T. Lopea
T. Lopea recently released his debut album titled International Man of Mystique and it’s an authentic project about self-discovery, nostalgia and letting go.
T. Lopea’s story is fascinating and inspiring. I love what he’s all about. He has a true musical identity with a real vision and it feels good to see artists like that.
The first record fuses influences from Italian music and rock music. By creating a very unique sound on this record, T.Lopea is introducing himself as a true Artist.
International Man of Mystique is now available worldwide :)
Photo credit: Jordan Shields
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
My name is T. Lopea, and I have been in Australia since 2019. When I first arrived here I was in a car accident and lost most of my memory. I think that I came here for business to sell music boxes. So now I am searching for the music boxes as they have been scattered across Sydney. Each of the music box melodies help me to remember who I am, and hopefully one day I can remember where I came from, and my name; Toby Lopea? Timothy Lopea? Theodore Lopea? I'm not sure but T. Lopea is good for now.
How would you define T. Lopea, the artist?
Confused is a great word! I love to travel (before covid) and learn new things about people and the world, and these things inspired me to create music boxes and sell them (I think). In my opinion, a good melody or song is understandable whoever you are, wherever you are from, and whatever language you speak. It is the language that can unite us all as humans. At the moment I have been very inspired by rock music, and created this rock inspired record 'International Man of Mystique'. There is a lot of Italian influence in these songs too. I think I must have been travelling to Italy recently, as I did find a burnt passport page with an Italy travel stamp.
International Man of Mystique is your debut record. How's it feel like to release your first album ever?
It is exciting, and a great relief! Since I came to Sydney in 2019, I have found 8 of these music boxes. To turn them into recorded songs is a great way for me to catalogue them, and an easy way to help me listen and remember things. The recording takes a lot of time and money of course, but I love doing it. These 8 music boxes have formed this debut record 'International Man of Mystique'. The process has made me want to make many more albums! Hopefully soon I can find some more of my lost music boxes.
Could you describe the songwriting/production/recording process? When did you start working on this project? Who helped you create it?
I would normally find a music box (sometimes by pure luck in the street) and listen through it. The melodies were taken from these boxes, and I would then often remember a lot of little details from my past life that I could turn into the lyrics. I ended up with a very nice electric guitar when I first came to Australia (not sure how), and I used that to play and record a lot. I also bought a lot of other instruments from pawn shops and recorded them. I started this in late 2019. My friend Thomas (well he's my friend now) played bass on the songs. He is a computer technician and came to fix my computer one day when it broke down while recording. I showed him the songs and he liked them, and told me he used to play bass guitar. When I told him that I didn't actually have any money to pay him for fixing the computer, we worked out a great deal that I could pay him back with royalties if he could play bass on the songs (he's still waiting on those royalties). The other person who helped a lot is mixing engineer Daniel Natoli. I met him when I was doing pizza deliveries, and immediately saw that he had a very nice studio to mix the songs in. The rest is history.
What different topics are you talking about on this album?
This album is about self-discovery, nostalgia, and letting go. Something I realised by the end of making it, is that it's okay to not know who you are! Nobody really does (some people just pretend they do).
What did you feel when writing "See You Then"?
I was feeling a lot of loneliness and was missing people that I surely must have known in the past. I am all alone here in Sydney which is often pretty sad, but if I could pin this song down to one thing I guess it's how distance often tears people apart.
What was the hardest part about making this album? And what was the best part?
Hardest: towards the end, there were sometimes mixing sessions that would go on for upwards of 12 hours and finish as late/early as 6am. I had to go straight to my other job afterwards and then come straight back to the studio to do it all again the next night. This went on for over a month, with only some sporadic mornings or evenings for rest. It was extremely taxing but also a very valuable experience and taught me what my real limits are.
Best part: taking field sound recordings of local Sydney sounds, to put them into the songs! I loved travelling around with my sound recorder and getting samples of things like birds, airplanes, ocean waves and even car blinkers.
What have you learnt about yourself after finishing this project?
I have learnt how much I love the process of creating albums, and definitely have learnt what my true limits are and how to reach them. I have honestly now started to feel like I could never really get stressed or worried about anything ever again, after seeing in the flesh that any circumstance or roadblock can be overcome.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
That was a page from my burnt up passport! When I was about to start releasing the music, somebody told me that I needed to have a photo to go on it. I thought this burnt up passport page summed up my experience here in Sydney over the last 2 years. I hope it helps people understand my name situation too. People keep asking me if it's related to telopea (what's that?). I took this photo on my Google Pixel 2 that I got from a pawn shop for $30.
What is your goal for this debut album?
It was a goal to myself, to show that I could do it! If other people enjoy it then that is kind of a by-product
What does it mean for you to be an artist?
I think to be an artist is to make people feel some kind of emotion. Sometimes this person is just yourself, and that's okay too. But the best artists can make a lot of people feel something strong, with only a simple and concise message.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
I think there has never been a better time to be an independent musician. It is very tough and the financial reward is low, but if you enjoy the process and creating the art, then it is more rewarding than ever, and easier than ever before to share your art with people. If I could change one thing it would probably be artist dependency on social media and how essential they have become to the industry. In truth I think that platforms like Instagram and Facebook completely ruin the true essence of what being an artist actually is. For me it has been a difficult and long road to figure out how to harness these platforms in meaningful ways, and I still couldn't tell you if I'm doing it "right", but it's getting there.
What biggest life lessons have you learnt so far?
Any obstacle is surmountable! Like Bear Grills might say: "adapt, improve, and over the hurdle".
I am also loving to learn more about humans and the shared human condition that we all face. We all claim to be so different and unique - as individuals and cultures, but as I get older I think the truth is that we are all a pretty unoriginal bunch and so similar.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
I think that the full realisation of a threat that affects all humanity will force us to unite and do better. This threat is already at our doorstep but people have just not taken enough notice yet.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
A lot of people refuse to believe it, but the truth is that if we humans can overcome our monkey minds and put our heads together for the better, then the world can be a truly great place for everyone (and the environment we live in too). Art can also really help this process.
Connect with T. Lopea: