WILFREDO has rebranded and is back to rock again! We welcome his return with an interview! Let’s see what he has to say!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
- Theres not much of a story with my name besides my mom naming me after one of
her ex boyfriends back home (LOL). Sorry mom. My dad thinks its hilarious though and
so do I.
We saw that you are not playing as GRAVESEND anymore. What happened?
- GRAVESEND has always been a one-man project. I didn’t like the idea of being a
solo artist before but I realized that I should just embrace what I do and how I do it. Its
all about self love and appreciation. Plus, people were getting confused thinking that we
all contributed creatively which was just not the case. Marketing and promoting myself
as an artist and not a band just makes things so much easier. It just MAKES SENSE.
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
- When I was younger I always thought soundtracks in video games were top notch.
Before I even got a chance to pick up an instrument, I always hummed tunes while I
was playing with Hot Wheels inspired by the music in those games. I still search up
those same songs on Youtube and jam to them in my car. Fast forward to today and
they still influence what I do now musically.
How would you describe your sound?
- I would describe it as alternative or genre-fluid. When I set out to do this, I didn’t want
to have a title for the type of music that I make because I feel like that boxes me in to
one genre.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
- I would say Bring Me The Horizon, Boston Manor, Turnstile, ABBA, Daft Punk.
What’s the last song you listened to?
- C’est Comme Ça – Paramore.
What’s your source for hearing new music?
- Social Media is great for discovering new music. I feel like I find a lot of new music through there. But I also have a lot of friends with great music taste so they usually introduce me to really cool artists.
Who is your dream producer?
- Kyle Black (Pierce The Veil, State Champs) and John Feldmann (Goldfinger, Blink
182) were the two that Ive always wanted to work with and luckily enough Ive had the
chance to work with them both.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
- Oli Sykes, Yungblud, Hayley Williams or De’wayne
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
- I believe its always been a part of me. Its one of those things that I had no part in choosing, really. I just did what felt natural to me and one thing led to another bringing me here today. Motivation? No such thing. Making music for me is as vital as breathing.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
- I used to start with guitar and drums. Then I added bass and finally finished it off with
lyrics and a vocal melody. I then started to expirament with vocal melody only and
building off of that. It was a total change in my process and it choked me up a bit. I just
love challenging myself. You can’t grow without a challenge.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to
connect with you?
- Social Media. I love how the whole world is connected now a days. The easiest way
for them to connect with me is by just dropping a comment on my posts or shooting me
a DM.
What’s next for you?
- Currently I am writing new music and looking for a producer and studio to work with. I
want to work on consistently releasing new music this year and of course would love to
play some shows.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
Stream and share my music out on all streaming platforms!
Bio:
- WILFREDO is an alternative POC punk artist based in Los Angeles, CA
