Conner Eko is an extraordinary artist who hails from the United States, Vallejo, California. On December 3, he released the Christmas song 'Christmas Morning Goodbye', which has a very positive message and is able to significantly improve our mood and make us more cheerful for the upcoming holidays. It is worth taking the time to listen to this song and reflect on the reality around us. In the interview Conner Eko revealed to me details about his plans for the future and the background to 'Christmas Morning Goodbye'. I invite you to get acquainted.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Conner Eko, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What strengths do you have that you believe make you a great musician?
Thank you for thinking of me as being a “great musician”! I would consider myself a stronger songwriter than a musician, but I am always working on improving my musicianship and playing and singing chops.
I think “greatness” is something we should all strive for in anything we do, but I like to be careful and not think I’m ever at that pinnacle height of greatness because then I’ll stop growing. However, I do think some strengths I do have are passion in my delivery in performance, an eclectic and broad musical taste, and something I take a lot of pride in is trying to create thematically strong storytelling in my songwriting and lyrics.
What is it about music that makes you feel passionate?
The emotional connection you get when the hair on your neck stands up. When you hear that line or vocal or instrumental part that hits you in the soul. Capturing that as a songwriter and singer is always my goal. I feel a deep hunger inside to tell stories, and to do this through songwriting and my music. Music is a very powerful and beautiful creation of the human species–something that may be unique to us in the universe. Telling stories, releasing my emotions, healing and mental health care through songwriting, and making connections with people–this is what motivates me and makes me passionate.
Your latest track is 'Christmas Morning Goodbye'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
I never intended to write a Christmas song. I just woke up early and went straight to my piano and while sipping my coffee the song basically wrote itself.
The song has a powerful message that I think is coming from conflict and healings in some of my own personal relationships. The song could be about a complete breakup between lovers, saying goodbye to someone past, or two in conflict just moving past and healing from deep unclosed wounds.
Since I never thought I’d release a Christmas song, I think it is pretty interesting that I did, and am very happy with how it turned out. I also think the song represents a good step in my development as I am growing as an artist and songwriter in finding my sound.
As far as the creation, I worked with producer Isaac Sharp. I wrote the music and lyrics, recorded the basic bones of the song (piano, vocal, and a synth bass) and then sent it out to Isaac. Isaac was amazing and listened to all my ideas and worked with me in developing the sound that it became. He also pushed me as an artist to help me grow and get the best performance out of me–something that is key in good producing! He did a great job. Through the process, him and I did some back and forth–he produced some stuff, then me, etc.
Something unique about its creation is how I met Isaac. I was signed to a new indie label in September and then was dropped like a month later because the label changed ownership and “sunsetted operations”. I met Isaac through a contact at the label so it was a good thing that came from it. I think the whole thing of being signed and dropped a month later is pretty funny, but also interesting as I’ve read that this happens to a lot of artists all the time.
What are you focussing on right now?
Getting healthy, producing new songs, and getting ready to return to my PhD program. I recently had a traumatic brain injury and am currently recovering from post-concussion syndrome. This caused me to have to take a leave of absence from my astrophysics PhD program and research job at the SETI Institute.
In 2022, as long as my health allows, I am planning to return to my PhD and research job at SETI, but also manage my time effectively and set new boundaries so that I can continue this music project as well.
One thing I have learned during this injury is that you have to shelf your regrets and not let "life" get in the way of what your heart wants. I have many new songs that are ready to be recorded and released and they will be released and I will always have more to write and release after that!
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist?
Number one, I intend to stay consistent with writing and releasing songs moving forward. Additionally, in 2022, I want to start playing live shows. These two things are very important–writing and performing live–as they will help me grow as an artist and songwriter. Further, I would like to continue to challenge myself by trying to produce my own music and experiment with different sounds and recording methods. Lastly, I am always looking for professionals to collaborate with or to work on my team. Surrounding yourself with the right music team is extremely important as a developing artist so this is always being worked on as well.
Who's your ideal musician to collaborate with and why?
Great question! There are a lot of musicians that I would love to collaborate with, especially in the songwriting process. I know this is probably a common answer, but if I had the opportunity to collaborate with anyone in the world, it would have to be Paul McCartney. I don’t think I need to explain too much why since he is an amazing songwriter and musician, but if I could co-write a song with him it would be exciting and educational for me, and maybe we would write something magical too.
Songwriting is very important to me so ultimately I just want to connect with great songwriters and co-write, have a great experience, learn from them, and make awesome music. Others I would like to collaborate with include Elton John, Florence Welch, Lorde, H.E.R., Brian Wilson, and many more. Also anyone out there that is interested send me a message!
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Retro indie pop singer-songwriter with flavors of synths, piano, and guitars. I usually start with piano/vocal or guitar/vocal, then start producing things out, however, sometimes I produce something with a “vibe” then write the melody/lyrics to that. For “Christmas Morning Goodbye”, I started with just piano/vocal, but for by debut single, “SINK”, I started with a chord progression co-written with friend, Daniel Ross, and let the produced out demo I put together with synths, drums, keys, etc. inspire the melody and lyrics.
I’ll probably continue writing/producing using both methods and will also think of other methods too so I’m always trying something fresh. I also am always writing lyrics. I have a lot of lyrics that have yet to be turned into songs, just waiting to be placed into melody and music so that’s something else I’d like to explore since I have some pretty cool lyrics that I would love to have a proper home.
Which qualities do you think make a great musician?
I believe that "greatness" is something that we should all aim for in all we do, but I prefer to be cautious and not believe that I will ever reach that peak height of greatness since then I will stop improving.
What is one message you would give to your fans?
I am super appreciative of your support and know that I can’t do this without you! I consider you as a valuable part of my team. Also, and more importantly, please know that you are amazing and I encourage you to never give up on your dreams or yourself.
What are your plans for next year? Do you have any productions ready to be released?
Next year, I plan to continue my journey in getting better with my health, return to my astrophysics PhD and SETI research, write more songs, play some live shows, and release more music.
I have a lot of songs that I am really excited about. I have songs about struggles with depression, my own personal story, and some that use the cosmic perspective to explore ideas about humanity's place on Earth in the universe. I have already started recording and producing some of these songs, but there’s a lot more work to be done on them. I plan to start making serious progress on these productions beginning in January 2022. I’d love to release an entire album, but because of indie musician budget constraints I will probably have to release a series of singles or an EP