Interview THEHERO

Meet THEHERO, creator of the upcoming single 'Blood Money.' Unveiling raw rock energy, he shares insights on societal reflection, diverse themes, and future endeavors. Welcome to his world.

1.Congratulations on your upcoming single "Blood Money"! Can you share a bit about the inspiration behind this thumping rock opus?

Thank you! I'm glad to finally get the song out there! Blood Money was one of the first tracks written and worked on as THEHERO, so it's as raw as it can possibly be in terms of songwriting /arrangement. The riff was the lynchpin for the whole song - and this was always called Blood Money, so lyrically I dressed a war on society with medical urgency and that became the song!
2. Your single "Blood Money" delves into societal issues. Could you elaborate on how current life-draining systems influenced the creation of this song?

The drummer: Sam Sherwood called it 'a song about the cost-of-living crisis' and while it wasn't my intention to write about it, I can see where he's made that assumption. I think after lockdown there was unrest absolutely everywhere, the cost of everything was going up and the media was creating mass hysteria where it could, so writing a song about bigger companies taking advantage of the every man almost felt like a response to that.
3. How does "Blood Money" fit into the broader themes of your debut EP, "Gemini I"?

I would say the broader themes of the EP are summed up in the general feeling of the song. The EP is mainly about learning to combat situations like the ones presented in Blood Money - so essentially there's a naive sarcasm that's filled with anger in the earlier tracks and that's one way to fight that feeling.
4. Your EP "Gemini I" features a diverse range of tracks. Can you walk us through the creative process behind selecting and arranging these songs?

The tracks are the first batch of songs written and recorded as THEHERO. Each song was created separately but around the same time so there was always a subconscious narrative to my initial method of writing. I would take the songs to Sam and play through them, giving me an idea of what would work and what wouldn't. If it sounded good then we would take it to the studio!

5. "Gemini I" opens with the track "Gemini," paying homage to your main influence, Dr. Brian May. How did his influence shape your musical journey and this particular song?

I've been brought up on Queen, and the sound of Brian May's guitar work is one of my biggest influences if not the biggest. I thought to myself if I'm going to create my own music then I want everybody to know where I come from and what I aspire to be like.
6. "Black Heart Woman" is described as a riff-driven debut track warning about a dark relationship. How does personal experience influence your songwriting?

I find it easier to write about songs that aren't my experiences at all, so 'Black Heart Woman' is almost written as a warning to someone else in that position. I got sick of hearing pop songs where the stories were always against boys or men so I wanted to present a new equally plausible scenario.
7. "High Horse" features galloping drums and playful guitar licks. What inspired the sarcastic retort in this song, and what message do you hope listeners take away from it?

'High Horse' is where things start to get fun. I'm a bit of a pacifist so I would rather avoid an argument wherever I can, but 'High Horse' is kind of like that internal monologue of things you want to say - matched with the emotions you're feeling at the time.
8. "Let Your Lover Go" explores the theme of unrequited love. How do you balance storytelling with personal reflection in your songwriting process?

Again, 'Let Your Lover Go' is definitely not my own experience but more of the exploration of a new persona. I'm quite shy and reserved so it was fun to write lyrics that are the complete opposite of what I would normally say or do. I hope it comes across as tongue-in-cheek and not sincere!

9. "Shallow Waters" addresses modern ego's dependence on alcohol for human connection. How do you navigate conveying societal commentary while maintaining musical integrity?

'Shallow Waters' was a song I was working on with a different band, however the version on my EP is my original schematic. It's equally as tongue-in-cheek in an alcohol-induced sense but that's what gives it a bit of social commentary. The lyrics are intoxicated and overconfident with a dark twist at the centre.
10. "IDontWannaLoveYouAnymore" showcases a softer, somber piano-based ballad. What prompted the decision to deviate from the expected guitar and drums for this track?

I don't want to be typecast into writing one type of song. I think the best artists in the world can successfully deviate genres and that's what I aspire to do. I wanted 'idontwannaloveyouanymore' to be intentionally different but as it's the final track on the EP - there are subtle callbacks to the overall sound of previous tracks.
11. Your EP reflects a wide sonic range. How do you ensure cohesion while exploring different musical styles and themes?

The songs themselves are written to work as vocals, guitar and drums so that keeps things cohesive - but it's mainly down to the elite skill of the producer on the EP: Ben Farestvedt of Damage Audio. He's amazing to work with and knows exactly whats going to work to get the songs where they need to be - which is a huge benefit when I often don't!
12. Can you share a bit about your collaboration process with your bandmates and the production team, particularly on "Gemini I"?

All the tracks were recorded by Sam and myself. We would record the drums at Sam's home studio and I would take those away to record my guitar/ vocal parts separately. Once we had the tracks down in a 'listenable' state we would send the files off to Faz to Mix.

13. What do you hope listeners take away from "Gemini I" and the overall experience of listening to your music?

I hope they like the tracks we've made! I hope they connect with the sound and find us interesting enough to want more in the very near future!
14. Looking ahead, what's next for TheHero? Any upcoming projects or goals you're excited about sharing with your fans?

Calling the EP: 'Gemini I' was no mistake so new music might be coming even sooner than you think!

Thank you for having me!

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