Just The Two of Us is only one of the great many songs to follow, showcasing Hamm’s unforgettable vocals
Read our interview with the Oklahoma – based artist below.
How did you start making music and what were your inspirations as you were growing up?
Music or songwriting starts with a simple idea, a thought or phrase that sticks and then simply building on that idea. Nothing more or less. I know music has always been emotional for me. That’s how it gets my attention. Vulnerability or rawness, when you can feel that in a song it separates itself from a one-time play, to a song I will revisit time and time again. I grew up in a world where I didn’t have many inspirations or where I wanted to sound like another artist or portray music in a certain way. I simply enjoy the act of creating and however I could express that to my ability was where I seemed the most inspired. Film score was huge for me in that regard growing up. Capturing a scene in a film or even commercial created an emotional aspect that I couldn’t quite get my head around but I wanted more of. That’s where music started for me.
Don’t know if you have heard this again but your voice carries a sweet nostalgia but you are so young! Where do you think that comes from?
If I am being honest, I truly don’t know where it comes from. My songwriting has shifted and transformed throughout my life where I still feel I am searching for an identity of who I actually am as a songwriter which I find some beauty in. It comes from a place of feeling a certain way or emotion within the music I am writing and expressing it as I go. I truly try not to think too much about where things have come from within the music and just continue on within it. I feel the moment I ask myself those question, I tend to box myself in. So, I hope it is okay not knowing. Boring answer I know but it is hard to express that answer for myself.
Your new song, Just The Two of Us, is a sexy and intimate love song. Tell us a few things about your creative process.
The process truly started as a joke or a song just for fun. There was no end goal for this song which is why I enjoy it so much. Sometimes, the less you try the more people will pull out of it, no? I was writing with a girl I was seeing at the time who was an artist herself. We just had an idea of writing an intimate love song that also had these hints of humor within it. She was always the comedian. Months down the line I revisited the song and rewrote some of the versus as well the progression altogether and brought it to the guys of Swimfan and it turned into this song that had a feel unlike the original idea altogether.
What is your favourite album of the past year?
My favorite album of the last year would have to be a tossup between “Songs” by Adrianne Linker and “Collections From the Whiteout” by Ben Howard. Such amazing songwriters in their own regard that create so much feeling and emotion within their tracks while simultaneously creating a feeling where they don’t seem to be trying too hard. Hard to explain, but simplicity is key for me within these records. It’s the only records where I can listen to a song time and time again without the sense of boredom. I hear something new every time I listen.
Did you have the chance to perform live yet? What would be your ideal place outside of Oklahoma, to introduce your music to an audience?
I have not had the opportunity to play live yet this year. Truly focusing on writing a record right now to the best way It seems fit. That’s where I am currently, but I do anticipate of playing live shows before the years over. I really enjoy Austin as well as Nashville. Just the openness and creativity that thrives in those cities I feel I could find a place for my music there. Honestly though, id play anywhere I could if people enjoyed my music that much. Just want to get there first before looking that far ahead.
What else should we expect from you in the near future?
What you can expect is a complete montage of music and songs I have created in the last year. Many of which will not sound like the ones before. I thrive on bringing multiple elements to my music where it leaves listeners surprised and maybe slightly confused. I like people expecting music or an artist to sound a certain way and completely approaching it in a different way. Some will say that Is the wrong way to form a fan base, but I guess at the end of the day I want people to be a fan of who I am and what I bring musically and not attached to an idea of an attached sound.
Tell us something about you that not many people know!
Something many don’t know is that I am actually in pursuit of a graduate degree in Psychology right now. I hope to be a social psychologist one day and insert an idea of art therapy within my work. I work at Boys & Girls club here in the city as well bettering my understanding of people and society overall. Life is a juggling act and I don’t know how to juggle but slowly figuring it out. My life started as a very one-dimensional path with the notion that all I want to be is a musician. It took time and some growing up to realize that there are many more strengths within myself that I should explore. It seems I have found a better understanding of life altogether which I feel has made me a better musician/listener/songwriter.
Thanks Grayson!
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