rocco,
rocco, has just released his newest single titled “mtn”. What I love about this song is the topic behind it and the production. “mtn” is relatable, inspiring and beautiful. Listening to it makes me feel good and hopeful - definitely what I need right now :)
Thank you so much rocco, for this thoughtful conversation, and happy release day.
“mtn” is available now :)
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
My name is rocco, I’m an artist, a poem, a poet, from somewhere prior to what I’m operating as right here, right now. I’m an amalgamation of everything i’ve ever interfaced with, and yet still something that has never been touched by any of it. The name started as rocco nugent. Then it became rocco moon, cuz it seemed that most people couldn’t see me with that last name cuz it had a relatively significant shadow wherever it followed me. Eventually i noticed the last name would change but I was still rocco, like, anything could come after the word rocco, sun, moon. wind, cloud, and yes I tried all those, but no matter what came after, I was always me. so there was that part. Then another aspect of it landed. it felt like everything was a run on sentence, like life, with no end, just pauses, no periods, even death, just moments of speed change, pacing, so the comma got added. so now I go by “rocco,”
"mtn" is your new single - what's the inspiration behind this song?
The inspiration behind this song is that feeling you get when you rock climbing and there’s no way you can go down, the only way is up, and it’s scary to reach forward, but you don’t really have a choice. fear tries to convince you that if you stop and freeze maybe you won’t have to deal with the situation, but something down inside you knows that you have to lean forward and commit to the next step. That’s what the song is about. It’s about seeing your dreams and feeling what is required to make them become reality, and leaning forward into making it happen. which is really about allowing it to happen. like that tame impala song. let it happen. just get out of the way and make ur dreams come true. Or like that Shia Labeouf green screen video… “just do it! make your dreams come true.” That part. Lean in. stop entertaining the story your ego is telling you and lean forward into the climb. find that point of no return. and keep going.
When did you start working on "mtn"? Could you describe the songwriting/production process? Who helped you create it?
This song took several chapters to get birthed into how it is now. I’m pretty sure the beat was made in 2015, along with the majority of the lyrics, verses, and hook. and that’s when I was working with Bobby Campbell, who was mixing Logic’s album at the time, “Everybody” and I would hear snippets of it and I’d get super inspired. Then Bobby introduced me to Drew Kapner, who had all the missing elements to fill in the cracks with the production. He really helped it cross the finish line. He added synths, low end, guitar, and really brought that core sample and melody to life. My brothers Saucey downs, Elijah from the moon, Alpha London, Jimmy Mcmurrin, Azzdine, Banco Greenway; all helped it manifest. just by being brothers. standing by my side and giving me honest feedback along the way. Bobby Campbell, Tyler Gordon, and Drew Kapner helped it become a legit record with real body and depth. Jon Ancheta came into the picture and helped the vision become reality. Matt Thompson and Matt Law saw something they believed in to bring the video itself to real life. So I did all this work with the creation of the music, and the video, and I guess I didn’t think about the marketing and promotion of it. I didn’t have a manger and was doing it all myself, so I guess I just forgot about that part lol, so I put it out and asked friends to share it and to spread the word, but it didn’t get much traction. Then, in a whole other chapter, after I had put out the video and taken it down again, Greg Papania came into my life and saw that it deserved real promotion and support that it hadn’t gotten before. I felt him see me and understand the bigger vision. We took everything I had released as “rocco moon” offline and started fresh. He then introduced me to an engineer named Barry Rashawn and we mixed it to where it is now. Wow. Writing all that really shows the journey this one song went on. ha. It’s a process. It’s a climb indeed.
What did you feel when writing this song?
It felt like “dreams come true.”not just that they “can” come true, but they are supposed to, thats why they’re inside of us. It’s that feeling that the impossible is possible. That adidas is going to be calling soon for that collab. These app ideas I have, that turned into pitch decks and business plans are meant to become reality. That feeling that if you can see it, if you can feel it, if you can dream it, you can become it, and you can live it. and it’s genuinely a lot of fun when you have loved ones nearby on the same trajectory to enjoy the journey with.
What do you want people to feel when listening to this song?
