Flwr Chyld Is a Modern Soulquarian: Interview
R&B is constantly shifting and embracing new influences. As new sounds come to the forefront, Flwr Chyld is one of the leaders in submerging fresh sounds to create an intentional ebb and flow.
Flow feels like the title. It’s a comforting listen from beginning to end, with many stand out moments that demonstrate Chlyd’s growth as a producer from his previous release Iridescent Love. Flow is experimental and challenges traditional chord progression and drum distributions. The graceful intro track, featuring James Tillmans, reminds listeners what it takes to have a good day and to appreciate the ups and downs it may bring.
“You can never escape yourself”
Chyld’s production on “Aurablu” featuring Mia Gladstone and Elujay feels like a cloud submerging the sun. Bright, but shady when necessary. The bluesy chords are mystical.
“Walking Away” featuring Emmavie is one of the stand out tracks for me. Chyld’s production and Emmavie’s voice blend perfectly and feel like they belong. The production reminds me of Jill Scott’s debut album, Who Is Jill Scott, sharing a familiar pocket where the production challenges the norm.
The drums on “Morning Dew” are vibrant and Mia Gladstone's vocal contributions remind listeners to appreciate moments of stillness. With this project, it feels like Flwr Chyld is teaching listeners how to embrace change and appreciate the things that may not bring automatic gratitude. I love how the last track, “Garden (Outtro)” feels like it’s building up to something, but in reality it's more of a reflection towards the project. It’s like that first listen of “Enjoy Right Now Today” off of Tyler the Creator’s Flower Boy. For 3 minutes and 55 seconds, you’re on the edge of your seat waiting to hear more of Tyler after he just poured out his heart for 40 damn minutes. It takes growth to realize when enough is actually enough. After all your hard work, you have to take a step back, bask it in and smell your flowers.
Our conversation, lightly edited for content and clarity, follows below.
Pretty much my whole life has been about growth …
Would you say your schooling had hindered that growth previously?
It’s crazy to think that you’re in school from 4 to 22. That's a long time to be tied down to that type of structure and be expected to to quickly adjust to the real world.
What inspired Flow?
Flow stems from ebb and flow. I graduated college August 2019 and since then, I've transitioned out of friendships, lovers and embraced new experiences. Since graduating, I've learned to really appreciate life and my L’s. A lot of people get caught up on getting to this place and fail to acknowledge you have to endure some shit.
Was it an easy flow after graduating college?
I was broke as hell straight out of college (laughs) and my anxiety was also really bad around that transition into adulthood. I started meditating.
That's amazing you picked up meditation, it helps you stay grounded. Especially now, being in quarantine for all these months and having to face your fears. It was a necessary reset.
To piggyback off of that, quarantine has made me appreciate things for what they are and being happy with it. Flow is about not letting little things bother you because at the end of the day, everything that is meant for you will come to you.
How has Atlanta influenced your sound?
I moved to ATL with my dad when I was 7. My dad was pretty young when he had me so we basically grew up together. He was a band director in Cobb County, so I was always around marching band culture as a kid. Even the car rides from and to school, my dad would have the greats in rotations… Outkast, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott... My ear was being trained early and luckily it was a lot of Jazz and Neo-soul. Trap music has always been here. As a teenager I emerged myself more into that culture and you hear those elements in my music, moreso for feeling and not what you hear sonically.
What’s your creative process like?
Before Covid, I would just play with my buddies a lot. Well mainly one guy, Alex Hassell. He was on one song for Iridescent Love but he’s all over the new project. Typically, I would come up with a chord progression and then add drums. Then later on I'll decide if I should add a guitar based on feeling. With this project, I was really intentional.
Do you write as well?
I write but not as often as I produce. On the last project Grimm Lynn and I wrote “Feel the Breeze” and for this project we wrote “Moonlight.” But most of the time, I give the artist the freedom to do what they want. I take a back seat because whoever I'm reaching out to, I'm already a fan of what they do. I want them to bring that to what I have going on, so there’s a middle ground. Sometimes, the artists will ask me “what you are feeling for the song?”
I love that you have frequent collaborators, how is it working with James Tillman, Mia Gladstone and Elujay?
They are two of my very close friends and they always come through. I was opening up for Elujay last year for the tour leg in ATL and I met Mia, who also opened up for him. I’m always a fan first. I was working on the intro for Iridescent Love and thought she would sound crazy on it. Our relationship has blossomed, same thing with James. I listened to his music a few years prior, emailed him and to my surprise he responded back.. and here we are, all these streams and recognition later. They both help me execute my vision.
How did you go about getting a feature from Emmavie?
She was in my related artist section on Spotify and we have a mutual homie who’s a writer. She mentioned Emmavie to me before and sent me a playlist with Emmavie’s music on it. It's crazy how this artist shit works, I woke up one morning to all these notifications of Emmavie giving me all this praise and I'm like “Me? Nah you’re fire…” I believe in the power of manifestation. I’m grateful that she’s another creative peer I could call my friend.
Were there any challenges in the making of Flow?
There was a feature that didn’t make the project, but aye, things happen. I'm still a fan. There were a lot of no’s which was crazy, because I got a lot of love from Iridescent Love and figured it would be easier for the next project.I was deadass wrong. I had never sent so many emails to people that sent back an either no or no response. It didn’t really sway me, I was really confident about my growth in producing. I stayed the course and trusted the process.
You’re a perfectionist. Would you consider yourself a challenge?
At first, yes, but I had to learn how to be patient and not jump the gun. I’ve worked with different engineers and had to learn to take my time with note giving. I leaned to sleep on it, so I could give better detailed notes for the mix. I would play it in the car, speakers and headphones before making a choice. This project was about learning when to let go, trusting myself and ear.
What did you do differently on this project?
I wanted it to be more intentional. Iridescent Love was less intentional. I was just making a lot of vibey shit. With this one, I knew I was going to take some risks but people are familiar with a certain boundary. I was listening to alot of SOS Band and that’s why you hear wide/really fat baselines or like heavy drums that feel lightning. For me, it was how can I put my growth on full display in a way where people could still appreciate my growth. One of the things I admire about Tyler is that every project of his is different. He has a way of having constant growth, sonically and visually.I want to show people that I’m consistently growing. It's my job to create the music, put as much emotion into it as possible, but it's the listeners job to make it unique for their existence.
What’s next?
Getting back to a lot of artists who wanted to collaborate. I was so locked in my project. I’ve been working with Elujay on his album and working on visuals
Last three albums/artists you listened to ?
Ego Ella may - Honey for wounds
Foushee
Nick Hakim - WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD
