Mcamp on Finding His Sound and "Sexy in the Morning"
Meet Mcamp: the California college student creating his own groove. His latest release, “sexy in the morning,” is the perfect track to start your day on. The song’s bubbly production just might make you put down your coffee and get up and move. I got the chance to ask the artist a few questions about his sound and “sexy in the morning.” Read our interview below.
YOU’RE OFTEN DESCRIBED AS A “PORTLAND RAISED” ARTIST. HOW DID YOUR CHILDHOOD INFLUENCE YOUR SOUND?
It’s funny you mention that. A lot of people say Portland born too, which is actually not true. I was born in Florida, then I moved to Hawaii for a bit, and then I moved to Minnesota— that’s actually where I grew up. I didn’t move to Portland until I was a sophomore in high school. I feel like such a fraud when I read “Portland born,” but it was in Portland that I really started getting into music. When I moved there, I didn’t know a single person, so I turned to music. My sound is definitely influenced by the city. It’s an amazing place. It’s raining all the time. It’s relaxing. There’s a slower pace of life. Portland really made my sound more laid back and chill.
DID YOUR SOUND CHANGE AT ALL WHEN YOU MOVED TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FOR SCHOOL?
Interesting question. I’ve never thought about that before. Learning things in school has changed my sound significantly. I think it has become more based in real influences. I’m a popular music performance major, so I’m learning about musical history and how all of these iconic songs were created. I study that and it definitely finds its way into my music in a very genuine way.
ARE THERE ANY ARTISTS THAT INSPIRED YOUR LATEST SINGLE, “SEXY IN THE MORNING?”
I think a big one was Justin Timberlake. A lot of people compare me to him when they talk about the song, which is amazingly flattering! I was absolutely smitten by that comparison. He was a big influence for “sexy in the morning.” When I was recording vocals, I was warming up on Justin Timberlake. I needed to channel his same vocal place in order to make “sexy in the morning” feel right for me. That’s what I was thinking about. People say they can hear it. I don’t necessarily know if I can. I just feel like Mcamp. Weirdly enough, “How To Love,” by Lil Wayne inspired the beat. Mine has got the same low-end pattern and gliding 808, although I guess mine is a little more swung. Ever since I heard that song, I wanted to make something with that same sound. I just thought it grooved so hard. It’s a great song.
DID “SEXY IN THE MORNING” START WITH THE PRODUCTION?
Kind of. I think the production and the lyrics came hand and hand. I made three different beats before I settled on the lyrics for the song. When I started making the beat that ended up becoming the final song, I was in a hotel with Covid. At the time, I didn’t have a microphone. I made my roommate drop it off later in the week. I made this really simple beat, and then I started writing the lyrics. When I got out of quarantine, I wrote and recorded the rest of it. The beat completely changed after that, but it always had that same low-end pattern. So I guess you could say I started with the beat, but it really didn’t sound like it sounds now until after I had written the lyrics.
IN WHAT WAYS HAS QUARANTINE CHANGED YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
Obviously, it’s been a tough year for everyone. Creatively, I think that I’ve had so much time to grow and work on my music, and because of that, my process has changed drastically. I didn’t used to write to beats and now it’s what I do most of the time. I had so much time to sit on the computer and work on Logic Pro. I spent more time on production during quarantine than I have in my entire life. That was great because I feel like I’ve become a stronger producer. The other thing is that when you’re writing on guitar or piano, it’s hard to instill groove in the music. When you get to create drums and then write to the track, I feel like it’s easier to make something that feels good rhythmically. I love rhythm. It’s my favorite thing about music. I’m a drummer who is not good at drums, but it’s easy to create them on Logic. So that’s why I feel like my process has changed so dramatically.
DO YOU FAVORITE PART OF THE PRODUCTION IN “SEXY IN THE MORNING?”
The drum programming didn’t always sound like it does now. When it came time to get the song ready for release, I went back and I changed a bunch of things. One thing I did was add bongos and congas that panned left and right during the chorus. That part of the song makes me so happy. It’s so funky. And I love the bass. This was the first time I’ve used an 808 in a release.
FAVORITE LYRIC?
I don’t know if I have a favorite lyric personally, but I played the song for my songwriting class and a lot of them liked the lyric, “breakfast in bed that’s just how I like/ pancakes with a side of/ kissing waistlines.”
HAS STUDYING MUSIC IN COLLEGE BEEN HELPFUL TO YOU? HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR COLLEGE AND CREATIVE LIFE?
It’s actually so hard. After this interview, I have to go grind on some homework for tonight. It’s really difficult to balance the two. I think school has taught me a lot about music. Music school is interesting because it’s more about learning how to make music rather than actually making it. On a technical level, I’m improving greatly, but I wish I had more time to practice the things I’m learning in school. Over quarantine, I had so much time to sit down at my computer. I grew more than I thought was possible. I’m very thankful for my education and I hope it makes me a really versatile musician, but I wish I had more time to make music.
HAVE YOU GOTTEN GOOD FEEDBACK ABOUT “SEXY IN THE MORNING” FROM YOUR PEERS?
One thing about music school is that a lot of people are releasing music all the time, so when I release a song, people rarely give me feedback. Obviously, I did get some feedback on the song, but music school is so oversaturated with music releases—it makes it hard to keep up.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR FANS? WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE TAKE AWAY FROM LISTENING?
As stupid as this sounds, I just want people to feel good vibes. And that does sound really stupid. But when I’m making music, I’m trying to create a feeling. I wanted the song to feel like a beautiful morning, when you're just waking up and you’re kind of tired. And then, when the chorus hits, you start to feel a groove. I want the song to give people something to look forward to and make them dance a little bit. I’m moving towards making dance music. I want people to be able to shake their hips.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE TRACK?
Here’s a fun fact: I was actually planning on releasing a different song. I had just spent so long mixing and mastering this other track, and I thought that was the song that was going to be uploaded to the distributors. And then my management texted me and said we were going to go with “sexy in the morning.” It was Friday and they asked me to have the song ready by Monday. At that point, it was just a demo. I worked on that song so much over that weekend that after I submitted it, I absolutely hated it. I had a suspicion that I had just listened to the song too much, and I was right, because now I listen back and am really proud of it. I just think that is such an interesting insight into an artist's mind.
YOU CAN LISTEN TO MCAMP’S “SEXY IN THE MORNING” ON STREAMING SERVICES LIKE SPOTIFY AND APPLE MUSIC. GO STREAM THE SONG AND MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW @TWENTYMINUTESLATER ON INSTAGRAM TO STAY UPDATED ON FUTURE POSTS.