Inspiration. like the energy you need to climb a mountain. and live the life of your most epic dreams.
What made you want to release "mtn" as a single?
It felt like the energy I wanted to say hi to everyone with … it was also connected to the clarity of seeing the vision for the music video. That definitely influenced choosing it as the leading foot.
What can you tell us about the music video?
I could tell you a lot , but i’d rather you watch it with headphones by yourself without distractions start to finish. It’s a pretty private sensation that comes over someone who intimately knows that feeling of climbing a mountain, particularly the mountain of your dreams. You meet others along the way. some stay, some go, some return, some don’t. either way, at the end of each day, it’s just you, and your own relationship with the climb.
How's it like to release music in 2021? Any challenges?
Eh, when you have the other avengers and jedi around you that are masters at what you aren’t the best at… It’s easier than when your solo trying to do it on your own.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
The hardest part… probably simplifying it all and compressing into the matrix. Putting it all into a box with edges. The best part… being free, discovering endless perfection that was hidden by the greatest mystery right under your nose.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
Man. Today’s music industry is a wild place. Chaos shamans have caused many people to feel like they are missing out on the life they are supposed to be living. the music industry is ridden with viruses in the matrix that cause people to focus on material possessions, sex, money, and social hierarchy status. It’s a really dense place to exist and identify within. I grew up on rock ‘n roll tours and those ideas & style of consciousness was hidden in plain sight in the music and really affected me. And in turn affected the way I saw myself and the world. It’s where my journey of self discovery and artistic expression really began. If I could change one thing about the music industry, I would implement some type of measurement regulation system or rating system of some kind that gives each artist some type of rating that signifies where their consciousness is coming from - and where they scale in the vibrational spectrum - and every time they put out low vibrational music it shows up on a meter… I think it’s called scalar waves. like, J Cole to Playboi Carti. full spectrum. If there’s wisdom or ridiculous ignorance that’s causing young people to hurt themselves, these artists are like brands, or companies, and they have to pass certain regulations in order to get organic or “USDA” stamp. Like how acidic, how alkaline the water is. like years ago with the parental advisory sticker. It would be a rating system on what style of consciousness that any artist is proliferating or emanating out into the world.
Besides music, what are you passionate about?
Clarity. Bliss. Making film. Watching film. Making love. Running through forests. Traveling. Staying still and silent. Observing the divine. Animals and children. Jaguars. Sunsets and sunrises. Optimizing creative epiphanies. Studying culture of different people from different places. Anthropology. Yoga. Acting in film. Assisting artists in expressing their vision. Assisting souls with getting clear on their mission. Early mornings with coffee and friends and art and cold wind grazing your skin. Poetry. Video games. And popcorn. I interface with all of it as one thing tho. my yogic journey calls it “dharma” or my literal purpose for existing. My highest bliss is assisting clarity, accentuating articulation, and sometimes that manifests in the expression of truth, beauty, or wisdom. teaching is another form it takes. and I currently teach 3 versions of that. Self realization, self clarification, and self resolution. my next online course “mirror alchemy” is coming soon.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
“fomo” is a reflection or a mirror of the souls trauma. If you resolve fomo, you move towards realizing what you are unwilling to miss out on. When you aren’t missing out on anything, you are fully reflective, crystal clear clarity, in absolutely full harmony with all of existence, drinking from an endless well of bliss nectar.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
More self realized beings whom are empowered with true understanding of the core issue at the root of all suffering.
What message do you want to give to anyone struggling with their mental health?
Identifying your mental health issues is the beginning. That’s where my journey began, and it evolved once I started going to therapy and taking my trauma seriously. Eventually it led to my desire for enlightenment, or true spiritual resolution of my suffering. raja and kriya yoga showed me the actual meaning of all the christian stuff I grew up inside of, but never understood. I would say, get away from all dogma, and don’t take anyone’s word for it. See it for yourself. The universe is a beautiful place once you realize you have a massive role in its creation and expansion. Get to know yourself, and you will simultaneously get to know the infinite creator of all things. That will inevitably resolve all issues labeled as mental health.
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