"Wild Things" is a high-energy pop song about being with someone special who brings out a side of you that others don't see. This song was written by Brandon Agustus and was inspired by Brandon's experiences as a Black gay man in New York City. Brandon counts pop icons such as Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande, and Doja Cat as influences. This song deviates from the darker, more serious topics addressed in his past works in order to emphasize his effervescent nature. What distinguishes "Wild Things" is that it does not shy away from demonstrations of sexual freedom and strength that may encourage others to feel the same way.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Brandon Agustus, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What have you been up to over the past year in this big old mess?
Super nice to have a chat with you as well, thank you so much for speaking with me! This past year, not speaking hyperbolically, I’ve been mainly focusing on survival. I’ve been through so much that I didn’t expect that I would from a physical and mental health perspective so my mind and body have mostly been in survival mode non-stop just figuring out what I need to do to make it to the next day. On the flip side, I’ve also been burying myself in work to create some semblance of normalcy and in doing that, “Wild Things” was able to become what it is now.
What is your creative process like?
My creative process is quite simple yet also complicated at the same time! Usually I will get a song title or interesting idea for a song and will sort of meditate on what I could say that would make it interesting and seemingly out of nowhere a melody will come and I just go with it whether it turns out good or not so good. I started writing songs like that listening to Sia describe her songwriting process and it kinda stuck with me since then. Sometimes I’ll have random melodies come to me that I’ll notate in my voice memos and label it “I don’t know what this is but it’s fire” and when the right song title or idea comes and lyrics start to pour out of me, that voice memo will come back to me and it will all make sense like a puzzle piece. That’s how the “Give me that Stephen Hawking, I call him my king” lyric came to be in Wild Things. It came out of nowhere before the song was finished and I was like “that sounds dope” and when I got to writing the second verse, it fit right in.
Your latest song is 'Wild Things'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
Yes! The idea for “Wild Things” came to me the day after my album “Days of Wasted Youth” was released last year. It started out as a song called “Bad Things” but when I thought about what I was saying with the song, I wanted to remove the idea that any of the things I was talking about were ‘bad’ in any way. It’s beautiful and empowering for a person to be able to express sexuality regardless of the gender they’re attracted to so I flipped it to “Wild Things” instead. The most unusual yet funny thing that happened during the recording process was that it was in the middle of summer in New York City and when you’re recording vocals you obviously don’t want to hear an air conditioner humming in the background so my producer and I were sweating in the studio as we were trying to get these vocal parts done. I’m the type of artist that will do a take and say “No, I think I can do it better than that” and I’ll keep going so I truly hope I didn’t make Jamie too mad. It’s kinda funny looking back on it now that it’s cold outside.
What was the most difficult challenge you faced?
Wow, what have I faced that hasn’t been difficult to some degree?! Haha. Probably one of the hardest challenges I’ve had to overcome is my “inner saboteur” as RuPaul says. I still deal with the negativity in my head daily and therapy does give me the tools to combat it but I’m the king of getting in my own way. When this song came out right at midnight I cried because in my head I kept telling myself that no one is going to like this song and that I just embarrassed myself by thinking this was a good idea. I struggle with that a lot but the reception I’ve been getting not just from friends and family but also people I don’t even know that live in places I’ve never been has been incredibly reassuring. I’ve also had health challenges this year with having knee surgery and getting a breakthrough case of covid that were all terrible but I’m grateful to have the support system I have that’s kept my head above water throughout it all.
What is the biggest mistake you have made within your career to this point?
Hm, I don’t think I look at any choice I’ve made in my career thus far as a mistake. I try to be very intentional about everything I do. I look at challenges I’ve had as life lessons more than mistakes. I think a big lesson I had to learn in doing music was to be very particular about who you work with. Not everyone you know will gel with your creative process so it’s important to be aware of that so that you avoid situations that could be problematic. I don’t have any regrets so far though, thankfully.
How do you know when a work is finished?
Ha, did my therapist send you? I never know when something is finished! Making decisions as to whether something is finished is hard for me because I always think there’s room for improvement. Even when a song is released and is out on streaming I’m thinking in my head when I listen, “Ooh, it would’ve been cool if I had this lyric or sang it this way instead.” When I make decisions to approve a mix or a master it’s mostly my gut telling me to just let go and get out of the way otherwise nothing would ever get released! A lot of times I look at my work and see things I can improve on for next time and I think that’s paramount to growth.
What are your long term goals?
My long term goals are that I want to get to a place creatively where all I have to worry about is creating and I want to perform everywhere. I’ve been doing it on my own for nearly a decade and the road isn’t easy so I’m manifesting that my music will take me to a place where I will have the means to have help and be performing on the festival circuit. That’s like my lifelong dream. Also, I would love to make a song that Beyoncé approves! That would be the ultimate honor. I live for her.
Do you have a mentor or coach?
I do have a mentor actually. Randy Bergida, who produced all of my earlier music, has been instrumental in shaping me into an artist. He started as my vocal coach when I was 19 and has evolved into someone that now I don’t feel I have to lean on completely for everything though I always appreciate his insight and help when it comes to music. We’re working together now because he’s helping me get back into vocal shape for performing live and building a set list. He’s the first person that ever saw my potential as an artist.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Any and every response to my work is memorable to me. I don’t take making art for granted and I love it with every fiber of my being. People who take the time out of their day where they could be doing anything else to pay attention to something I made is extremely rewarding for me and is why I do what I do. It’s all worth the sacrifices and the tears and frustrations for someone to say “I love what you did” it gets me emotional, really.
What are your plans for next year?
2022, I’m coming for you! Literally! My plans are to keep releasing great music cause I have things to say and I’ll be performing on stage a lot more too and plugging social media feeds with content. So yes, I’m excited for what’s to come and I feel like “Wild Things” has opened the door to many possibilities for me to grow and expand.