Brian Fire On the Making Of “Let Go”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "Let Go" and the story it tells?
The inspiration for the song began after I was with a girl who was no longer interested in being in a relationship with me. For me the pre-chorus and chorus sum up the song best: “You said - ‘I don’t want you baby, I don’t really want you’ - But, ‘I don’t really want you baby, I don’t want you… to go.’ Baby, I don’t know how to Let Go” and so on.
The title of the song is really a message to me, reminding me to Let Go. It’s interesting because while the whole song is all about not being able to let go, the title of the song is a message to yours truly to let go.
Interestingly enough, I’m also very fascinated by sad lyrics contrasted by a happy-sounding tune (see ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ as a good example of this). To me, this is very freeing, allowing me to dance to my misery, shake off the upsetting emotions, and Let Go.
I feel as though this song has so many layers to its songwriting that don’t necessarily stick out in the first, second, or even third listen.
This song, ultimately, is a culmination of my musical inspirations into a single, indie/synth-pop track.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for this song?
My songwriting sessions are quite messy, if you could even call them a session. Usually, I’ll have a good idea, track it at home, play with it over time, and build an arrangement around it, then add lyrics somewhere in between all that. With this track, there were so many places where I worked on this song: at home, coffee shop, airports, hotel, you name it—simply because I was trying to add in all my inspirations into a single track somehow. It took quite a bit of time.
But if there was one point that stuck out, it was when I was close to finishing the song, back in September of 2022 (yes, it’s been that long lol).
I was in Passau, Germany, traveling with some friends, and we were hanging out in the hostel after a long day of travel, and I was working on the song. I was tweaking it even more, and I handed the headphones to my best friend, and he said, “Brian, it’s done. You really don’t need to do much else, but the lyrics.”
He was right. I was being too precious with this song. If it doesn’t get released, no one will hear it. It was around this time that I was beginning to build a little more faith and confidence in myself as an artist.
I’ve gotten better. I’ve sought out producers to work with, I’ve actually published my work, and I didn’t wait for the “perfect music video” to go with it. No, it just needed to be put out there, and I needed to be the one to push it out. I’d say this was really the catalyst for beginning acting, with less thinking about acting around my work. So yes, this moment sticks out the most.
How does "Let Go" fit into your overall artistic vision?
“Let Go” pulls in many inspirations. Here are a lot of the components I added that fit into my artist vision:
- 80s synth sounds (really inspired by Porter Ronsinon’s Worlds album)
- Foley/Cityscape sounds inspired by the city (Atlanta) around me
- Upbeat fun sound inspired by Harry Styles’ As It Was (A song the person I wrote about for this song loved a lot)
- String sounds hitting on every down beat of the chorus, inspired by disco
- The cowbell hitting on every down beat of the chorus, inspired by Dayglow
- Clean guitar strums inspired by New Wave music
- The kicks and reverbs in the Pre-chorus sampling techno sample packs (a genre of music I’ve DJ’d a lot in Atlanta)
- The kick and hi-hat four-on-the-floor combo is very popular in house music (another genre of music I DJ’d a lot in Atlanta)
- The speed and pace of the track inspired, electronically, by Chet Porter's ‘Bummed (feat. Alison Wonderland)’
- The short reverb on the vocal is inspired by 80s pop music
For this song, it was very much a combo of all of this. The last 5 or so years, I DJ’d house and techno, and was very involved in the scene here. Yet when I made music, I felt a calling to pull in my earlier inspirations as an artist. I was classically trained and grew up playing trumpet. I loved 2000s indie/alt rock growing up (Arctic Monkey’s Arcade Fire, MGMT, The Killers), and that type of songwriting was still in me, so I combined all of this to make “Let Go.”
Was there a pivotal moment in your life when you decided to follow your path as a musician?
2018, after graduating from college, was when I realized I should do it.
But I was too scared.
Too scared of uncertainty. But recently, I knew I had to take a chance on myself because no one else is going to do it for me.
Last year, my Grandpa had a stroke. My family is blessed to still have him around, but it seemed like a close call. He was saying, while still in the hospital, how he was so proud of me and loved that I created music, and played instruments. That was it for me. I need to move past my insecurities and take a chance on myself.
Last year, after much deliberation and insecurity, I decided to book studio time with a reputable producer in his studio. Those sessions (which are creating my next line of songs), helped instill the confidence in me needed to become the artist I always knew I had in me.
I see this movement from indecision to decision being the “artist’s struggle to self-actualization.” Moving past one’s to have the confidence to be the artist they know themselves to be in their heart of hearts.
I don’t plan to look back, and I’m excited to release more music this year!
How do you continuously grow and evolve as an artist?
Continue being a music fan. Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of Ginger Root. I love his music, and his musical inspirations of city pop resonated with me. Not that I listened to a lot of city pop growing up, but an adjacent genre from what my parents listened to - Spanish ballads. Think, Julio Iglesias, Roberto Carlos, José José, Jeanette, and so much more. I don’t know how this will play into my next songs that I write with all my inspirations, but seeing what artists are inspired by, how they engage/consume music, can be inspiring.
I also love listening to artist interviews from artists I love/enjoy. I always find different answers they have to questions inspiring.
And of course, scroll on Instagram or TikTok and you’re bound to find artists who drive your inspiration with how they approach music. It’s always a beauty to witness artists do well with their unique artistic approach. It makes me want to become a better artist and embellish on what makes me unique or what I find interesting.
Outside of that, I like consuming other things artists make, whether it’s a movie, a painting, or a book. I’m currently reading How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco), just to understand how he interprets his approach to music.
Consuming other art or media you find inspiring is really what helps you evolve as an artist, in my opinion. Creative acts from all over can help you evolve.
