Q&A: Boy Destroy
As if for a moment the city of Gothenburg had become Los Angeles, the rapper and multi-talented instrumentalist known as ‘Boy Destroy’ presents ‘Warpaint’ today. A very personal work in which the Swedish artist shows himself naked in some sort of catharsis in which he seems not to be afraid of facing a troubled past. An EP that sounds like a personal revenge in which, judging by the result in the form of songs, he has emerged victorious. All or nothing for these powerful and angry songs that will not leave you indifferent. Boy Destroy has come to win!
And precisely today when his first EP has been released, we can also first see the music video of one of the songs included in ‘Warpaint’ (Favourite) that the director Zoë Que describes as: “this video is a dark and twisted take on pop videos, playing loosely with the concept of fame & fangirls - the phenomenon of an obsessive, single sided and detached love affair but in this world Boy Destroy is the disempowered one." Because of the release of both the EP and the video, Boy Destroy took a few minutes to answer some questions that you can find below these lines.
It’s difficult to tell someone that you have liked his songs when they seem to be such an honest and brutal personal confession. But I have loved your songs. They are like a punch of reality in the stomach, your reality. Something that by the way, your artistic name already seems to anticipate. How are you holding up these days?
Boy Destroy: “Wow, that’s high praise. Thank you so much. I’m amazed every time somebody says my music resonates with them. It’s surreal in the best of ways. I’m pretty good to be honest, the world is F:ed but I’ve gotten to write a lot of music and spend time with my family, which is what matters, really.”
‘Warpaint’ is a collection of songs taken from your own personal story. Because of their alternativ, emo, trap or pop sounds, they remind me of artists like Post Malone. Although it seems to me that your songs have a lot of other genres like punk rock or Kurt Cobain's Grunge. And the thing is that your music sounds like a scream of rage to me. Songs loaded with feelings and emotions in which the desire to leave behind a period of "personal prison" is perceived. What does making songs mean for you?
Boy Destroy: “Making them is everything and nothing at once, you know. At times it feels like my skin has to burst to let them out and others it’s like talking to a friend. The more confessional aspects of the songs are always frightening but in retrospect always the most rewarding too.”
When listening to your songs it is difficult to separate the artist from the person, and perhaps that is where their success lies. They are songs that connect with their audience because they create very deep emotional ties. Is exposing yourself so much in your songs one more step in the personal destruction you speak of (perhaps because of the risk of being judged), or is it a way of vindicating yourself and leaving behind the complications of the past?
Boy Destroy: “I feel like Boy Destroy and the man behind that name are both different and one and the same. There is always a risk of getting too close to the subject and when the subject is you, and the stories are POV, that risk is even greater. But so far, so good. It is more vindication than destruction. I am not a ‘fixed’ human being - I still struggle sometimes, but I feel like talking about that and getting to tell these stories (that are to a large extent self lived), I create something of value from the life that I previously led, which to me held no value.”
I have read that there is very little help you wanted to have in the process of making this EP. Does the very personal character of the album have something to do with the fact that you have practically done everything by yourself?
Boy Destroy: “I mean, I’ve worked with the producing duo We know nothing, putting the songs together, but the core of each idea almost always comes from me. It has too, I think, to stay truthful and pure. Not to say that I won’t ever write songs that are less self lived and more story based but this first EP has been almost purely confessional.”
You’re about to release ‘Warpaint’ (Loyalty Obsession, April 15), the EP containing the 6 songs we’re talking about and I also wanted to ask you about the EP cover because it seemed to me to be very aligned with the music. To be honest, everything (music, art and videos) seems to be very neat and aligned. But can you explain a little bit of what the art cover represents for you and who’s responsible for it?
Boy Destroy: “The story of ‘Hero and Leander’ is really cool, that’s the cover art. I suggest you check it out, it seems to fit nicely together with my EP, I think. The picture itself is done by Ukrainian artist Alexey Kondakov he uses and mixes old renaissance paintings with modern iPhone photographs.”
We're still immersed in a nebula of restrictions, but what are your plans for the next few months? Any idea when we will be able to see you on tour in Germany?
Boy Destroy: “Good question! I really hope I can come back to Germany as soon as possible, I’ve been to both Hamburg and Berlin. Very nice places indeed. As to when - I really don’t know unfortunately - HOPEFULLY this fall/autumn - but who knows, really? I’ll continue to release music, create art and try and connect with people as much as possible.”
To start finishing this questionnaire, festnoise is about music but especially about music festivals so do you have any good, bad or fun memories of experiences in a music festival you want to share?
Boy Destroy: “When I was still drinking etc. I had a really crazy weekend at the Way Out West festival in my hometown of Gothenburg. I invented this thing called ‘wine shots’ - which was basically throwing down full glasses of wine in one gulp. Well, it made for an interesting festival. The XX were really good!”
Which are your favourite festivals as a music fan and in which one do you dream of playing?
Boy Destroy: “Hmm, I haven’t been to that many to be honest. Way Out West has always been good fun when I’ve been there. Coachella would be sick to play.”
Find out more about Boy Destroy by visiting his official website and listen the ‘Warpaint’ EP on Spotify
Cover photograph by Olof Grind
