this EP?
The main feelings I wanted to explore with this project were reflective of where I was in my life at that point in time. Coming out of my first project Melancholy which was explored a search for purpose and identity through coming-of-age, this project went deeper in a more introspective way. Each song kind of tells its own story and explores its own feeling, but themes of self-doubt, self-reflection, growth and gratitude are throughout.
What did you feel when writing "More Than Words"?
A lot of things. I feel like with each verse of this song I wanted to explore a different feeling, all feelings that you can’t “put into words”. From loneliness and unjustified sadness, to overwhelming gratitude and love. It was one of those songs that I didn’t think about too much while I was writing, it just kind of came out as I was sitting at the guitar. I think it’s my favourite song on the project, and the most honest and vulnerable.
You self-wrote/produced/mixed this project. What was the hardest part about doing it all by yourself? And what was your favourite part?
I love the process of being super hands on with what I make. It makes every part of the creation process feel intentional, which is quite comforting - but I also enjoy collaborating when the time is right! I worked with a couple friends on this project, like my friend Nick Ward for ‘Always Forever’, and Franco Reid on ‘New York, Falling Apart’. Franco also played some live drums on ‘Figure Me Out’ and ‘Always Forever’ which added a lot of life to the songs. I’m excited to collaborate more in future, it definitely gets challenging doing the majority alone as I can get super in my head about things sometimes. So it’s nice to have other perspectives on board when creating, too!
What did you learn about yourself after finishing this project?
Through making this project and reflecting on it after the fact, I learned a lot about the acceptance of imperfection. That’s definitely what I was exploring through these songs, even subconsciously. I think it’s natural for humans to strive for perfection, but it’s rare things work out exactly the way we want them to. It’s important to be okay with that, and take failures and low points in our lives as lessons and places to grow from. That’s what I wanted to reflect in the title too, it’s okay to feel ‘Far From Perfect’, that’s what makes life worth living.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
The artwork was a photo taken when I went on a road trip down to the south coast of Australia after finishing the project. I wanted to reflect on the songs I’d just made and also create a bit of a visual identity for them through a short film / documentary, and some photos. This shot stood out to me and I think it captured the feeling of the music quite well, both with the vast environment, and my body positioning. It also pairs nicely with the Melancholy artwork.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
I think the hardest part is being fully vulnerable and allowing everyone to see all those parts of you. As an artist you pour your deepest and most honest thoughts and feelings into your work - expressing the way you see things in a form that others can access and connect with. While this part of it can be an overwhelming process, and scary at times, I’d also say that it is the best part as well. Pouring everything you have into what you make and in turn seeing people connect with it in ways that adds value to their own lives is so, so rewarding. It’s a beautiful thing and makes it all worth it.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
I want people to know that they’re never alone. Life is beautiful, and it’s what you make of it. I hope that through my music other people like me can feel a little more understood.
Connect with Chris: