Mr. Hudson recently dropped a new album, entitled When the Machine Stops, featuring Vic Mensa, Taylor Bennett, Goody Grace, Petite Noir, Josh Dean & Schae.
Hudson describes the music as "sad robot music," an exploration of isolation in a digital world, enhanced by Hudson's decision to produce and mix the album on his laptop computer.
When the Machine Stops is his first album since 2009's Straight No Chaser. Since then, he's released a series of collaborative singles: "Zombie Love," "Screwed," featuring Zoe Kravitz, "I See Love," featuring Joe Jonas. He's worked with Kanye West and on Kid Cudi's album, Kids See Ghosts.
Popdust sat down with Mr. Hudson to find out more about feeling secluded even when surrounded by people and Billie Eilish's influence on his sound.
Mr Hudson - CHICAGO feat. Vic Mensa (Official Lyric Video)youtu.be
How would you describe yourself?
I'm a musician: singer, producer, writer, and, at the moment, an Englishman in L.A.
What's the most trouble you've ever gotten into?
I was once chased through the streets of Camden by the police. I didn't realize they were chasing me. I was just jogging to the studio. They thought I'd stolen a bag.
What's your favorite song to belt out in the car or the shower?
Probably "Life On Mars" by David Bowie.
Who is your favorite music artist?
David Bowie.
How did you get started in music? What's the backstory there?
I was lucky to have older brothers who were passionate about music, so it was normal for me. We had a piano and guitars in the house. My parents were very tolerant of our heavy metal experiments.
Why make music? I mean: What's the point for you?
It's been my life since I was 8. I was a small kid for my age, so sport wasn't fun. Music made me feel ten feet tall. It's the closest thing I have to a religion.
Rumor has it your new album, When the Machine Stops, was influenced by Billie Eilish's moody style. What do you find intriguing about her sound?
I just loved how quiet the vocals were to the point of claustrophobia. Quiet is the new loud, it seems. Finneas' production is silly good. I love the fact that they made the record in his room on Logic.
The new album was crafted on a laptop rather than in a glitzy studio. What motivated you to move in this direction?
It just felt more in keeping with the times. It's so much quicker, and the software is catching up with all the big expensive hardware. Plus, you can work anywhere rather than saying, "I'll do it when I get to the studio."
There's a remote, secluded savor to the songs on the album – a feeling of isolation. What induced this "lonely" mood?
I spend a lot of time alone and the record was mostly made in solitude, often with headphones on at the airport or in a hotel room. I produced it and mixed it, so I just had to lock myself away with my laptop and get it done. To be honest, the life of a musician can be isolating. Even when there are lots of people around, you're not necessarily with your people.
What's next for you, musically?
I've been working on music for others, which has been refreshing. It's been a pleasure working on new songs with John Legend, and I'm excited by a new artist called Duckwrth. Get familiar!
Will you be doing any touring?
I'll do some shows towards the end of the year. Probably quite a minimal setup. Piano, suit, good bottle of wine.
Lady Gaga on the set of "Joker: Folie Au' Deux" in NYC
Photo by Steve Sands/NewYorkNewswire/Bauer-Griffin/Shutterstock
Some of pop's brightest stars have come together in support of a new Planned Parenthood initiative called "Bans Off My Body."
Nearly 140 musicians have pledged to support the reproductive rights organization, including Kacey Musgraves, Nicki Minaj, John Legend, Haley Kiyoko, Miley Cyrus, Bon Iver, and Nine Inch Nails. Other luminaries on the list include The 1975, Carole King, Mitski, Maggie Rogers, Megan Thee Stallion, Kim Gordon, Halsey, Princess Nokia, Vic Mensa, Troye Sivan, and many more.
Some of these artists have spoken out about reproductive justice before, such as the 1975's Matty Healy, who delivered a tirade about the topic at a concert in May. "The reason I'm so angry is because I don't believe [the abortion ban] is about the preservation of life, I believe it's about the controlling of women," he said.
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Bon Iver also has an organization called 2ABillion, which supports gender equality (we love a feminist dude). And of course, Halsey, Lady Gaga, Lizzo, and many of these artists have made significant contributions to feminism in their own ways, speaking out about assault, body positivity, and more. Ariana Grande donated $250,000 in proceeds from a June show to Planned Parenthood, and hopefully, more artists will follow suit.
Noticeably absent from the list is Taylor Swift, whose newly liberal persona and love of LGBTQ+ rights weren't enough to get her to join the list. (To be fair, lots of other famous artists didn't appear, like Lana Del Rey and Cardi B, both of whom have become notoriously political). Still, in the case of something this urgent, silence is its own kind of statement.
