Wild Child.
Wilder Daze Confronts Alienation in New Single & Video 'Good for the Day'
Through his unique vocal styling and equally alluring take on pop, LA-based Wilder Daze has been serenading listeners with recent singles such as 'Luvline’ and ‘Mermaids'. Through his new single 'Good For The Day’ Wilder invites you both sonically and visually into his latest daydream.
Hey Wilder, it’s been some time since your last single ‘Some Things Don’t Get Old’. What’s been happening in the Wilder world since then?It has! I had to take some time to reevaluate the circumstances in my life. Before releasing Some Things last year, I felt myself slipping into a depression, but after I put that song out I made an active choice to enjoy my life again. I spent a lot of nights dancing with my friends, a lot of days on my rooftop in Brooklyn. I shot a music video over the summer that didn’t go quite as planned, and after that I decided to just take my time in a way that I really never had and it was the best thing. It’s so easy to lose your own pace in today’s world. I moved to Los Angeles this year, so I’ve been in a bit of a transitional phase, but feeling more inspired than ever.
Where does the name Wilder Daze come from?
I came up with the name Wilder Daze in 2014. One day I was meditating in the woods by my apartment in Queens, and afterward I had this feeling of being in a brand new phase of myself. I wrote a song that day and signed the page as “Wilder Daze” and just loved the way that it looked. It felt descriptive of the songs I was writing. I felt like the initials WD we’re very bold, but there was a sound to it that seemed vulnerable and a bit delicate even, and it just felt like me. Or at least the artist I realized I was becoming.
The new single is called ‘Good for the Day’. What’s it about?
‘Good for the Day’ began as a sort of classic WD love song; fantasizing of an ideal romance, until I realized it was about connection that’s more so rooted in friendship. It’s what really matters to me. A yearning for meaningful connection, where you’re face-to-face with somebody and really listening to them. I realized that when it came to love, I constantly felt alienated. The most I could ask of someone was to be good for the day.
It has a very dreamy 80’s quality about it. There’s a real romanticism surrounding it that’s reminiscent of some retro soul sounds. Are there referential periods you like to draw from?
I tend to draw a lot of my references from the 60’s to the 80’s. I’ve always felt inspired by these eras that I didn’t live in. With this record, there was no specific sonic reference as we recorded the instrumentation. It really wasn’t until I had the idea for those harmonies that it felt like it had this Beach Boys quality to it. So I suppose you could say 60’s, but I think it’s interesting that you mention the 80’s as well. I can see that. I think that’s always there too.
Hey Wilder, it’s been some time since your last single ‘Some Things Don’t Get Old’. What’s been happening in the Wilder world since then?It has! I had to take some time to reevaluate the circumstances in my life. Before releasing Some Things last year, I felt myself slipping into a depression, but after I put that song out I made an active choice to enjoy my life again. I spent a lot of nights dancing with my friends, a lot of days on my rooftop in Brooklyn. I shot a music video over the summer that didn’t go quite as planned, and after that I decided to just take my time in a way that I really never had and it was the best thing. It’s so easy to lose your own pace in today’s world. I moved to Los Angeles this year, so I’ve been in a bit of a transitional phase, but feeling more inspired than ever.
Where does the name Wilder Daze come from?
I came up with the name Wilder Daze in 2014. One day I was meditating in the woods by my apartment in Queens, and afterward I had this feeling of being in a brand new phase of myself. I wrote a song that day and signed the page as “Wilder Daze” and just loved the way that it looked. It felt descriptive of the songs I was writing. I felt like the initials WD we’re very bold, but there was a sound to it that seemed vulnerable and a bit delicate even, and it just felt like me. Or at least the artist I realized I was becoming.
The new single is called ‘Good for the Day’. What’s it about?
‘Good for the Day’ began as a sort of classic WD love song; fantasizing of an ideal romance, until I realized it was about connection that’s more so rooted in friendship. It’s what really matters to me. A yearning for meaningful connection, where you’re face-to-face with somebody and really listening to them. I realized that when it came to love, I constantly felt alienated. The most I could ask of someone was to be good for the day.
It has a very dreamy 80’s quality about it. There’s a real romanticism surrounding it that’s reminiscent of some retro soul sounds. Are there referential periods you like to draw from?
I tend to draw a lot of my references from the 60’s to the 80’s. I’ve always felt inspired by these eras that I didn’t live in. With this record, there was no specific sonic reference as we recorded the instrumentation. It really wasn’t until I had the idea for those harmonies that it felt like it had this Beach Boys quality to it. So I suppose you could say 60’s, but I think it’s interesting that you mention the 80’s as well. I can see that. I think that’s always there too.
Growing up was music a prominent part of your life?
