Clinton is an Ireland-based artist from Hong Kong making chill, euphoric and melodic music across multiple genres inspired by artists like Porter Robinson, Said The Sky, Shallou, Dabin, Above & Beyond, Sleepy Fish, Yiruma etc. He also releases on other platforms like Apple Music, Deezers, Tidal and more. His track "let go" accumulated 300k streams on Spotify within a year of release and his track with KTL, "Take Some Time" was also signed to "Chinchilla" under the Artist Intelligence Agency label.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Clinton N, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
I think it was the day when I realized I could create my own melodies and chords. Once I realize I no longer have to stick to practicing the same scales or Beethoven, Mozart pieces, I just dived into the world of creating my own music and the rest is history.
What is your creative process like?
There doesn’t seem to be a pattern on what I’d usually start with first. Whatever invokes the most emotions from me would be my starting point. Sometimes it could be a simple melody (first 5 seconds of ‘electric blues’); Sometimes it could be a beat (‘let go’) and sometimes a narrative or personal experience (‘circles’, ‘your favorite song’)
Your latest song is 'circles'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
‘circles’ was born out of an observation that I had a while back. A lot of the people I’ve seen (myself included) seem to all be stuck in their own daily routines and not really going anywhere in life. We all have our goals, and we try our best to reach them. But I noticed that most of the time we fail to actually follow through and instead just get comfortable and stay in our own daily ‘circles’. Initially, there weren’t any vocals planned for the track but as I built more musical elements into it I decided to write a very short segment of lyrics into the middle of the track to highlight the message I was trying to express.
What was the most difficult challenge you faced?
When it comes to music, I’d say having inspiration is one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced. Being my own worst critic, I often find myself not being able to come up with a new musical idea just because of the fear of making something “bad”. I know this is a horrible habit to have and I’m actively trying to work against that. But it still haunts me from time to time.
What is the biggest mistake you have made within your career to this point?
I’d say I should have started learning how to properly use a DAW and produce electronic music at an earlier age (even just a couple of years earlier would’ve been a big help). After graduating from university, the amount of time I get to spend to work on my music is drastically decreased compared to when I was still a student. Wish I’ve started sooner!
Are there people who help you with the production of the songs?
I am mostly a one man show, and I also create most of my own album artwork. But I do have a few close friends and a mentor of mine that I frequently go to for feedback and any help on things that are a bit too technical for me. I can’t be more grateful to have such wonderful people by my side supporting my journey.
What are your long term goals?
I’d love to eventually play in small-to-medium sized gigs that are more intimate where I really get to showcase my music and also interact with the audience a bit! But being booked to play at big events or festivals would also be nice!
What do your fans mean to you? What do you value most in them?
They mean so so much to me. Sometimes, It’s crazy for me to even fathom there are people out there who resonate with the music I write and genuinely enjoy listening to them. Even though I’m currently a part time producer and am not able to release music as often as I’d like, the fact that they still take their time to listen to every new track I release just makes me feel so appreciated. I guess their support for my music is something I value the most in them. As long as I have their support and their words of encouragement I’ll be able to keep on creating with the same attitude I currently have.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
There are a couple. It was weird (in a good way) when some of my friends would actually start humming the melody of my new song because they actually like it and have been listening to it; It was also surreal to get signed onto a label for a track of mine after trying for so many years before that. But the one that really stuck with me was probably a message from a listener. I’ve received a good few messages from them before but this person’s words really touched me. They were going through a rough patch in life and told me that my music was able to help them forget their troubles even if just for a moment as an escape. They then told me my music has the ability to heal and that’s when I realize how important it is to keep on creating if it means I can make peoples’ days better with my craft.
Where is the best place in the world you’ve ever been to?
I went to this city called Shangri-La in China that’s about 5 hours from Tibet and I’ll never forget that place. I was there to teach English to the local students and their lifestyle and outlook is just so different from mine that I still find myself reflecting on it from time to time to this day. The village I was in wasn’t technologically advance per se, but they still had the basics such as electricity, gas, and a very small downtown center with shops and restaurants. The thing that stood out to me were the people and how happy they were. They didn’t have the consumerism mentality and they didn’t need much to be content. Everyday, the entire town would gather at 7pm at the town square and they’d do their traditional group dance, and everyone would just participate and go on to dinner afterwards. People say hi to each other whenever they pass each other by on the streets. The sense of community was so strong and everyone was just so carefree and happy. I’d love to return one day and experience all of that again.