Los Angeles based pop-punk artist Byesadboy wears his heart on his sleeve, arriving from Boston, this rising black sheep shares his time as a collegiate cross-country runner to living in his car in Los Angeles.
Tell us more about who you are.
I lived many lives before becoming Byesadboy. I went from being a collegiate cross-country runner wearing Vineyard Vines to a drop-out risking it all living in a car in LA, hustling everyday just to get by. It never broke me. Byesadboy is a culmination of my journey. I’m a Boston boy at heart and a black sheep too. I’ve had so many highs and lows in my life, sometimes I don’t know which way is up. But now I’m coming to and I wanna share my story. It’s not just my story, it’s our stories. Byesadboy is about wearing your heart on your sleeve and knowing it’s okay to cry… and kick and scream! I love pop-punk because it makes sad songs hit hard and I wanna feel it together.
How long have you been recording music?
I made my first song in 2018 as a joke. I didn’t really start taking it seriously and recording until the end of 2019. I couldn’t help but be drawn to it. I was seeing concepts, videos, lyrics swirling in my mind. I couldn’t stop. Going into 2022, I just released 5 new tracks including my latest single “Sometimes”, a track about the same insane highs and insaner lows I mentioned earlier.
Where did the desire to create music come from?
Honestly, after a few recording and writing sessions I felt amazing as if I was a new person. I would say that the desire came after I started making music and it was 100% to help cope with depression and anxiety. Once I realized it was helping me so much, I knew it would create a lasting impact on others and help them as well. It’s group therapy.
What is your process when coming up with a new track?
Pack my bags, roll up a blunt, head over to the homie’s crib (shout out (Brendan, Mark & Evan) and get started. Usually we start with a rough idea of what emotion I’m feeling or what I want to talk about in the song… Is it happy, sad, angry, etc.? Then, we’ll start on the beat and start writing. Throughout the process, we try to blend as many genres as possible. Start with some drum lines, a fire guitar riff and write some sad or emotional stuff. Finish it off with some vocal tracking and then we bop out until we think it’s done. Then we usually sit on it for month’s hahaha.
Tell us 2 of the biggest challenges you have had to overcome as a rising artist?
Finding my own unique sound. At first, I wasn’t even confident enough in my singing voice to belt a note. There are so many things going on in your head when you’re making yourself into an artist. Plus, there are millions of people trying to make it as a singer or songwriter and I don’t want to sound like everyone else. For me, one of the hardest challenges I’ve had to overcome is to really fine tune and discover my own sound.
Getting through all the negative energy and plateaus. Ya know, it’s one thing dealing with people telling you “you can’t do this.” I can usually deal with that and shrug it off and just say we each have our own visions for our lives. But what’s worse is getting through plateaus. I remember when I first hit 10k streams on Spotify. Then, I was stuck there for months and it almost seemed like everyone moved on. Basically what I’m saying is that you’re going to reach new heights along the way in your career–the important thing is to celebrate but always know there’s more work on the horizon.
What advice have you learned to this point that you would share with an independent artist?
RISK IT ALL. Dump as much money as you can into promotion, pay to plays, etc. Find your sound and don’t listen to the haters. Do you.
Have a SHORT TERM MEMORY. When it comes to losses just learn and recognize what went wrong and move on. Turn that loss into a lesson.
So, do you have any music you are currently working on?
Yeah, I got a few unreleased tracks that are being mixed, but I’m mostly just trying to finish this album: 100% Boy Tears. It’s coming Spring 2022. I just released “Sometimes” on Halloween. GO CHECK IT OUT.
What can listeners expect from you for 2022?
WE GOING ON TOUR BABY!! I can’t announce all the cities but I will be performing for the first time ever in my home city of Boston. And I am dropping “100% Boy Tears”. So yeah, 2022 is going to be the sad boy year. Hope y’all are ready to ride the wave with us!!!
Connect with Byesadboy on Instagram and Twitter for more information on tour dates, pop-up shows and more.