Music was always very healing for me growing up. I was a really shy kid, didn’t always have a lot of friends until I was a bit older. I used to sit in my room alone and sing-along to my favorite CD’s, write little songs in my journal and pretend to be in music videos. It was a very personal, private thing. As far as my musicality, I get it from my mother’s side of my family. We’re Brazilian, and everyone in my family just loves to sing. There are some great singers in my family and I just grew up around it. My cousin and I used to always perform for the family at Christmas. My uncles would sing at family get togethers. It’s in my blood.
Who were the artists that influenced you early on and who are the current artists that inspire you?
The first artist that helped me to know myself was Britney Spears. That’s when I realized there was this whole world you can create around the music, and I just knew that was my medium. When I was 18 and moved to New York, Bowie, Prince and Madonna were my bible. As an adult, I mostly listen to artists whose music really soothes my soul, like Lana Del Rey, Sade, and Lykke Li, to name a few.
The video for ‘Good for the Day’ is also quite captivating. It’s both striking and delicate and really gives you the “love vibe”. What was the process like making it? Was it your vision?
It was my vision. Coming up with that treatment was sort of the silver lining to scrapping the video I had shot over the summer. I wasn’t even planning on releasing this song until I thought of the video, but then I thought of this concept that to me highlighted the subtext of the song so perfectly, and was a really simple way to encompass me and where my songs come from. The director Carina Allen brought that vision to life in the most beautiful way. We had a small, intimate crew and everyone had a lovely energy on set. I love that video, thank you for saying that about it!
There’s an almost bohemian quality to the video without it being stereotypical. It’s also great to have images of queer love and romance on film that are natural and well handled. I’ll assume that video is important to you, but what do you find most exciting about music videos and the process of creating them?
I’ve always treated my music videos as a way to almost recreate the moment in my life that the song came from. I love being able to show what’s hidden in between the lines. Most of my videos in the past have actually had this documentary type of vibe to them. It’s always very ‘day in the life’, always a story of queer love. With this video, I wanted to expand on the meaning of the song by showing people more of a fantasy of where the song came from. I always feel like I’m in my own little dream world when I write a song, and with this video I really invite people into that.
Music was always very healing for me growing up. I was a really shy kid, didn’t always have a lot of friends until I was a bit older. I used to sit in my room alone and sing-along to my favorite CD’s, write little songs in my journal and pretend to be in music videos. It was a very personal, private thing. As far as my musicality, I get it from my mother’s side of my family. We’re Brazilian, and everyone in my family just loves to sing. There are some great singers in my family and I just grew up around it. My cousin and I used to always perform for the family at Christmas. My uncles would sing at family get togethers. It’s in my blood.
Who were the artists that influenced you early on and who are the current artists that inspire you?
The first artist that helped me to know myself was Britney Spears. That’s when I realized there was this whole world you can create around the music, and I just knew that was my medium. When I was 18 and moved to New York, Bowie, Prince and Madonna were my bible. As an adult, I mostly listen to artists whose music really soothes my soul, like Lana Del Rey, Sade, and Lykke Li, to name a few.
The video for ‘Good for the Day’ is also quite captivating. It’s both striking and delicate and really gives you the “love vibe”. What was the process like making it? Was it your vision?
It was my vision. Coming up with that treatment was sort of the silver lining to scrapping the video I had shot over the summer. I wasn’t even planning on releasing this song until I thought of the video, but then I thought of this concept that to me highlighted the subtext of the song so perfectly, and was a really simple way to encompass me and where my songs come from. The director Carina Allen brought that vision to life in the most beautiful way. We had a small, intimate crew and everyone had a lovely energy on set. I love that video, thank you for saying that about it!
There’s an almost bohemian quality to the video without it being stereotypical. It’s also great to have images of queer love and romance on film that are natural and well handled. I’ll assume that video is important to you, but what do you find most exciting about music videos and the process of creating them?
I’ve always treated my music videos as a way to almost recreate the moment in my life that the song came from. I love being able to show what’s hidden in between the lines. Most of my videos in the past have actually had this documentary type of vibe to them. It’s always very ‘day in the life’, always a story of queer love. With this video, I wanted to expand on the meaning of the song by showing people more of a fantasy of where the song came from. I always feel like I’m in my own little dream world when I write a song, and with this video I really invite people into that.
What are you most excited for with the release of this new single?
It’s exciting because I actually wrote this song in 2017, but it feels more relevant to me now than it did then. There’s a deep message there, but I feel like with this track I found a way to have that message while also having a softness and ease to the sound. It’s exciting to have the video too, because it’s been quite a while.
As an independent artist in music and part of the LGBTQ community, what do you find are the biggest challenges you face in your career?
I think ultimately the biggest challenge is just getting heard or seen. I have trouble sharing my personality on social media, it doesn’t come naturally to me, but it’s all in the music. My story, my growth, it’s all there. If you listen to the songs you can really get to know me.
