Marc E. Bassy Talks New Album, Sobriety, and Going Independent
The singer sits down with Popdust to talk about his latest album and newfound indepedence
Pop crooner Marc E. Bassy has been on a never-ending rollercoaster since his solo breakout four years ago.
The singer's platinum-certified bop "You & Me" with G-Eazy garnered a massive amount of praise and reestablished Bassy as one of pop music's untapped commercial tastemakers. As the former lead singer of 2010's pop sextet 2AM Club, Bassy had been stardom bound for years, but it hasn't been without its low points. "It's hard to stay consistent because this life brings so many new and fun experiences," the singer told me. "I am currently a month sober and looking to take it through my tour. I am no way perfect in finding the balance, but it's something I've been working on." Bassy cleaned up his act, left his major label, and now as an independent artist he's felt more motivated than ever to reach the heights of pop stardom that have been seemingly at his fingertips for years. "It's fun being on the other side now and being fully in control," he said. Bassy's deluxe re-release of PMD at the end of last month sports heavy-hitting features from Tory Lanez, Mozzy, and 070 Shake and is a laser focused R&B record. His latest single, "Just My Luck" paints a perfect picture of Bassy's newfound identity: a veteran artist, hardened by his experiences, who hopes and believes the best is yet to come.
What has PMD meant to you, and how does it differ from your past work?
"The deluxe version is me giving back to my fans. Being independent has gotten me in touch with my fans more than ever, and when I was at a major label, I wasn't really in tune with the business side of music. I just created and turned in music. Not that it was a bad thing, but I was never in control of when and what came out. It's fun being on the other side now and being fully in control. In the past, I've gone a while without releasing music because I would overthink everything. This PMD (Deluxe) is about me starting the year with three new songs and tying it back to my album."
On "Just My Luck," you seem to be frustrated by love a little bit.
"Sometimes life sucks, but sometimes when one door shuts the next door opens, and it's a beautiful thing! It's about me reflecting on my life and past relationships."
Have you worked with blackbear before? What was the experience like creating this song?
"This was my first time working with Bear. I've been a fan of his music for a few years, and we've been running the same circles in LA for a while now, so it was a long time coming for us to get one. I was in the studio with my guys NGHTxNGHT right at crunch time of turning in my album and I posted a snippet on IG, then next thing you know I have blackbear on it."
What is your relationship to partying and fame at this moment? It seems to be a double-edged sword at times.
"It's all a rollercoaster ride. I like to indulge...to find inspiration and content for my music. It all goes in waves, and me and my camp do a pretty good job at checking each other when something is becoming toxic. I am no way perfect in finding the balance, but it's something I've been working on since I got my first record deal."
You've collaborated with so many artists on both your work and theirs. I'm curious what your philosophy is like going into collaborations. What do you think makes a really good collaboration, and how does your creative approach with others contrast the creative approach you take solo?
"I'm just a fan of music in general and enjoy so many different styles, so that's what inspires my range musically. Whenever I make a song, I can just hear what artist would complement the track. I've been blessed to be able to work with so many different artists in the past, and sometimes it's easier than others, but there's always something to learn. Everybody has their own story/past that makes their creative process unique to themselves, so it's cool to see differences and sometimes we're all the same."
I see there's a tour in the works. What else is next for you?
"I'm looking forward to making and releasing more music to give to my fans. I want to keep releasing music and stay on the road as much as possible this year, but nothing specific yet."
Stream the deluxe edition of PMD below
PMD (Deluxe)