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The Soul of an Artist (with Human Barbie and veronicavon — Chris Hackman and Xuan Nguyen)
Metadata
- title
- The Soul of an Artist (with Human Barbie and veronicavon — Chris Hackman and Xuan Nguyen)
- description
- Chris and Xuan join the pod to discuss artistic serendipity, co-writing, unexpected choices, and how recording choices inform genre. Veronicavon, the brainchild of songwriters Chris Hackman (Human Barbie) and Xuan Nguyen (Xuan), emerged in 2020 with a (secret) mission to explore uncharted horizons in lo-fi pop. Their universe of grainy synths, cassette-drenched drums, and warbling guitars, complemented by Nguyen’s enchanting vocals, creates a wistful, playful, and instantly addictive dreamscape. Flood Magazine dubbed them "casually devastating," and their hypnotic bedroom aesthetic quickly garnered a passionate audience, with over 500k streams on Spotify in their first year. They've been featured on editorial playlists like ‘Fresh Finds’, ‘Borderless’, and ‘Fuzzy’. Keep a close eye on this duo, as they follow in the footsteps of alt-pop icons Men I Trust, Alvvays, and Japanese Breakfast.
- status
- complete
- date
- 2023-07-18
- kind
- guest
- guestSlugs
- xuan-nguyen
- listenUrl
- https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/lovemusicmore/episodes/The-Soul-of-an-Artist-with-Human-Barbie-and-veronicavon--Chris-Hackman-and-Xuan-Nguyen-e272gag
- appleUrl
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-soul-of-an-artist-with-human/id1567355195?i=1000621510181&uo=4
- spotifyUrl
- https://open.spotify.com/episode/4uzlerqnWzs5BHEB2DmwTU
- topicsDiscussed
- Music production
- Analog
- Collaboration
- Songwriting
- Singing and vocals
- Genre
- AI
- The internet
- The music business
- Mixing
- Touring
- Creativity
- hostNote
- Two artists who make records in very different ways, in one conversation. **Chris Hackman** records as Human Barbie, lo-fi pop built at home; **Xuan Nguyen** records as veronicavon, rock tracked on analog gear. We talk about how each of them gets a song from an idea to a finished recording, what changes when they work with other people, and what the day-to-day of being an independent artist looks like right now.
- selectedMoments
- label
- Differences in project production styles
- startSec
- 97
- note
- Chris discusses the contrasting production styles between Human Barbie and Veronica Vaughn, highlighting the impact of using both tape and digital methods.
- label
- The speed of digital recording
- startSec
- 175
- note
- Xuan talks about the advantages of digital recording, emphasizing decision-making speed compared to tape.
- label
- The importance of vocal performance
- startSec
- 412
- note
- Chris and Xuan reflect on how their vocal sessions differ from the use of traditional techniques, prioritizing emotion over precision.
- label
- Exploring AI and creativity
- startSec
- 650
- note
- They discuss the implications of using AI in music and the intrinsic value of the human voice in conveying emotion.
- label
- The evolution of songwriting
- startSec
- 1053
- note
- Xuan shares insights on their songwriting approach, focusing on the balance between emotional vulnerability and collaboration.
- label
- The role of unexpected moments in music
- startSec
- 2383
- note
- Chris explains how moments of serendipity can dramatically shift the path of their musical journey.
- label
- The life cycle of an album
- startSec
- 2524
- note
- Xuan discusses the emotional toll of finishing an album compared to the more lighthearted nature of working on singles.
- excerptQuotes
- text
- I think that's really cool to have, you know, a tape-based project and then a computer-based one.
- startSec
- 88
- reviewed
- true
- text
- There are many things that are faster about tape... you're having to lay it down to tape and so there's not that endless loop of let me tweak this.
- startSec
- 174
- reviewed
- true
- text
- I love recording vocals so much because you can take lyrics that are kind of questionable and if you sing them right, they're an absolute gut punch.
- startSec
- 568
- reviewed
- true
- text
- Even the voice, like, emulators are so far from even scratching the surface of the, like, majesty and expression of what we can do with our voices.
- startSec
- 651
- reviewed
- true
- text
- I try to catch a feeling rather than just singing on the right note.
- startSec
- 413
- reviewed
- true
- text
- I believe very strongly in serendipity... you have to work together or whatever but when you put it out there stuff like that happens.
- startSec
- 2182
- reviewed
- true
- text
- If lightning strikes, if not, also awesome. I went for it.
- startSec
- 2680
- reviewed
- true
- faq
- question
- What influences Chris Hackman and Xuan Nguyen's music style?
- answer
- Their music is influenced by a blend of lo-fi aesthetics, emotional vocal performances, and the interplay between analog and digital production methods.
- question
- How do Chris and Xuan co-write their songs?
- answer
- They approach co-writing as a collaborative puzzle, allowing moments of spontaneity and emotional exploration to lead to their creative output.
- question
- What is the significance of analog vs. digital recording for Xuan and Chris?
- answer
- They believe that both methods offer unique advantages and shape the emotional and sonic characteristics of their music in different ways.
- transcriptPublished
- false
- draft
- false
Content
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