Trey Ewald is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. Born and raised in New York, he has been involved in various bands and projects over the years. After finding like-minded collaborators in his new home of Los Angeles, Trey has relaunched his solo project, with a sound that draws from more wide-ranging influences than ever before. The combination of his polished pop expertise with lyrics taken from his often humorous, self-aware iPhone notes app is perfectly displayed in his new single “All My Friends Are Getting Married”, which is bound to make you rethink some of your life choices, all while partying the night away.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hello Trey Ewald. What is life like in New York? What is the difference between this city and Los Angeles?
Hey, thanks so much for having me!
Growing up in New York was amazing; I grew up on Long Island, so I kind of had the best of both worlds. My family lived in the suburbs, but we could go into Manhattan for the day and experience everything the city had to offer.
LA is a bit slower-paced, and more of a creative hub, whereas NYC feels more corporate. There’s so much to love about both though; I definitely think I appreciate New York a lot more now that I don’t live there anymore. They complement each other very well, and I’m very blessed to feel at home in both cities.
What is your dream project?
Oh man, there are so many dream collaborations for me. I would love to write with Max Martin one day, and would also love to create with Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake.
Your latest track is 'All My Friends Are Getting Married'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
“All My Friends Are Getting Married” started out as a note in my phone that literally just said “all my friends are getting married and it’s scaring me”. I thought it was a cool, relatable concept for a song, but wasn’t sure where to go with it.
I started the instrumental track with my good friend Joe Fox at his home studio. We both drank a bunch of coffee before we got to work, which probably explains why it’s so fast hahahah.
Then I took that track to a frequent collaborator, Kayla Pichichero, and we finished it from there. She’s a killer producer and songwriter and is really great at pulling the best out of me.
What makes you angry?
This is a cool question. I’d have to say disrespect. But even more so when it’s directed at people that I love more than myself.
What is the most surprising fact you’ve learned about yourself?
I’m not sure if it’s surprising, but I recently started liking sushi after living most of my life thinking I didn’t like it hahahah
What do you dislike about your work?
I’m not sure if I’d say I dislike it, because I’m so blessed to be able to do what I do, but it can be a very uncertain, unpredictable career. It definitely keeps it interesting!
What have your cooperations with the bands been like? Are you satisfied in retrospect?
With my previous bands? I think we made some really cool music, especially for how young we were. We definitely made mistakes as well, but I look at that time as a really valuable learning experience.
Is the artistic life lonely? What do you do to counteract it?
It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. I’ve embraced community more than ever recently, and spending time with the friends and family that I love is the best way to counteract any loneliness.
What do you think is the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen or experienced?
I’m not sure I can choose one thing, but I went on vacation this year for the first time in a while, and I went to Alaska and I can’t stress what a beautiful, untouched landscape it is there.
From the perspective of internal beauty, I’m involved in a local church here in LA called Mosaic, and they have made me feel so loved and welcome, and the encounters I’ve had there with Jesus and the people in that church have been so beautiful; so have to shout them out as well! Fantastic people. :)
What are your plans for the future?
I’m continuing to write and record, and I’ve got more music coming out soon! I’m really looking forward to continuing to share my work and I hope that it connects with people in a meaningful way, because that is truly the most rewarding part of making music.