[INTERVIEW] ROMDERFUL

You’ve probably heard by now, by we’re throwing a party with Fete Records this Friday, June 9, at London’s Ace Hotel. Taking a closer look at the acts that will be performing on the night, Viper sat down with all of them to uncover them as artists and individuals. Today, we we chop it up with 21-year-old British producer ROMderful.

Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

Hey! I go by ROMderful. I’m a fresh 21-year-old, I love video games, good vibes, happiness and wearing wavy clothes! I consider myself to be that guy who makes weird love songs. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what I make so that’s how I came up with ROMderful. My own style, my own vibe, my own weird twist on R&B.

Where did your musical interest begin?

My musical interest began from church. I was always so distracted by the church musicians and how beautiful the music sounded, and I always wished I could make music or play instruments! I picked up a guitar when I was six years old and started producing at 11 and the story begins!

Who or what were your early influences, and specific passions within music?

Timbaland for sure! His drums are iconic. His general production is iconic. You always know when you hear a Timbaland beat. I fell in love with Amerie’s first album All I Have at a young age too, and upon discovering Soulection in 2012, I was fully set to try and be something amazing with all my influences and musicality gained over a certain amount of years.

What have been your most memorable milestones as a musician?

The Soulection White Label for sure. That opened so many doors in my career and I gained so many connections from it. Being able to tour different continents from making music in my bedroom. I’ll never forget standing in Tokyo and Seoul and just thinking, imagined if I had given up.

Talk us through your process of creating a track?

I check myself. What am I feeling? Why am I feeling this? Whatever that emotion, feeling or thought might be, I do my best to replicate it in song form. I like to consider my songs little notes. For example, my track ‘Excuse Me (I Think You’re So Beautiful) is my little note to a girl I wanted to ask out. I suck at flirting so I just made a song of what I’m feeling instead. I don’t have a dead set way of creating. Sometimes it feels right to start with chords. Sometimes it feels right to start with drums. But I always start with a vibe in mind and I move forward from there.

Which is your favourite to date?

Either ‘Don’t Want No One Else’ or ‘Excuse Me’.

https://soundcloud.com/romderful/excuse-me-i-think-youre-so-beautiful-1

What challenges have you encountered as a producer?

Battling with my own mind. Failure and success. Will my sound ever make it? Am I too weird? There’s so many producers out there etc. Self doubt is definitely my biggest issue. Also because I dropped out of university to do music full time and I’ve never had a job, I rely on music to get money. Sometimes money is great, and other times I worry when I’m going to get money next.

Talk us through a typical live set.

My live sets; I have to show off my personality. Yeah I can just play bangers and 808-heavy music for an hour like everyone else does, but I want everyone to vibe. Show you my favourite R&B, house, hip- hop songs, play some memes so you know I have a sense of humour, play some unreleased vibes that you’ve never heard before. I want to make everyone fall in love then get hype with that person if that makes sense!

How do you decide what to play throughout a set? Do you go through any kind of process before and during?

I play what feels right to me. I always hand pick a bunch of songs that I want to play but I don’t play all of them. I make sure I have enough smooth vibes, dance vibes, hype vibes but mostly based on what makes me feel good.

Do you believe in the idea of reading the audience, and how do you go through the motions with the crowd?

I believe in that 100%. The crowd need to have fun and looking into the crowd and seeing how they react to a song gives you a great idea of what to play next and how long to play it for before you change. What they like, what they don’t like etc. Some people literally just play their set list from top to bottom and don’t even look or interact with the crowd. I make sure I look, interact, see what they like and hopefully they vibe with me as much as I vibe with them.

Your music has a unique feel, and a different approach to each track, how do you tie them together and what makes it individual to other sounds out there?

Thank you! I tie them together by the fact that they all have the theme of love. Just take a look at the title of all my tracks. It’s as if I’m writing these tracks for a girl, trying to let her know how I feel or my experiences with a certain girl. My sound is like if R&B from the early 2000s took drugs and hooked up with some form of trap and had a love child! The guitar definitely adds to my uniqueness as sometimes my playing style will throw your expectations off for when the drop comes.

Have you got any projects or collaborations in the pipeline?

I have a lot of singles and I’m currently working on a full length project for the end of the year, or start of 2018. I can’t wait to show it.

Any last words?

I LOVE YOU ALL. <3

Interview by Sarah Morgan.