Following the announcement of the "Band Together, Bans Off" initiative, some of the featured artists took to social media to raise awareness about the message.
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Billie Eilish—whose newest album just became this year's most streamed on Spotify—said, "I'm proud to be standing up for Planned Parenthood as they fight for fair and equal access to reproductive rights. We cannot live freely and more fully in the world when our basic right to access the reproductive health care we need is under attack. Every person deserves the right to control their body, their life, and their future."
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According to Planned Parenthood's website, "Musicians across the country are standing in solidarity with Planned Parenthood….they're saying access to sexual and reproductive health care is about the same type of freedom that allows them to create music and speak their truth—because no one is free unless they control their own body." It seems that, no matter what kind of music or art these musicians create, reproductive justice is something that they all can agree on.
Why is reproductive freedom such a popular consensus among musicians? It might have something to do with the act of creating art itself. "Music is storytelling," said Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood's acting president/CEO. "If you go back to the origins of movements for equality and freedom, and the very rights that control our bodies, it starts with telling stories about your own experience and then defying people [who] judge you."
Planned Parenthood's new campaign is intended to raise awareness and spread information about their mission. They hope to garner 500,000 signatures on their online petition by January 20, 2020, which is the 47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that cemented a woman's right to choose in American legislature.
The campaign comes at a critical time, due to harsh new policies in states like Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia. Right now, the ACLU is currently fighting Missouri's Unborn Act, which would prohibit abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, even in cases of rape and incest. Just this week, Planned Parenthood announced its decision to abscond from Title X, meaning it will no longer be receiving federal funding. Previously, the organization was given about $60 million per year in federal funding, which enabled them to perform 1.5 million abortions for low-income people in need of reproductive care.
Of course, this campaign has garnered outrage from Catholic and conservative publications. While it is fair to say that not all women who undergo abortions want to get them, the truth is that 1 in 3 women will have an abortion in their lifetimes—meaning that you probably know many people who have had one. If these strict and drastic laws continue to gain traction, more people will be forced to undergo dangerous, covert abortions when they could have received safe, free care.
The story of JUJ's career might be best set to "Eye of the Tiger," perhaps because she's from Philadelphia.
The scrappy, youthful singer just released her debut EP, JUJ It's You. After working with producers like Julian Nixon (Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky), the singer sat down with Popdust to discuss the project's creative process and where she plans to go from here.
So what have you been doing lately? On tour?
I'm pressing for a tour right now, yes. Also, I'll be writing in London and New York for the next two months. And I'm going into rehearsals with my band for a North American tour in the fall and a European tour in the winter. I also have a song coming out in two weeks. So we're building up a promo of that.
Is that song part of your new EP?
It's "Mood" with Vic Mensa.
So he's putting his own flow over the track?
Yeah, so he's taking verse two. He's from Chicago, where I used to live. He moved out of his home at the same age as I did: 17.
You were born and raised in Philly, correct? Do you see any parallels between Philly and Chicago?
Yeah. The people are super tough in both places. Thick-skinned. More so than on the west coast. I feel like the work ethic out there, too, is stronger than here in LA.
That's ironic, considering LA is all about "making it."
Well, I think people are better off in LA if they come from somewhere else. People here become friends with somebody who is doing big things, and that makes them feel like they're doing big things: doing well by association. I have a lot of friends who have come to LA and then leave for New York, because they want to be surrounded by people who are hustling.
What does "JUJ" mean?
I was originally named Julia. My mom is Brazilian, and we went back there for a bit when I was young. "JUJ" is what they used to call me, and it stuck! Growing up in school, going to the doctors, I always introduced myself as "JUJ."
Apart from the abbreviation, does it have a specific meaning?
No, it's just what stuck. Also, I'm not really a "Julia." [laughs] Also, it fits into "jujitsu," the Brazilian martial art that I practice.
So I listened to the track "Hollywood." It's funny, because in the last few interviews I've done for Popdust, LA has been an important subject. So why do you think it fascinates people so much?
I felt like with a lot of songs written about LA or Hollywood paint it as a glamorous land of opportunity. But I knew that no one city was going to make it happen for me. When I first moved here, I was working full time as a nanny, and I was auditioning, performing my music, and finally met my first producer. Then I got Lyme disease. I spent a lot of time at a hospital in Beverly Hills and got very depressed. And then they told me the best option was for me to go back home. I felt like it would have [proven] all the [haters] right. Everyone has a time where something happens in the city that makes them feel like they don't belong. They don't write about that, because it makes them look weak, but I felt like there was something strong about being vulnerable about how I felt. The song "Hollywood" starts with doubts, and over the course of the song those doubts are turned into affirmations.
