Hvnnibvl
Hvnnibvl recently released his new single “Never Enough” and it is an instant smash. It was impossible for me to say no to this release. It has catchy melodies, an effective production and a feel good vibe. “Never Enough” will get stuck in your head. You’d want to play it over and over again - and this is exactly what I’ve been doing.
Hvnnibvl is an Artist. A promising talent with a great vision and I cannot wait to hear/see more.
“Never Enough” is now available everywhere.
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
My name is John Jacob Hannibal V, I am the fifth of this name in my family. I’m originally from Buffalo, NY though Los Angeles, CA is home now. I love art - drawing, fashion, most notably music. I have been a drummer since I was 3 years old. I started producing music at the age of 12 and started singing around a similar age. I’ve spent the majority of my life thus far working on songs and figuring out how to be a better artist.
What did you grow up listening to?
I listened to a lot of music growing up. My parents were always divorced so I got to see different sides of a lot of culture in general. Musically my father’s side introduced me to a lot of the classic Motown, Hip Hop, Funk, R&B. Musically my mother’s side gave me appreciation for Alternative, Rock, Pop, and in my early age a lot of Indian music. I’ve actively tried to introduce sounds from the things that inspired me into my songs in a Pop format over specifically the last 3 years or so.
When did you start making music? What was the biggest challenge when you first started?
I think the hugest challenge being a 12 year old wanting to be a Pop star level producer was how to get people to take me seriously so young. Between that and trying to make sure I had clean mixes (still struggle with this from time to time based on the sound design), that was certainly the hardest part of my beginning.
When did you know you had to be an artist and release your original music?
I knew at about 14 that I was supposed to take this as seriously as I have since that point. I think I put out my first EP at 14 (under a different artist name, won’t tell you what it is but I dare you to find it and I’ll shout you out), and it got accepted on Datpiff. That was defining because I said “This may not be the max of my potential being so young, but it was good enough to get accepted on one of the biggest hip hop hubs right now).
Who was the first person to ever believe in you?
I’m not quite sure how to answer that, I think that I had a lot of collective support from my friends and family throughout the time that I’ve pursued art, all the way back from when I used to draw.
"Never Enough" is your new single - what's the inspiration/story behind this single?
Basically I love 80s music, I have countless project files with 80s inspired beats. I’ve just always struggled to find a lane to put any of that sort of music out, but when you hear people like The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, countless others drawing inspo from funk and synth pop, it makes you feel like that is welcomed. So, I wrote a song about a guy chasing a girl that doesn’t love him back the same - his efforts were “never enough” and he can’t seem to understand why. A classic tale, just placed over some 80’s synth pop.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this single?
Very fun! This soundscape is by far one of my favorites that I’ve pieced together to make a song. I am certainly what I see as more of a producer at heart (though others have always had opinions one way or the other) over anything else that I do, but I’ve always had a vision for full songs and wanted to do all the pieces alone to make it really my art. I’m explaining this because I always start by producing a beat and writing around it, then doing post production after it’s recorded. Same story with this song, this just happens to be my favorite of my career.
When did you know "Never Enough" had to be a single?
After the chorus came about - “It was Never enough, ahhh, ahhh” too catchy and too much great space between the words to not be something that was ready for mass consumption.
What's your favorite thing about this song?
Definitely the production as I said before. If you want to knit pick, the bassline / bass sound and the percussion as a whole in the chorus.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
If you follow my Instagram @hvnnibvlmusic you’ll see exactly what the art is about - this entire run of singles (which will provide an album soon) is focused around an action figure version of myself. I wanted a portrayal of myself that wasn’t actually me. Originally I wanted to make a series of drawings to do that because I also draw, but I started going down the rabbit hole online and noticed that there’s a huge community of people that make custom streetwear for action figures (I am heavily involved in sneakers and streetwear so this was appealing). So, I had someone make a version of my head, put it onto an action figure body, and ordered a bunch of miniature accessories for it to make things more personable with its portrayal.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
Hardest part is 100% dealing with the lack of consistency, I’ve seen many days of highs and lows. The best part is fulfilling something in life that most people don’t get the chance to do, especially if you can make a living from it.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I’d rather not talk about this much because I have opinions on it that even though many probably also think, is something we’d rather not vocalize. That said, the one thing I could change goes hand in hand with my opinions in that there needs to be more risk taking - like there used to be before social media - on genuinely great creatives by larger corporations.
What advice would you give to artists out there?
This is not the game for everybody but if you love it enough, you will succeed.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
More funding for art. Art runs the world, it’s the most sought after thing - yet nobody pays creatives for their worth, it’s complete bullshit and it needs to be changed. Also, 4 day work weeks in the corporate work.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
I used to struggle, and would say sometimes I still do, with patience. But, you have to be patient and things do happen for reasons unbeknownst to us. You’ll end up where you’re meant to be.
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