The challenges can take their toll. How do you keep yourself motivated to keep pushing through and how do you practice self care?
Writing is what keeps me going. I may go months without releasing a song, but I am always writing. Not just songs, but even just traditional journal entries, or poetry. It’s just how I check in with myself, and continue to get to know myself better. I’ve never felt writer’s block, because I know that it’s always there when I need it. I also have really great friends and family that make me feel like a star even when I don’t feel like one. There’s a lot of love around me and I spend as much time in the sun as I can.
You tend to have a style very much your own. There’s a Bowie-esque sense of creativity about you at times. Is style something you consciously think about or is it a natural part of who you are?
I’d say it’s a natural thing. There’s been times when I haven’t always loved my style, like when I find myself comparing myself to what’s popular or what’s “working”, but right now I can honestly say I love what I’ve created more than ever. I love that it’s mine. I’m not interested in making records that sound like they could be anybody’s. You hear a Bowie song and you know it’s his. There’s so much value in that. I really admire artists who stick to their guns, don’t conform to what’s popular, and just keep getting better at what they do. I think that’s ultimately more rewarding.
Right now the world is a very different place for artists due to the emergence of the COVID-19 virus. We’ve seen many artists start to play live shows on social media to connect with fans and audiences due to the cancellations of shows and restrictions we’re feeling around social distancing. Have you thought about live video performance as an option for yourself?
Well, I just moved out to LA, sort of on a whim and didn’t know how long I’d be staying so I didn’t bring much with me. At the moment I don’t have the means to do so, but I am trying to figure something out! I was getting ready to start rehearsing for shows soon, so I want to find a way to still do that and let people watch.
What can we expect post ‘Good for the Day’? What do you have planned for the rest of 2020 in regards to music and releases?
I have some more music that I may release soon, but we’ll see! I still really believe in the songs that are out and I want more for them. I don’t want to give away too much yet while people are still getting to know me. That being said, I won’t wait too long either. There’s a song called “Make You Wonder” that feels oddly relevant to the state of the world right now, I may release that soon. And I hope to be performing again by the summer!
It’s exciting because I actually wrote this song in 2017, but it feels more relevant to me now than it did then. There’s a deep message there, but I feel like with this track I found a way to have that message while also having a softness and ease to the sound. It’s exciting to have the video too, because it’s been quite a while.
As an independent artist in music and part of the LGBTQ community, what do you find are the biggest challenges you face in your career?
I think ultimately the biggest challenge is just getting heard or seen. I have trouble sharing my personality on social media, it doesn’t come naturally to me, but it’s all in the music. My story, my growth, it’s all there. If you listen to the songs you can really get to know me.
The challenges can take their toll. How do you keep yourself motivated to keep pushing through and how do you practice self care?
Writing is what keeps me going. I may go months without releasing a song, but I am always writing. Not just songs, but even just traditional journal entries, or poetry. It’s just how I check in with myself, and continue to get to know myself better. I’ve never felt writer’s block, because I know that it’s always there when I need it. I also have really great friends and family that make me feel like a star even when I don’t feel like one. There’s a lot of love around me and I spend as much time in the sun as I can.
You tend to have a style very much your own. There’s a Bowie-esque sense of creativity about you at times. Is style something you consciously think about or is it a natural part of who you are?
I’d say it’s a natural thing. There’s been times when I haven’t always loved my style, like when I find myself comparing myself to what’s popular or what’s “working”, but right now I can honestly say I love what I’ve created more than ever. I love that it’s mine. I’m not interested in making records that sound like they could be anybody’s. You hear a Bowie song and you know it’s his. There’s so much value in that. I really admire artists who stick to their guns, don’t conform to what’s popular, and just keep getting better at what they do. I think that’s ultimately more rewarding.
Right now the world is a very different place for artists due to the emergence of the COVID-19 virus. We’ve seen many artists start to play live shows on social media to connect with fans and audiences due to the cancellations of shows and restrictions we’re feeling around social distancing. Have you thought about live video performance as an option for yourself?
Well, I just moved out to LA, sort of on a whim and didn’t know how long I’d be staying so I didn’t bring much with me. At the moment I don’t have the means to do so, but I am trying to figure something out! I was getting ready to start rehearsing for shows soon, so I want to find a way to still do that and let people watch.
What can we expect post ‘Good for the Day’? What do you have planned for the rest of 2020 in regards to music and releases?
I have some more music that I may release soon, but we’ll see! I still really believe in the songs that are out and I want more for them. I don’t want to give away too much yet while people are still getting to know me. That being said, I won’t wait too long either. There’s a song called “Make You Wonder” that feels oddly relevant to the state of the world right now, I may release that soon. And I hope to be performing again by the summer!
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