Hi and welcome back to the Songs with Substance podcast. I recently got to speak with Montreal-based artist, Conor Nickerson, a multi-facetted creative working in music, film, photography and graphic design.

We spoke about the pressure to specialize in one field despite have multiple interests, the challenge of monetizing your art without losing your passion, tackling the fear of being seen, wrestling with social media burnout and much more. Find the chapters that most peak your interest in the chapters below:

00:00:00: Intro

00:02:57 - About Conor, his art forms & Montreal as a hub for artists

00:05:10 - How to navigate having “too many” passions as a creative

00:13:57 - Do you have to “pick a lane” to make money?

00:16:57 - We’re all tired of social media

00:27:14 - Is authentic marketing possible on social media?

00:31:51 - Can introverts succeed in music today?

00:34:44 - The “1000 super-fan” economic theory & the value of creating small tribes online

00:40:34 - Art & capitalism: Do metrics matter?

00:44:56 - Performing vs writing: must we do both to be legitimate artists?

00:52:54 - Tackling the fear of being seen

00:55:34 - Is it your intuition or a trauma response?

00:59:46 - Would your art change if likes, views & streams weren’t publicly visible?

01:02:35 - Does living off your art blunt your passion?

01:08:59 - Do you have to quit your day job?

01:10:39 - Limiting beliefs around money as a creative

01:12:54 - How your self-image determines your future

01:17:41 - The trap of over-intellectualization & toxic self-help culture

01:27:47 - Conor’s new music!

01:40:11 - Conor’s social media links & where you can find him

Conor’s music

Conor’s IG

Conor’s website

All my links

In today’s episode, I got to speak to Daudi Matsiko, a British-Ugandan, indie-folk artist who just released a gorgeously introspective album called “King of Misery,” in which he explores his long and at times arduous mental health journey.

00:00:00 Intro

00:00:48 What does Daudi want to make you feel through his music

00:04:32 What it takes to become a prolific songwriter

00:08:07 The trouble of taking yourself too seriously as an Artist

00:13:36 How Daudi’s depression inspired his latest album

00:19:55 Should an Artist make art for other people, or for themselves?

00:25:29 Dad’s mental health journey

00:40:52 Releasing a new album under Daudi’s own label

Daudi’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/daudi/

Daudi’s Bandcamp: https://hellodaudi.bandcamp.com/

More from me: https://linktr.ee/reinecramer

Welcome to the Songs with Substance Podcast where I speak to introspective indie artists about their experience staying mentally healthy as they navigate the music industry. In today’s episode I spoke to Josh from Booster Fawn, an alt-rock band based in Montreal. We spoke about Josh’s positive journey to sobriety, as depicted in his latest album ‘Dreams made of Snowflakes’.

⏳CHAPTERS⏳

00:00 Intro

01:03 Josh’s musical background

01:50 Why the name Booster Fawn

04:08 How they’re bringing nature back to civilisation

06:36 Being authentic but having a business mindset

07:08 Josh’s positive journey to sobriety

11:09 Songwriting before & after addiction

13:16 Spirituality after addiction

13:54 What helped Josh in his sobriety

16:33 Josh shares his rock bottom

20:57 How to make art without craving validation

24:42 How much ego is healthy for artists

26:44 Josh’s biggest learning curve in music marketing

30:19 Why Josh keeps going even when success feels out of reach

32:11 Success in music for Josh

36:13 What Josh wants his music to communicate to his audience

38:47 What’s next for Josh & where to find him

Hear more from Josh: https://www.instagram.com/boosterfawn/

Hear more from Reine: https://linktr.ee/reinecramer

Happy new year everyone! Welcome back to the Songs with Substance podcast where I have existential conversations with introspective musicians. In this first episode of the year I spoke to Nikolas L.B, a Montreal-based artist. Check out the chapters below to get an overview of all the wonderful topics we covered around the music industry and the creative process. Here’s to a 2024 filled with deep chats 🥂

⏳Chapters⏳

00:00:00 - Intro

00:00:55 - Discover Nikolas L.B’s music 🎵

00:02:25 - What makes the Montreal music scene so special

00:03:55 - How the pandemic affected our creativity

00:08:14 - Why make art when the world is in distress

00:13:53 - How should an artist relate to their ego

00:21:12 - Nik’s perception of music marketing, can marketing be mindful?

00:32:51 - The price you pay for commercializing your art

00:35:11 - How to make art for others without getting influenced by them

00:38:33 - Intentionality vs flow state, which is best?

00:43:00 - Is the music industry harder for artists today?

00:50:50 - Why release music when the industry is “oversaturated”

00:57:20 - Are we too *old* to find success in music?

