Rising alt-R&B singer 12AM has had an exciting year so far with the release of his highly successful single, “Showgirls” with Pressa and Tyla Yaweh back in February and most recently, his pop-punk influenced track, “Hollywood.” Showcasing two distinct sides of his sound, both songs show plenty of promisee from the artist, who effortlessly blends elements of hip-hop, rock, and pop to create something truly unique.
The Toronto-based artist has collaborated with an array of artists including Elijah Woods, Omer Fedi (Kid Laroi, Lil Nas X) and TheHxliday, and has shared the stage alongside Internet Money, 24kGoldn, Iann Dior, Trevor Daniel, and Souly Had, and with a few months still left of 2022, anything else is possible. We recently caught up with him to talk about his latest music, collaborating with John Feldmann on “Hollywood” and plans for the rest of the year. Read more and listen to “Hollywood” now below.
Prelude Press: So far this year, you’ve released two new singles, “Showgirls” and “Hollywood”, which showcase two very different sides of your sound. What would you like for listeners to take away from the new songs?
12AM: I just want something for everyone on this album, I’m inspired by artists that do it all so if it’s hip hop, R&B, rock…you name it, it’s on the album.
While “Showgirls” leans more into an energetic hip-hop sound, “Hollywood” is a pretty emotional song. Can you tell us a little bit about it? What inspired it?
Hollywood means a lot to me, the song is about past relationships that basically got ruined by LA and the lifestyle the city brings. So I’d say it’s basically a breakup song about living a life you don’t want.
“Hollywood” also has a more pop-punk influenced sound. Could fans expect to hear more new songs that explore this sound some more soon?
Ya I worked a lot with John Feldman, who is the king of that music, so there’s more pop punk stuff on there for sure.
You co-wrote the song with John Feldmann, who has deep roots in the punk music scene. What do you feel he was able to bring to the table with the song? Did you learn anything new from him?
I learned a lot from him, he’s a legend. We did an insane mediation before making the song and he taught me a lot outside of just going into recording and writing. He pushed me to dig deeper with my lyrics and melodies. When you work with one of the greats in music, you take everything they are doing and try to apply it to you.
What was the most exciting or rewarding part of working on the song?
I think just stepping out of my comfort zone and hearing myself on something I wouldn’t usually go in on and then loving the result.
You’ve done countless collaborations over the past few years – is there anyone that you’d like to work with in the future that you haven’t had the chance to yet?
I’d love to work with Poo Bear, he’s one of my favorite songwriters. Me and him would be a problem for sure! Love his melodies, I’mma make that happen for sure.
Do you have any other big plans or goals for 2022?
TOURING!!! We back outside 2022 and on so…expect A LOT of shows
When can fans expect to hear some more new music?
SOON! Got a new single coming out in the next month and it’s one of my favorites I’ve ever done.
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