So it sounds like Lyme Disease had as much a disillusioning effect on you as the city!
It was more [about] all the people back home having told me I wasn't going to succeed. I was this little girl sick by herself in the big city. It was the whole circumstance.
How early did you start playing music?
I've been playing music my entire life. [laughs] I know that's super cliche, but it's true.
Were your parents musical?
Neither of my parents can sing to save their lives, but my mom, she moved from Brazil to America when she was 18 not knowing anybody. She wanted to move to New York and be a dancer, but she didn't have the means to make it; she just had to survive. That's in part what inspired me: do what she couldn't. And she met my dad while working at Chili's. She was a waitress, and he was a bartender.
That's oddly romantic.
[laughs]. Yeah. So, my mom was always playing Brazilian music around the house, while both of us were learning how to speak English. That's why I don't know how to speak Portuguese.
So she was more of an assimilationist?
Essentially, yeah. She also played a lot of English-language music around the house. Oh, also I should mention I've been doing musical theater since I was very young! I was aping the music to "Annie" before I could talk.
What's your favorite musical?
"Les Miserable." To be Eponine in "Les Miserable!"
How did you get into music, then?
Well, I'm very religious, and when I was young I asked my parents if I could join a choir. We found a Presbyterian choir (neither my family or I am Presbyterian).
So your parents were religious?
No, I found it by myself. I used to make my parents drop me off at churches by myself.
That's the complete opposite of what usually occurs.
I know! The friends of mine who were raised religious, now they're kind of disillusioned with it. When I first moved to LA, the first thing I did was join a church, for that sense of community.
So that led to the music, singing in choirs?
Then I joined the school choir. After that, I became obsessed with singing. I entered myself into competitions and all that. I got my first job was I was 12, with The Music Man at the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia. I was getting paid to do shows, eight shows a week.
Fast forward, then, to LA. How did that work? Did you have a plan?
After the Walnut Theater, I started looking for other theater jobs. Then I performed at the Apollo Theater and won the "Child Stars of Tomorrow" competition. Then after that, I was doing a lot of cabarets in New York, taking the Megabus from Philly. And then I got involved in a short film that made me fall in love with TV and film. So I figured I'd move to LA. But how to convince my parents?
It turned out, though, not to be a problem: My mom's parents had let her go to move to America. So I knew she'd be supportive. So I moved out, got a voice coach, and started doing open mics. One night, a producer attended an open mic and asked to set up a session. I had never done a real session with a producer. I ended up helping out a singer-songwriter with her song, and the songwriter for the session's manager liked my voice and got my info, etc, etc. Eventually, I signed with my current manager, Nathan, and we started really doing writing sessions, honing the craft. And then for the first EP, I didn't just want to write relationship songs. It would have been too predictable for a 17-year-old to come out with that. Instead, I wrote about my journey.
Who's your main producer now?
Sean Cook. He produced the first EP, and now we're working on singles together. He became one of the top two best friends of my entire life. We're like sisters. Well, not sisters, because he's a boy…It's just so easy to create with him because of the bond we have.
In the press material I read before this interview, phrases like "progressive outlook" and "be the change you want to see" jumped out. Are those themes you see reflected in the EP?
Yeah! Especially the "change" idea. We can complain all we want about what's going on in the world, but nothing's gonna change unless we are the change. Living in LA, there's a ton of people that complain, but let's do something about it! For instance, the song "Black Mirror" is about getting off our phones and experiencing the world around us.
The track I liked the most was "Barricade."
That's my favorite one, too! Everyone on my team, when we were putting the music out, they did not like it, and I was like, "Damn, that's my favorite one!"
I think it's cool because there are so many different textures and dynamics. There's a glitchy dub-step thing combined with a gospel vibe, for instance.
Yes!! That's like my thing! When I started the EP, I wanted to incorporate the gospel choir sound.
Can you give me some insight into how that track came together?
So with "Barricade," I wanted to write about obstacles, overcoming them in an empowering way.
And the music itself? There are so many different elements. It sounds like quite a labor.
Yeah! It kind of took a village. Sean, the producer, made a beat; we wrote to that beat, then he added a few different production elements and the guitar. And then after my vocals were recorded, a good friend of ours, Taylor, played keys. And that choir is real. I took a bunch of musician friends from around LA. They're the background vocals.
Is the EP paving the way for a full-length album?
We're pushing the EP hard, and I'm in the process of writing a lot of singles to follow it.
And is there a tour in the works?
Um, yes. Right now we're in rehearsals, but we're looking to do some support tours as an opener, around August and September.
Last question: Do kids still try and fix the crack in the Liberty Bell as a high school prank?
