Q&A with rising bedroom producer junior a ahead of his mixtape “Born Busy”

In the eyes of indie-electro newcomer junior a, location is a secondary matter for artists braving today’s musical landscape. And, considering his sounds traveled the Internet all the way from Lithuania to reach us, we’re inclined to agree.

Spacy, mysterious tracks like “simmah” and “sleep machine” have made junior a’s entrance onto the scene a notable one, and have undoubtedly made our ears perk up. To get an idea of what makes this already prolific artist tick, we decided to make time for a chat with the man himself.

“It’s a message in itself – when you think about it – limits don’t exist. Emotions don’t have flags, music don’t respect borders.” junior a

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Can you introduce yourself, for our readers who still don’t know you yet?

My name is junior a, and I am an artist.

It’s not every day that we hear about a hot new artist from Lithuania. Tell us a little bit about the music scene there, and how it’s influenced your unique sound.

Thank you. Well, – I couldn’t tell you all that much about it to be honest. I guess it’s just like everywhere else – Lithuanians listen to music, follow trends, try to come up with their own stuff, with their own sound.

Yet I really don’t think it’s all that important where you’re from these days. It’s the age of the internet. Few weeks ago I’ve recorded these songs – and here I am – talking to you. And I’m not even sure where you guys are from, yet we still can communicate, right? So does it matter? I don’t think it does.

It’s a message in itself – when you think about it – limits don’t exist. Emotions don’t have flags, music don’t respect borders. If it’s out there – it’s out there for everyone.

You’ve been busy, putting out 5 songs over the course of the last month. But, the track that caught our attention most was “Sleep Machine”, with it’s simultaneously brooding and bouncy feel. What can you tell us about what went in to this song, both creatively and technically?

I’ve been busy for a while now. I found a new way to write like 4-5 months ago, and so I went with it, I wrote over 40 songs in a very short space of time. Then I met this guy named Jacob, – he helped me a lot with the songs, the sound itself. Me and him – we recorded the songs you’ve heard on YouTube / SoundCloud.

There are many songs we need to put out there. I can’t wait.

Oh. “Sleep Machine.” Yeah, – it was one of the first songs I wrote after the dark period. From the dark mind of the colourful people. I like that song. What else can I tell you about sleep machine…that there’s a lot more where that came from, and very soon – you’ll hear it.

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I also noticed that the visuals in the lyric video for the track are strikingly similar to our look here at HighClouds- what with the pink and blue clouds- so surely you’ve got great taste in aesthetic. In looking through your website and social media, it seems that the visual side of things is quite important to you; is that accurate?

It was a nice coincidence.

Yes, – it is very important indeed. Everything’s important when it comes to art. “If it’s worth doing, – it’s worth doing right”. Obviously it’s all DIY so I get to make a lot of creative decisions… and I love it.

It would be stupid to think that you’re in control when creating art, – yet it’s cool. I get to be an inventor every day. It makes me happy.

“You have to be fearless. Fearless and honest…”

Getting back to the audio, your music seems to thrive on it’s own simplicity. Your lyrics, like “Are you like you, are you like me. Pass me the glue, so I don’t bleed to death”, and your sonic palette when producing are not overly complicated, but they certainly convey the emotion you’re setting out to convey. Would you say you approach your music with a “less is more” mentality and, if so, how do you feel it helps you artistically?

The good things – they are all simple. Take all the filters away (all the insecurities / prejudice etc.) and do something – the results are gonna be simple in one way or the other.

You have to be fearless. Fearless and honest… Do you know what I mean?. At least that’s how I see it.
It’s easy to kill stuff, by overthinking it, – mistakes is what makes us “human”. And that human element – is what makes junior a.

Before we move on to the last question, is there anything you have to say about your sudden entrance into the online music scene that I haven’t asked about?

It’s art, it’s music, man. No tricks. No nothing. I wrote the songs, – we recorded it, – I put the videos together, and it’s out there. Flying on its own now.

And, finally, you’ve mentioned that your debut mixtape, “Born Busy” is on the way, and have said that you have a very interesting story to tell. What can you tell us about what we should expect to see in the near future, and can you give any insight into this overall story?

Once it started moving – I promised myself to duck and dodge all the personal questions until all the music is out. It really doesn’t matter right now. More songs are coming. Once they’re out – I promise to tell you more. The art is all that matters at this point.

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Connect with junior a on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Soundcloud.