Trust in Michael Alan Scott's "Process"

Although he shares the same name with The Office character, Michael Alan Scott is no joke. His new song, "Process” is the first single off his second EP, ‘The Dark Can Be a Beautiful Place.” It is equally as catchy as it is substantial—a solid start to his upcoming project. Twenty Minutes Later got the chance to ask Michael a few questions about his latest release. Read our interview below.

HOLD ON. STARTING WITH YOUR NAME. MICHAEL ALAN SCOTT. HOW SICK ARE YOU OF THE OFFICE JOKES?

I hear it about 10 times a day, but I'm kind of used to it at this point. I'm a fan of The Office, so I don't really mind it all that much. It used to be a conversation starter in high school, whenever one of my teachers would call roll call, but slowly people aren't caring about it as much.

WERE YOU MAKING MUSIC IN HIGH SCHOOL?

I have played music almost all my life. I got a guitar when I was seven, so guitar was my main thing for a while. Freshman year of high school was when I really got into writing, producing and recording. I started a band called 99 Corolla back home in Marietta, GA. From then on, I wanted to pursue it more and more.

YOU MOVED TO NASHVILLE TO PURSUE MUSIC. HAS BEING THERE CHANGED YOUR SOUND AT ALL?

There's definitely a distinctive sound that the indie world has here in Nashville, so that's definitely been an influence. There's a lot of Southern influence here too, so that kind of comes out in my writing as well. There’s also a large population of really good artists here, which pushes you to try and make better music and do everything 100%.

HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO COLLABORATE WITH A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE THERE SINCE YOUR MOVE?

This upcoming project is the first time I've really worked with other people. Asher Peterson produced my EP and I've loved everything that he's ever worked on. I’ve also just been meeting a lot of friends here. My best friend, Anson Eggers, was a big collaborator on this next project as well as a few other people. Collaboration is a big part of this upcoming EP.

DOES BEING AROUND OTHER ARTISTS EVER FEEL COMPETITIVE?

Nashville and Belmont as a whole don’t really feel that competitive. Everyone is in it together. That's why I like collaborating so much. Everyone here wants to help out anyone that they can. But there definitely is some pressure to put out music because everyone is putting out music and you don’t want to fall behind—if that makes sense.

DID YOU WRITE “Process” ALONE?

I did. It was actually the first song I wrote when I came to Nashville. I think I was just really inspired being here, you know, in a new place. It just kind of hit me. The song came pretty quick. I think I wrote it within 10 minutes. I did a little revising after that, but for the most part it was pretty much done.

WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU WERE LISTENING TO AT THE TIME THAT YOU WERE INFLUENCED BY?

One of my all-time favorite artists, who I now count as one of my friends, is Ethansroom. He's one of the big reasons why I was drawn here. His writing and his sound have really influenced me. Phoebe Bridgers is another artist I was influenced by. I think you can hear the “Kyoto” influence in the song. I’d say those two would be my two main influences as far as the sound of the song.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT “Process?”

I like the overall energy of it. Everything that I have out currently is definitely more low key and soft acoustic sounding, and this is kind of a rock song. I like that aspect of it. And the production as a whole I like a lot. It’s a lot more quality than anything else I’ve put out.

DID YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE MOMENTS FROM THE RECORDING PROCESS FOR “Process?”

I like to incorporate hitting glass bottles in my songs. I just got a bunch of my friends and gave them each a glass Topo Chico bottle and told them when to hit it. We spent thirty minutes laughing and trying to get the bottles recorded. It was a fun moment.

HOW DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE LISTEN TO THIS SONG?

I think it's a song to play out loud or in a car. It has a lot of movement to it.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO ABOUT THE UPCOMING EP?

Definitely just playing shows around Nashville. I've had a lot more opportunities to do that. Being able to play these songs live and then have people be able to go back and listen on their phones will be a cool experience. These songs are easier to play live than any of the other songs I’ve put out. I think it will be a fun experience.

YOU CAN LISTEN TO “Process” BY Michael Alan Scott ON STREAMING SERVICES LIKE SPOTIFY AND APPLE MUSIC. GO LISTEN AND MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW @twentyminuteslater TO STAY UPDATED ON FUTURE POSTS.