By Minahil Zaki || 1 May 2021
Refractions is Glass Mountain’s monthly interview series. This month, Minahil Zaki speaks with A B D U L, a young, Houston-based musical artist, following the release of his most recent album, Dawn in March 2021. The theme of the album is about the journey once faces when escaping their past life and taking on a new start. The metaphor used in the album is of a man escaping the chaos of the city and finding peace within himself. The journey between the first track to the end shows the memories, lessons, struggles, and emotions one faces in leaving their past life and coming to terms with their own reality. Dawn was written and composed by Abdul Rahman Ghani and produced by Giovanni Rodriguez.
What is your favorite under-appreciated album?
There are many different artists that have influenced me from all types of genres, from legends to local artists. I would say that one album that I’ve always admired is Give Up by The Postal Service. This album took a long time to get the recognition that it now has, but I still feel that it was pretty underappreciated in its time. The sound of this album is very distinct: playful, mellow, and intriguing. Another album is Yours to Keep by Albert Hammond Jr., which I also admire dearly. I believe that Albert Hammond Jr. is the heart of The Strokes and his solo work in this album really highlighted that to me.
What does musical success look like to you?
Musical success for me would mean to have the same effect on someone that some of my favorite artists have had on me. I would love to create the soundtrack to someone’s favorite moments of life. It means positively changing someone’s mindset through music and becoming an inspiration for others. Musical success for me also means to have a meaningful impact on the music industry by creating a new, distinct sound. I would like to go down in history as someone who innovated music.
" I would love to create the soundtrack to someone’s favorite moments of life."
What’s one of your biggest pitfalls in songwriting?
Most songs write themselves, and I’m just a guide giving those ideas structure. One thing that can be challenging for me sometimes is creating the transition between a chorus back to the verse. This is an area I hope to improve in.
What songwriters have had the biggest impact on your life and songwriting? How have they helped you become a better musician?
When I was very young I used to listen to Michael Jackson a lot, and that really set the blueprint for how I compose. Jackson’s songs are rich in every element with their rhythm, beat, groove, and vocal performance. Every song sounds different. Michael Jackson made a hit in so many different genres. The King of Pop explained that when he wrote a song he could hear all of it at once, despite not having formal training in reading music or playing instruments. It was all just in his head. This always inspired me to trust my gut when I had a melody or song idea because I also don’t have any formal training—it just all comes together somehow. As an artist, trusting the initial thought is important because that is what comes naturally without force. Next, I would say The Beatles taught me to be courageous in being experimental with my music. The Beatles are my favorite band of all time because they really created the format for all music to come after them. Besides those two, some of the top influences in my music come from The Strokes, Blink 182, Young the Giant, Atif Aslam, A$ap Rocky, J.Cole and countless more. These artists have guided me in seeing music from different perspectives and approaching my writing with an open, playful, and intimate mindset.
What musical genre would you classify yourself as?
Dominantly Alternative/Indie. But I “genrebend” a lot because my influences come from all directions. This is evident in my album as it starts with an EDM song followed by an alternative rock song. In this album, I have elements of lo-fi, acoustic guitar, electronic music, and even orchestra. The last song on the album, “Leaves,” is one of the most unique in the album. This is an ambient sound which I created to form a relaxing tone, which helps meditation and sleep.
What does your creative process look like? Was it the same for DAWN?
I get bursts of creativity at different times. Originally, I wrote the lyrics and concept of the title track “Dawn” when I was 18 years old between serving tables at a local cafe. I had song lyrics written next to food orders. Other times I’ll write small verses here and there and piece them together. Then there are those magical moments where I just sing the first thing that comes to my mind and it’s meant to be. This was the case for the lyrics in “12:34.” Now looking at the music, there were some songs I didn’t have any specific plan for; they just built themselves organically. This is true for songs like “Abyss” where I was just going with the flow, letting the song lead the way. Then there were those songs for which I had a good idea of how I wanted it to turn out, like “Unlocked.” Having a basic idea of how I wanted the song to become helped guide my creative process for making the music for it. Then there was “Bittersweet Melancholy Queen.” For this song, I had all the details planned from the beginning. I also wrote this song back in 2019 and thought it fit well towards the end of the album. This song has a very cinematic touch to it.
"Then there are those magical moments where I just sing the first thing that comes to my mind and it's meant to be."
What was the hardest part of DAWN to write?
The lyrics usually flow very smoothly for me and easily fit with the music. “Emotions and Explosions” was a bit challenging, though. It was an experimental sound I had never really tried before so there was a lot of trial and error to find what really fit. I had written a lot of lyrics down weeks before I began creating the music for this track. The night before recording the vocals, I kept playing the instrumental and tried different flows to match the song’s vibe. A hard task was deciding which lyrics I needed to cut out from my initial writing to match the song. Even while I was recording the verses for this song, I made a few edits. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how the song turned out. It really has a unique place in the album and might inspire some of my future projects.
Minahil Zaki is an Associate Reviews and Interviews Editor for Glass Mountain. She is currently a junior, majoring in Creative Writing with a concentration in poetry at the University of Houston. She is interested in writing about music and enjoys reading and singing in her free time.
