Shy High Talks “goodbye delicious”, Beastie Boys Inspiration, and More

Photos by @sondergraphs

modrNation: Where are you originally from?

Shy High: I was born in Los Angeles, I only lived there til I was 5 or 6 though and I’ve lived in Oregon since then, so I claim Oregon more than I do LA. I definitely prefer Oregon over LA too. I like the vibes more and shit.

modrNation: How did you first get started in music?

Shy High: I started in music singing at open mics and talent shows in bars and restaurants when I was like 11. I’d wear a leather jacket and spike my hair up and sing shit like Aerosmith and Judas Priest. Then I went into a Justin Bieber phase and would sing his songs on YouTube. I put my first original song on YouTube when I was 12. I got started in hip hop when I was like 14, my brother had an Ableton license and would make beats and help me record over them to put on soundcloud. I mostly just bit Chance The Rapper on all those songs but it was still cool, I had one of them get like 100k plays and I thought I made it lol.

modrNation: You just dropped your debut EP goodbye delicious on National Skate Day, what’s the meaning behind that project?

Shy High: Yessssirrrrrrr to me this project is just like the most fun summer / skate music I could imagine, me and my manager Dante we’re trying to figure out a date and then I realized the 21st was coming so I said fuck it we gotta do go skate day. It’s just 3 fun ass songs to hear on a hot ass day really .

modrNation: What was the creative process like?

Shy High: My creative process is pretty much always the same, I just make shit and do and say whatever comes to mind, I try not to put any pressure on the music and just let it do what it does on its own.

modrNation: What’s the meaning behind the title, goodbye delicious?

Shy High: goodbye delicious is a nod to the Beastie Boys project Hello Nasty which is my favorite project by them and was a huge influence on this EP. To me that project is pure don’t give a fuck music in the most beautiful sense, I love that sort of honesty and authenticity and wanted to ride that energy for my own work.

modrNation: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

Shy High: Beasties of course. Pharrell is a big one too. I’ve been listening to a ton of Clipse lately which I think influenced this ep also. The biggest thing I try to hone in on is authenticity, I listen to a lot of 70s-80s stuff from different genres and cultures, I feel like trying to pick up on what makes music feel real has done a lot for me creatively .

modrNation: Do you feel like there’s an overlap between skate and hip hop culture? How has that inspired your music?

Shy High: 100%. The thing I love about skating and skate culture is how individualistic it is. At the level of just skating by yourself or with homies, there’s not really competition, you just challenge yourself and express yourself however you can. I feel like it’s the same with hip hop, personally I feel like I’m the only person in the world making the shit I make, so who do I have to compete with? It’s just me. I’ve spent a lot of time playing basketball and one thing I never got is people who get hella worked up and in their feelings over random pickup games or rec leagues as if their life depends on winning. I don’t feel that with hip hop or skate culture and I think the focus on individuality and expression is what makes them so beautiful and so comfortable for me .

modrNation: You also produce a lot of your tracks, what came first for you producing or vocals?

Shy High: Singing was first for me, I’ve been singing and writing for like a decade now and only producing for I think 4 years. But in summer 2020 I tried to accelerate my growth as a producer with the whole Kanye approach of doing 5 beats a day. I probably did closer to 3 a day but that summer helped me a lot as a producer .

modrNation: Would you ever be interested in producing for other artists?

Shy High: Nah honestly not really, at least not right now, I think if I made something and felt like someone I knew could really body it I might send it to them. I feel like I have a set of ideas and vision that is pretty unique, so I don’t think a lot of people would know what to do with my beats. A lot of people want me to post my instrumentals, but I really don’t think most people would know what to do with a beat like independent films or clam chowder. It’s Shy High shit .

modrNation: What would you say is the importance of finding your own individuality not only as an artist but as a person?

Shy High: Individuality is everything in my opinion. But that doesn’t have to mean that you do a bunch of out of the ordinary shit just to do it. That’s corny. Finding individuality could mean realizing that you love all the most mainstream shit and that’s completely cool. Artistically, you’re gonna level up hellllla once you tap into whatever you honestly enjoy and stop giving a fuck about how you think it fits into the world. Real shit is received well and that’s always gonna be true .

modrNation: What’s the importance of experimenting in your music and innovating new sounds?

Shy High: It’s so important, I think it’s easy to get comfortable and form habits of doing the same shit and I think that’s where artists go stale. I try to remember that whenever I’ve made my coolest shit, I was experimenting. I hadn’t made anything like it before, it was just me being Shy High and not giving a fuck. So don’t give a fuck!

modrNation: Take me through your writing process, do you seek out inspiration yourself or wait for it to hit you naturally?

Shy High: It’s gotta hit me. You can put yourself in situations to be inspired and that’s cool, but I don’t think you can consciously chase it, at least I can’t. I saw some quote on tiktok about as soon as you stop chasing your shadow, it chases you and that’s like the realest shit I’ve ever heard. There’s so much inspiration in life and i don’t think there’s any reason to force shit ever. Especially for me, almost all my lyrics are just shit that I think about or experienced. A lot of my hooks are freestyle one takes. I’m at my best when I just let shit happen and don’t interfere with it .

modrNation: With all this new momentum behind you and your music, how are you feeling about what the future holds for you?

Shy High: I’m feeling like Shy High. It’s a Shy High summer and a Shy High fall/winter after that. Ima just keep doing me because that’s all I’ve ever done. I feel good and shit of course, it’s exciting and fun and all that but I definitely always felt like I would get to this point and beyond so I’m just doing me.