I mean, we've thought about it, but none of us have gotten away with it. That'd be badass.
In the public eye, Cisco Adler is something of an enigma.
The Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer may have been on your radar back in 2008, when his self-titled debut peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200, and spawned the top 40 hits "Corona and Lime" and "Buzzin." Adler continued to release a handful of solo albums, but to little little mainstream recognition. Since then, Adler has been mostly behind the scenes, crafting hits alongside nearly every pop star in recent memory. G-Eazy, Mike Posner, Fergie, The Internet, Tinashe, and Vic Mensa have all worked with the studio guru at some point in their lucrative careers, and Adler attributes his extensive collaborative catalog to his authenticity with each artist.
"The first session is always like a blind date, and I try to just jump in and start making music," Adler said. "But in the process, I try to understand their goals and their insecurities. Part of being an artist is turning coal to a diamond. What do they want, what do I think they need, what does the label want? It's always a dance." Adler's vulnerability as a creative is why he feels it's, once again, time to craft his own music and tell his own story. His first single in five years, entitled "Somethin' More," premiering exclusively on Popdust, is a care-free summer jam that explores why it's okay to want the better things in life. "I'm happy right now," Adler said. "I've been on this journey obsessed with my craft, and I truly believe this is a natural place for me to be as a musician." I spoke with Adler about his latest single, his new album Hippieland, and how he feels about being back in the spotlight.
Tell me about the new single!
It's a mantra based message about where I'm at.
So what is that Somethin' More that you're looking for?
It's actually about the human element of it being okay to ask for more than you have, as long as you realize you have all that you need. We all want more sunny days and stuff which is cool, that's what drives you and helps you get out of bed in the morning and go after stuff.
It sounds like you're very aware of your accomplishments and of the crazy life you've led.
I'm a blessed man in many ways, and I'm just blessed to be here making music.
I'm curious what your transition was like from a relatively quiet upbringing in Maui to the bustling music industry.
Growing up on Maui I didn't have a lot of connections to the mainland, but in retrospect, it was a huge blessing that centered me. It gave me a hunger and a desire, and I realized I had to get out and see the world. I had songs to write and had to grab every opportunity that came to me. As a teenager, I really connected to hip-hop mainly cause it was my music and not my parent's music. I was instantly in love, and from there I kinda just realized I had to explore. Since then it's been a constant search of just appeasing that hunger and just wanting to make more awesome music.
Where do you think you are in that search right now?
I'm sitting at the table, I'm eating, and to my left are empty plates of all the awesome shit that I ate, and to my right are more exotic delights. More delicacies. And I feel I'm slowly heading down that table. It's not about the destination, there's no timeline. I just wake up and I have to create.
What's next for you?
I feel that this is definitely an "artist" moment for me. Having that catalog and all those collaborations have kinda pushed me into this clearing, and now all I see is me, and I feel like it's time to speak my truth and have a moment where I focus on myself as an artist.
You feel this is your time.
I also feel like the music is in a good place. I'm not trying to just be out there when stuff is just going through changes. I like to learn and help other artists and take what they know and learn from it. I feel like we're at a magical moment. I feel like it's the end of the overproduced pop wave and we're heading into a more trap/punk rock movement, I feel like we're just back at a more organic, instrument-based moment, and I just kinda decided "alright, it's time to pick up my guitar."
Do you feel you've learned different lessons from each artist?
I'm definitely learning every day in the studio. Every session influences the next. As a producer and a songwriter, It's almost like acting. I'm just finding different hats to put on, then at the end of the day, I leave with a new lesson. Every day you change and grow as a human, and I find that the most successful artists are the most open to critiques, they're not fighting any of the collaborations. The ego of the young artist is definitely something we wrestle with, but it's a dance.
Who is someone you particularly connected with?
Fergie. She was just an incredible talent and a ridiculous singer. She was just hugely open. I think at the end of the day I'm not gonna work with someone a second time if we didn't have a lot of fun. It has to be fun and it has to be awesome. Also, I'm working with this kid Yung Pinch and he's absolutely brilliant. We had an instant magical trust, and obviously, with Shwayze, those were just magical sessions.
What details can you give us about Hippieland?
There's some stuff brewing. We're just putting some of the magical dust on it now. It's a special collection of music from me, I'm just really proud of this music, and I think it's my truth.
Cisco Adler will be performing at The Mercury Lounge on April 27th. Get tickets here.
Mackenzie Cummings-Gradyis a creative writer who resides in the Brooklyn area. Mackenzie's work has previously appeared in The Boston Globe, Billboard, and Metropolis Magazine. Follow him on Twitter @mjcummingsgrady.