SPOTLIGHT: Everyday Daydreaming with Nathan Bajar’s new EP 'Joyride'

 

☆ BY Lilah Phillips ☆

 
 

IF YOU CAN VIVIDLY DESCRIBE YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE IN SOME ARTISTICAL FORM, HOW WOULD YOU GO ABOUT IT? - Would you write a song? Take a picture? Sing about it? One of the things in life we take for granted is the small and ordinary things. Sometimes, we become so overly fixated on showcasing the highlights in our lives, that we forget about the pleasures that we can find in just the simple, everyday moments we have. Filipino-American artist and photographer Nathan Bajar embraces just that through, his art. Bajar’s music is about his family, everyday, and personal conflicts. With his sound being inspired by R&B pop and rock. Bajar is inspired by artists like The Neptunes, Queen, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Dangelo, and Raphael Saadiq.  Bajar describes his sound as “A very busy house.” With guitar riffs that pull you into a whirlwind of an intoxicating daydream, beats that send you into a head-nodding daze, and soothing vocals and melodies that bring a sense of comfort and ease. Bajar’s new EP Joyride continues his blending of rock, R&B, Pop and Jazz. 

 Currently based in Brooklyn, Bajar was born and raised in New Jersey. Learning guitar from his father as a teenager, Bajar’s earliest motivation that got him into making music was, ​“Seeing my dad and uncles drink, sing, and play guitar together made me want to learn how to play guitar. This church group I used to attend would host sports tournaments, battle of the bands, and songwriting contests every year— I never won but through that, I learned that I enjoyed writing songs.”  While studying photography in school Bajar was not writing as much. After college, He moved to New York to work in photography, where his roommate showed him how to use Ableton. He watched as many Youtube videos as he could to learn more about Ableton. At the same time, Bajar reacquainted himself with writing music. He began to share some music with fellow artist Moruf and his encouragement “Helped me enjoy and feel more comfortable sharing music with others.”

As an artist, he would like people to know that “It is never too late to learn something new.” When creating his music, Bajar starts off with “writing the chords for the music and building out the arrangement. I record reference vocals and I’ll either get stuck in a loop, move on, and make something else or keep coming back to it until I can sort out how to say what I want to say” .” In 2019, Bajar released his self-produced Album Playroom followed by his single “When I’m with her” in 2019 along with “Anniversary” in 2020. Apart from his music career, Bajar works as a fine art and editorial photographer. His work has been seen on platforms like The New York Times, The Fader, Vice, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, & Time Magazine. Like his music, Bajar’s photography is informed by his family life. As of recently, Bajar has released his singles “Daydreamer”, “Big Body”, and “Blessing”in 2021, leading up to his new EP release Joyride. The EP was written, performed, and produced by Nathan, with additional production and mixing by Jake Aron, and mastered by Zeroh.

Along with the EP release, his MV “Four Eyes” drops alongside his EP as a slightly eerie but daydreamingly beautiful cinema that depicts simple but meaningful moments shared with the couple displayed in the video.

To top it off, Bajar will be performing in Brooklyn at Elsewhere alongside NY Based artists 13th Law & ChooChoo on April 5th. Nathan Bajar is an artist to totally look out for and you should definitely add him to your upcoming summer playlist. With his unique sound and his simple and lighthearted take on his art, Bajar's art will not only take you on an everyday daydream but really make you cherish the world around you. Whether that be your family, friends, a significant other, or just anything we take for granted. Slowing down and taking in the “everyday” will really help us appreciate those beautiful simple pleasures in life. With that being said, If YOU can describe your everyday life in some artistic form, how would you go about it?

CONNECT WITH NATHAN BAJAR

INSTAGRAM

SPOTIFY

 
bennytheghost brings a warm & upbeat energy for your friday with his new track “Say Something” ☀️ His genuine enthusiasm for music shines through the single & allows him to express a lively, emotional & self-deprecating introduction into his upcoming EP. 🎶Exploring a non traditional instrumental & lyrical style with the new single, bennytheghost continues to establish his spot in the indie pop scene. Read our full interview with the rising artist on the site now - link in bio ✨
Meet our latest Luna Sweetheart, Yulissa Benitez 💓 Pulled towards the revivalistic phenomenon of 90’s counterculture & music, Yulissa captures a spectrum of human nature: a self that is unhinged; held back by nothing. Her photography embodies a frenetic rawness, in which color & lighting are both aesthetic & meaningful, & a fleeting movement & expression are held still in time 🎞 💫Check out more of her work on our story now + our full feature on the site - link in bio ✨
“I know it sounds cheesy, but music makes me feel so whole & gives me such a genuine & unfiltered joy. When you do something you love, the internal pressure of “having to make it” lessens because success becomes redefined. Success is getting up in the morning and knowing I get to make music today.” - kristiane 💓 🎶Her latest EP ‘I Miss Myself’ serves as an incredible insight into the growing artist’s talents & passion. Read the full feature on our site now featuring photos by our fav Carina Allen ⭐️
MusicThe Luna Collectivemusic, Nathan Bajar