Q&A: Grent Perez Is Taking Life as It Comes — The Artist on Growing Through Music and Embracing the Unknown
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY ALICIA ZAMORA ☆
Photo by Johnny Nguyen
GRENT IS LEARNING TO SLOW DOWN AND TAKE IT ALL IN—Music has given Grent Perez a way to make sense of the world around him, turning the things he experiences into something he can put into words. But as more opportunities have come his way, from g00se to touring to contributing to a Netflix soundtrack, he’s also had to learn how to navigate the changes that come with them. What once left him feeling overwhelmed has become something he’s more aware of now, even if he’s still figuring things out. For Grent, growing as an artist has meant learning to sit with the discomfort rather than letting it take over, and understanding that he doesn’t have to have everything figured out just yet.
That perspective has also shaped the way he approaches his music. Whether he’s drawing on memories of writing “Conversations With The Moon” to ask out his partner or channeling his own connection to family for his contribution to Netflix’s DANG!, his work often comes back to the people and experiences that have stayed with him. He’s just as open about the music that continues to inspire him, pointing to Daniel Caesar’s Son Of Spergy as a record that leaves him in awe. And while g00se captures a particular chapter of his life, Grent is already looking toward what comes next, with plenty of ideas he’s excited to explore, including music he’s produced himself.
Still, he isn’t in a rush to figure out exactly what that future looks like. If there’s one thing he has learned along the way, it’s that chasing a dream doesn’t have to mean pushing himself to the limit. He wants to take better care of his health, give himself room to grow and make a more conscious effort to notice the world around him. As he becomes more reflective about his place in it, he’s also thinking about the importance of listening to others and appreciating the people and environment that make life meaningful. There’s still plenty he wants to create, but for now, he’s learning that sometimes the best thing he can do is slow down and take it all in.
Read Luna’s conversation with Grent Perez below.
Photo by Joshua Timog
LUNA: You’ve been making music for some time now, and so much has happened recently, from g00se to touring to working on a Netflix soundtrack. For someone who might be discovering you for the first time, how would you describe yourself and the place you’re in right now?
GRENT: At this point, right now, I'd say that I'm someone who is ever curious about what life has to offer. Fortunately for me, music allows me to view the world through a poetic lens, and I try to write about that.
LUNA: You mentioned that g00se came out of a period of immense change, when you were trying to find yourself. I’m curious, when you’re in the middle of a period like that, do you usually recognize that you’re changing as it happens, or do you only realize how much has shifted once you look back?
GRENT: I definitely am more aware of it now. But for me, at the early stages of change, it definitely feels like angst and bitterness towards how uncomfortable I feel and how much responsibility gets added to my plate. I wasn't too aware of that before; I'd just get sad. I still do...but not as much, I guess! The important part is the reaction. A little anger and discomfort is okay; managing that is the hard part.
LUNA: You recently contributed to the soundtrack for Netflix’s DANG! Music can shape how someone experiences a scene without them necessarily noticing exactly why they feel a certain way. Was there a particular emotion or atmosphere you wanted your contribution to bring to the series?
GRENT: In DANG!, family plays a huge role in the show's narrative; the scene related to my song involves a bonding experience. Luckily for me, “Yesterday Once More” happens to be one of my mum's favorite songs, so I just channeled my inner “mommy's boy” and imagined I was singing for her. Family, reconnecting, emotion, boom.
LUNA: You toured Backflips in a Restaurant last year, which must have come with plenty of memorable moments. What’s something that happened on tour that your fans probably never heard about but that you still find yourself laughing about or thinking about?
GRENT: Our bus driver got denied entry into Canada during one of the crossovers. After wrapping up Smash Bros. at 2 a.m. and departing from Detroit, we dozed off, only to be begrudgingly woken an hour later by our now oddly apologetic tour manager. "I don't want to do this, guys; I'm sorry, but you have to get up. There's police; we have to get checked and turned back," he said (the way he said it was so funny). Long story short, the bus driver had a DUI from years ago, so they denied [him] entry. My tour manager had to sort out a new vehicle at 5 a.m., drive on no sleep and take it all the way to Toronto. We made it to the venue an hour before doors, and the show ended up being one of my favorites ever.
LUNA: I’m curious about the way certain songs become attached to specific memories in our lives. Is there a song you’ve written that immediately takes you back to a particular moment whenever you hear it, even if you haven’t thought about that time in years?
GRENT: “Conversations With The Moon” was a song I wrote to ask out my lady. It sounded different back then, but still holds up. I want to polish that song up.
LUNA: I want to know about the music you gravitate toward when you’re not making your own. Has there been an artist, album or even one particular song that’s stayed with you for years and influenced the way you think about music?
GRENT: Daniel Caesar's music never fails to absolutely blow my mind away. What a mind on the guy. Son Of Spergy is insane, so eloquently spoken, each emotion so effortlessly conveyed.
LUNA: With g00se, you’re sharing music that came from a particular chapter of your life, but you’re also continuing to grow beyond it. When you think about the music you haven’t made yet, is there a side of yourself you’re especially excited to explore creatively that you haven’t had the chance to show people?
GRENT: Yeah...there's a lot; I don't know if it's too much! I truly don't think it is. My gut says it'll be good, but it's mostly things I’ve produced myself. So, a nice amount.
LUNA: If you could sit down with yourself on the day you first decided to release music, what’s one thing about the life you have now that you think would be hardest for your younger self to believe?
GRENT: That we're still figuring it out! Ain’t that right, brain?
LUNA: Looking back at the beginning of your music journey, what advice would you give your younger self? Is there something you’ve learned along the way that you wish you’d understood earlier, whether about music, the industry or trusting yourself as an artist?
GRENT: Slow down, appreciate your body, your health and your mind. You don't have to attack your dream.
LUNA: Before we wrap up, is there anything about g00se, “Close to You” or this chapter of your life that you haven’t really had the chance to talk about yet but would love for people to know?
GRENT: I guess I've been a lot more reflective lately. The earth and its people are precious; I want to try and make a more conscious effort to slow down and notice the world around me. Specifically, the people and our environment too. Listen to one another; really listen. It's easy to get caught up in ourselves. It's also hard, but we try...I think.
