Grant, formerly known as Grant Bowtie, has released Constellations featuring Jessi Mason, on Monstercat. After taking some time off and some slight rebranding with his name, Grant has returned to doing what he loves, making great music. Constellations is a melodic future bass track that has a great light hearted feel to it. The track starts off with bouncy synths that set the tone. Jessi Mason's vocals combined with the smooth yet powerful bass make Constellations a perfect dance track made for summer nights.
Not only is Grant making great music but he is doing great things as well. The artwork for Constellations was a collaborative effort between Grant, the Monstercat design team, and a group of teens from the BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH) Oncology department. After seeing some of the incredible ideas these teens were able to come up with, Grant & Monstercat decided to donate the first month of all revenue (streaming and sales) of “Constellations” to the Oncology department at BCCH.
I was granted the opportunity to ask Grant a some questions, here is how that went.
What was the inspiration behind Constellations?
Before starting college, I pledged to become a total recluse and make music in my bedroom all summer long. It was a sensitive time for me because I realized that I wanted to make music that was really genuine, but I had no idea where to start. A few weeks before moving out, I looked at the little music I had made so far and realized that all of it might have been cool from a production standpoint, but none of the songwriting aspects really made me feel anything. I decided right then that I would make a song that I could be truly proud of…and on that same day I started creating the intro to Constellations.
You also worked with Jessi Mason on Wake up. Is that someone you will be working with a lot?
Definitely. Beyond being one of my closest friends here at school, Jessi is insanely talented. We try to write a lot, and usually we’re just unproductive looking at cool music or artwork online, but when I have a really solid concept for a song, she is always on board and nails the vocal line really quickly.
What was the process like working with Monstercat and The BC Children’s Hospital Teen Group when coming up artwork for Constellations?
I actually wasn’t there in person, but I know the Monstercat design team did a great Job working with those kids. They listened to Constellations together, and just started drawing. Some of the best art comes from just letting yourself be creative and drawing whatever comes to mind. It’s kind of the same with making music. Everyone had a chance to draw out their ideas and discuss them with the group. From there the design team took all the ideas and mashed them together and out came the Constellations art. It was really cool.
What is the best way to connect with your fan base?
Just being honest and genuine. I don’t pretend to be better than anyone, nor do I try to hide my face behind branding. I take pride in having a normal user’s Facebook account for my music where people who like my music can add me and DM me directly. Once a month I go through my inbox and get back to literally everyone. It’s especially fulfilling to hear about how my music has helped people through tough times.
Branding is such a big part of the music business. You recently went through a rebranding of sorts. Can you tell us why you dropped the bowtie and how that has affected you?
There’s so much to say about this, but it really just comes down to realizing that “Grant Bowtie” doesn’t really feel like who I am anymore. I’ve been making music since I was very young, and I think the “Bowtie” represents who I was in middle and high school. It never felt very serious to me. Of course I cherish all of the music I made back then, but now I feel like being “Grant” is the perfect avenue for showing exactly what kind of person I am, and for taking my music in a more spiritual, personal direction.
Where can fans see you perform?
As of right now, I’m focusing on making as much music as I can, while still balancing school! I promise tour dates in the future, but right now my concentration is focused on what’s in front of me.
What was the defining moment you knew you could go from bedroom DJ to obtaining a career in music?
I think I first felt this way when I was 16 and signed my first track “Reach” with Monstercat. I had lots of exciting opportunities coming my way, but because I only felt like making music as a hobby, I froze up under the (perceived) pressure and found it very hard to be creative. Even though I had to work through this mental block, that first release made me feel like I was capable of taking my music to the next level, so long as I had the endurance and creative inspiration to make it happen.
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