Grichu On the Making Of ‘Trash Baby’
What was the creative process like for this particular EP?
The writing of the songs came pretty easy to me, I put down some ideas on the piano and then built up the tracks, wrote the lyrics to achieve maximum impact with my message. But the technical aspect of polishing the songs to achieve a radio finish took time. I was still learning, and exploring new techniques. I wasn’t yet as good a producer as I was now. I was excruciatingly slow and a perfectionist. But working on this EP made me who I am today, a solid artist and producer who’s really fast and efficient, and delivers bangers quickly. With this EP I realized mixing is an integral part of achieving my artistic vision, after working with a professional mixing engineer who was very good but didn’t quite get what I wanted to do. So I had to wait until I was able to mix my own records to release the songs. And that took several years.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for 'Trash Baby?’
Everything was recorded and produced in my home studio. I sang and produced all the vocals, all the melodies, and that was way before AI. The goal was for me to be able to produce the album entirely myself but I had never done it with acceptable results. It was my baptism by fire lol. This project was started in 2021 or 2022 and now it’s just being released. I have the Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Québec to thank for their continuous support of my work, which allowed me to experiment, dare, and try new things.
What impact do you hope 'Trash Baby' will have on your audience?
First I wanted to create awareness, and make people reflect on various issues. One song is about growing up and blooming after going through a trauma, another one is about all the standards women have to conform to in the music industry, another is about LGBTQ rights and the fight between Disney and De Santis, and there’s one extra song about my mom who died of cancer at a very young age. But honestly in hindsight after all those years, I just hope the songs will make people dance. Music acts as a powerful conduit for emotions. When people dance, they are happy. And all I want to bring people joy and happiness. Positive vibes, positive emotions.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
Patty Smith and her song Gloria. That was my first influence. I eventually set my mind to becoming a backvocal singer because I was really good at inventing melodies to fit the main vocal. I would hear something on the radio and sing along a part that doesn’t exist. Then I realized I can swap the parts that I create for any instrument and boom! I just created a complete song. La la las can become guitars, oh oh ohs can become keyboards, and so I found my talent was closer to one of a producer than a singer. I can come up with an infinite variety of melodies that can be played on top of each other and sound good together.
How do you balance incorporating new trends while maintaining a unique and timeless production style?
I’m a dj, so every month I look at the charts and download what’s hot. In a way, I’m actually getting paid to stay current with the trends. I wouldn’t say I was trying to fit a trend with Trash Baby though. This album is very much rooted in my grunge/alternative background, sprinkled with a bit of dance influence. It was my goal to create some grunge-dance music, and I think I succeeded.