01:05:24 - The trouble with having a scarcity mindset as an artist

01:17:53 - What’s next for Nik & where to find him

🔗 Links 🔗

Nikolas’s website - https://nikolaslb.com/

Nikolas’s IG - https://www.instagram.com/nikolas.l.b/

Nikolas’s Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/5NWcTd6xSzxY6QnGevX5ER?si=6uDVINatRA2ETXP42hVvnQ 

Reine’s website - https://linktr.ee/reinecramer

Reine’s IG - https://www.instagram.com/reinecramer

Reine’s Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/5HtPBbG9Iwr9oBlvcpbNZD?si=2N4WJjYuSVG6UDVh3OGqoA 

The Songs with Substance Playlist (featuring music from all guests) - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2148h2Fn8400mbS6paCNku?si=b0bac20effea4f50

#musicindustry #musicpodcast #indiemusic #musicdiscovery #introspection #analysis #ageism #oversaturation #ego #creativity #songwriting

Welcome to the Songs with Substance podcast where I speak with introspective artists about their experience in the music industry and their perspective on the creative process. In this episode I spoke to Sarah Rossy, a Montreal-based composer, producer, performer, educator and McGill University graduate whose music combines jazz with live-processed electronics. We spoke about how academia affects creativity, the importance of somatics when working in a creative field, the impact ageing has on women in the music industry & much more.

Welcome to the Songs with Substance Podcast where I invite introspective musicians to skip the small talk and speak candidly about their work & how they experience the music industry.

My mission is to help indie musicians feel inspired to create their version of success without compromising on their authenticity, and to introduce indie music-lovers to new up-and-coming artists.

In this episode I interviewed ⁠Pink Mario⁠, a dream pop indie artist based in Berlin. He just released a single called ‘You Know Who to Call' ⁠in which he explores the value of human connection in our increasingly fast-paced and digitally governed lives.

We spoke about his process in writing the song, as well as the relationship between boredom and creativity, how to have a healthy relationship with social media as an independent artist in an attention economy, what success in music even means today & the challenge of learning to commercialize your art.

⏳ Chapters ⏳

00:00:00 Intro

00:02:25 Pink Mario’s songwriting process for his latest single

00:09:29 The relationship between boredom & creativity

00:11:62 What relationship should an artist have with social media?

00:15:11 Artificial validation & re-defining success in music

00:22:26 What if you don’t know who to call?

00:25:30 When did Pink Mario start taking music ‘seriously’?

00:27:57 The learning curve behind commercializing your art

00:37:23 Are there still winners & losers in the modern music industry?

00:40:41 What’s the difference between dreams & desperation

00:47:52 About Pink Mario’s music video

00:51:25 What’s next for Pink Mario

🔗 LINKS 🔗

Find Reine on Instagram

Find Pink Mario on Instagram

Stream “You Know Who to Call”

Read Pink Mario’s Medium Article

The team who helped Pink Mario with his music video:

https://www.instagram.com/kevinpetersdp/

https://www.instagram.com/quantumera/

Welcome to Songs with Substance where I invite introspective musicians to skip the small talk and get existential. If you’re a sensitive, philosophically-oriented music-lover, this podcast is dedicated to you.

In this first episode I interviewed ⁠Man at Sea⁠, a Bristol based singer-songwriter who takes inspiration from artists like Thom Yorke & Rufus Wainwright.

He just released a single called '⁠Nothing Sacred' ⁠in which he explores the effects of living in a secularized culture, taking on the voice of someone in search for meaning, uncertain of what is worth worshipping. We got into a lengthy discussion about that in the second-half of the episode, after covering Man at Sea's musical background and discussing both our experiences in the music industry as two indie artists trying to market themselves the age of streaming and content creation.

⏳ TIME STAMPS ⏳

00:00: Intro

01:10: Man at Sea’s musical background

06:26: writing melodies vs. writing lyrics

08:00: Man at Sea’s first songs & their impact

11:42: what does it mean to be successful in music?

18:17: who is Man at Sea’s music for?

21:01: what gives a song “substance”?

28:30: finding your voice as an artist

31:04: the challenges of self-marketing & content creation

37:27: can you still be a mysterious artist today?

41:20: how Man at Sea met his producer

46:15: ‘Nothing Sacred’: The Pitfalls of Secularism

50:00: human beings need meaning

53:07: talking about our spiritual practices

01:02:27: where does creativity really come from?

01:05:20: what’s next for Man at Sea?

01:07:14: getting creative with self-promotion

01:14:45: Conclusion

🔗 LINKS 🔗

Follow Man at Sea @manatsea.music

Listen to Nothing Sacred