Peachy Magazine caught up with Ed Prosek ahead of the release of his new single Mercy taken from Ed’s forthcoming EP, Flesh and Blood Part 2. Ed showcases himself once again as an excellent songwriter and composer of melodies capturing the attention of the listeners.
What or who has influenced you as an artist?
I met the legendary producer, Rupert Hine (Stevie Nicks, Tina Turner, Rush) back in 2012 and we quickly struck up an incredibly meaningful friendship and his mentorship in songwriting and navigating the music industry, but also just in life is one of my most cherished relationships.
His undying belief in my abilities, and his advice to free myself of outside pressures and “write the best song only I could write” has kept me fiercely independent and I’m eternally grateful for that.
What do you think characterises your writing style?
My writing style is defined primarily by my classical training. I think of myself as a musician first and a lyricist second, so I always need the music to be interesting and unique enough to grab my interest and keep me (and my listeners) engrossed.
I only write and finish songs that get me excited, those that don’t grab me are left unfinished or forgotten unfortunately. This can be sad at times but it means Im always working on something I’m completely enthusiastic about and I think my excitement is definitely imbued into everything I do.
Listen to the track “Mercy” while reading the interview:
How does the process of writing a song begin for you?
I always always always start with the music. I often wake up with a melody or chord progression in my head and I’ll usually walk my dog around the park and try to develop the whole thing completely in my imagination.
This way, by the time I sit down at my piano, the whole concept (and possibly even the arrangement) is already concrete in my mind and I just have to re create it! Once I have the whole musical idea figured out with a melody, usually the next morning I’ll start writing the lyrics, because I have this belief that I inherited from my mother (an opera composer) that its important to finish the lyrics all in one day because “you’re someone else the next day.” Theres a little bit of superstition baked into almost everything I do.
Are there any themes in terms of songwriting that you consciously stay away from?
I tend to write almost exclusively about my own experiences and feelings in a very non conceptual way, as in I try not to think about it first, but rather let the ideas that pop into my head dictate the direction of the lyrical content. That being said, sometimes I really would like to be more conceptual with my lyrics but always find it feels a bit too insincere or clunky when I decide: “I’m going to write a song about X.”
Can you elaborate a bit on the theme(s) behind ‘Mercy’?
To put it in context: I wrote Mercy after a month or two of feeling a bit lost stylistically in terms of songwriting. I was so excited about the musical idea that I decided to dedicate the lyrics to my “muses” or whatever strange ethereal force that allows me to continue writing music (esoteric and superstitious as hell, I know). And as lame as it is to say, I wrote a song about writing songs so I could write more songs just like it. Call Xzibit he wants his meme back.
The verse below stands out to me, can you tell us a little bit about what you want to get across here?:
“Maybe I’m too hard on myself. Sometimes I wish I was somebody else. I’m just hoping you ain’t wishing for that too. So I go tracing through the dawn. For answers I don’t know the questions to. Just something to bring me back to you”
Verse from ‘Mercy’
We all face insecurities about ourselves or our work on a regular basis, and this little passage is all of those thoughts, positive and negative that fly through our heads, which leave us feeling like we’re grasping at straws to find our way to the warm blanket of certainty and security with ourselves.
In a few words, how would you describe the style of the upcoming material of yours?
My upcoming songs are bigger, more stylistically diverse and dynamic and more exciting than anything I’ve ever released before. I think my audience is really in for a fantastic little ride for this EP and I couldn’t be more proud!
