A Conversation with Cris Cab – HuffPost 9.2.14

Mike Ragogna: Cris, your new single “Liar Liar” features probably the hottest guest vocalist on the planet, Pharrell Williams. How did you pull this off and just “Happy” are you about that?

Cris Cab: Hahaa… I see what you did there. Yeah, I’m thrilled to have my friend Pharrell Williams on this song. I’ve known Pharrell since I was 15 as he was the first guy in the music industry that I met and gave me so much valuable advice right from day one. We started working together a couple of years later so I’m glad that my first single from my debut album has Pharrell attached to it. That fact that he just so happens to be one of the hottest things in music right now certainly doesn’t hurt either.

MR: Your US debut album Where I Belong will be dropping in September on the Island imprint. We need a little history lesson right about now, like who inspired you, what’s your international musical history and how and when did you get signed to a label?

CC: Well, as far as inspiration goes, I’ve definitely pulled from a lot of the artists I look up to and have been listening to since I was a kid–Bob Marley, Bill Withers, Sting, Pharrell, Wyclef. There are a bunch of them. Once I started doing covers and posting them on Youtube, I wound up getting some buzz which is what lead to me getting singed to a label when I was 18. Since then, I’ve been releasing music through mix tapes and EPs but I’ve been holding on to the best songs for my debut album. So I’m pretty fired up that’s its finally coming out here in the states. The single “Liar Liar” started exploding over in Europe so I’ve been spending a lot of time over there and it’s really paid off. It’s such a bug out to see crowds of 15,000, 20,000 even 25,000 people singing along to my songs. So to say that I’ve been fortunate to have success overseas is a bit of an understatement. And now I’m looking to make that happen on my home turf.

MR: Take us on a tour new album, like how the tracks came together both in the writing and recording processes.

CC: It really depends on who I’m working with as everyone has their own way of working. When I’m in the studio with a guy like Wyclef–he did the song “Ticket.” He’s the kind of guy who likes to put a whole bunch of sounds together to get what he’s looking for. There’s a lot of figuring out what works together in sessions like that. Pharrell on the other hand likes to concentrate on just a few sounds and keep it simple. So he’ll start on the keys and I’ll start on the guitar and we’ll just sort of build from there. Some of the songs, I did with just my production partner PJ McGinnis. Those usually start with me writing something on the guitar, I bring it to the studio and PJ starts adding his touch and layering sounds over what I wrote. It really just depends on who I’m working with. But I appreciate the opportunity to work with all of the guys I have because I get to learn a little something different from each of them. They all really helped me shape the sound of this album and I couldn’t be more proud of it.

MR: Are there any songs on the new album that you feel represents Cris Cab the most?

CC: To be honest, this album has been a work in progress over the course of the last few years. I’ve been saving the best of the batch for this album, so I think the whole album really represents me. You’ll notice that a lot of the lyrics deal with self discovery, coming into your own, the benefits and downfalls of relationships… It’s all topics that someone my age could understand because these are things I’ve actually dealt with in the last few years.

MR: “Loves Me Not” is another track from the album and it has a new video. How did the video come together?

CC: Once we saw the success we had with the “Liar Liar” video, we knew we wanted to work with the same guys for “Loves Me Not.” They are a production team out of NY called Aggressive. We had them submit a treatment and just like last time, they nailed the vibe we were going for. So we put the logistics together, brought them down to Miami and shot it all in one day.

MR: You have a lot of contemporaries out there who are battling you for US awareness. What do you think are your strongest musical assets and what do you think separates your music from the pack?

CC: I’ll let everybody else decide what separates me. I don’t really worry about everybody else or what they are doing. I just do what I do. One thing that’s important to me in all aspects of my career is that my voice and vision come through. I either write or co-write every song I put out. I produce a lot as well. And play a number of instruments. I make sure my videos have the artistic direction I’m going for. The merch I sell at shows have the look I want. Basically, everything I do has my touch on it so I know it all represents me well. As for the music, I’m not looking to follow any trends or copy anyone else. I’m really focused on just creating my own lane so the songs stand the test of time.

MR: Who are some other artists that you would like to duet with?

CC: I’ve been blessed to work with some of my favorite artists already, like Pharrell and Wyclef. But one guy I’d love to collaborate with is Lenny Kravitz. I really respect what he does. The guy plays all kinds of instruments, produces, writes, has a unique voice and on top of it all, is also very conscious about the visual side of his brand as well. His fashion choices, his album artwork, his photo shoots… The guy is just a total artist.

MR: What advice do you have for new artists?

CC: The best advice I can give is the same thing Pharrell told me…there’s no substitute for hard work. If you really want to make it in this business, you’ve got to give it all of your time. Its definitely not a part time kind of business. You’ve really got to make a commitment to it every day. If you’re only gonna work half as hard as the next guy, don’t expect to get more than half way as far as him.

MR: What’s the best advice that you ever received?

CC: Pretty sure I just answered that.

MR: How do envision your future, personally and creatively?

CC: Personally, I can see getting a house somewhere outside of the US to live part time for a bit. I really enjoy being over in Europe so I could see maybe having some kind of residence out in Italy or something like that. But I’d still be doing what I do now… making music and touring. Creatively speaking, I can see not only focusing on my own career and continuing to build that, but one day producing and writing for some other artists as well. There are times now that I feel like I’ve got something great but it may not fit in line with what I’m trying to put out there for myself. But for somebody else, it could work well. So I could see that being a part of my career down the road for sure. I’d also love to write a movie at some point and see that come to life.