Introducing a young, enthusiastic and wise beyond his years songwriter known as Scott the Pisces, a boy who spent many sleepless nights pursuing his dream in the music industry. Formerly under the alias “Spectrum”, Scott had released several hits which were to be streamed more than a million times worldwide. Not only a songwriter and producer, but also a magnificent live DJ who has been performing at events since the tender age of 15. Notably performing with the likes of Chase & Status, Marshall Jefferson, Fabio & Grooverider and Adamski to name a few. Now as he decides to start fresh under a new name, we had the chance to sit down with him to speak about his debut EP.
Ocean Blue, what made you pick that name for the EP?
Initially, I wanted to create an EP that was reminiscent of the summer, and one key factor to a great summer is to see that blue ocean on the horizon. Coincidentally the title track which Ashley had written the lyrics to was exactly the type of name I wanted for the project. So I went with it.
You produced the entire EP yourself, which songs did you also write the lyrics to?
The first song I wrote was “I Wanna Know”. It was a test to see if I could really write my own lyrics for this EP. RnB for me is a really easy genre for me to write for, vocal riffs and melodies come to me very naturally. I’d say the music of my childhood has a big impact on that. The other two songs I wrote were “Perfect Summer” and “Young & Reckless”. All of which, I produced the music for first. I then wrote the lyrics, and sang really bad vocal demos to send to the artists. It was very embarrassing at first, but when I heard the songs resang I knew it was worth it.
Perfect Summer features the incredible voice of Canadian Pop Star Aleesia, tell us more..
Being able to work with her on that track was an absolute blessing in all honesty. I was super nervous when I sent her my vocal demo for the track, she could have easily told me it wasn’t for her but she turned around and said she loved it. It gave her early Katy Perry vibes which is exactly what I was going for! We went back and forth with the vocals until we had the entire song recorded. She was actually the one who suggested I record my vocals and for the second verse and featured in it as a duet. The idea had crossed my mind before, but I honestly didn’t know if it would work. After hearing it with her adlibs surrounding my part I was shocked.
There are a few songs with a male background vocalist, was that you?
Yes, that was most likely from the original vocal demos. Sometimes when I feel like a lower octave would sound good and doesn’t need to be prominent, I’ll go ahead and do it myself. For the final chorus of “On My Own” with Bethany Davey I felt it was necessary to add a male vocal in the background to give it that sense of being a duet. There’s something about the way some artists like The Chainsmokers use that to create a human connection within a song. On “Young & Reckless” I had a few friends sing in the background for the very last choruses to create a fake crowd situation, like you were experiencing it at a festival.
The evolution from Spectrum is quite a drastic change, what made you decide to head in this direction musically?
Honestly, I just wanted to branch out with what I’m capable of. I don’t want to fall into that ‘EDM Producer’ bracket, not having the freedom to cross between genres without people questioning my authenticity. The truth is, I love music in its entirety. If I wake up one morning and decide I want to produce an entire Hip Hop album, I want the freedom to do that. The debut EP is a good example of that, it’s a blend of Hip Hop, RnB, Electronic, and mainstream Pop. In the same way that for my live shows I still intend to play out Drum and Bass sets because that’s what I love. It’s all about the energy and how the music hits you.
In the past you’ve said you’re a perfectionist, where does that mentality come from?
I think in the early days you could attribute it to that internal feeling of never being good enough. Like there’s a whole lot more you could do, but you feel you’re still underachieving, even when you’re not. I’m someone who really believes in the idea of becoming the best version of yourself, and for me that includes what you put out into the world. As every musician knows, you’re your own worst critic. However, sometimes you can be blinded from subjectivity, caught in the loop from hearing your song over and over. As a young producer, I wasn’t very aware of this, and so I’d release songs that weeks later I’d question if my ears were hearing correctly! As I got more experienced I developed a “Bullsh*t detector” as Dr. Dre would put it. If something isn’t hot, no matter how much time you’ve put into it, you’ve gotta let it go.
What can we expect in the future from Scott the Pisces?
Expect a whole lot more music, spanning multiple genres. Some unlikely collaborations, and hopefully you’ll be seeing my face popping up amongst some of the hottest acts real soon.
