Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter FAZE releases his debut EP Eclipse which includes the singles and videos for “Right Here” LISTEN & WATCH and “Magic” LISTEN & WATCH. The EP is available now through all digital retailers.
On my debut EP Eclipse, I commune with the planets, ride a rocket to the moon, transcend galaxies and swims through tidal waves. I spun all that journeying into a metaphor for a more emotional exploration: the push for self-discovery in an often-painfully chaotic world. This project is about trying to find out who you truly are and what it means to be human, without any rulebook or any guide at all—it’s just up to you to try to figure it all out. We never really know exactly why we’re here and sometimes the world can feel like such a crazy place, but at the same time it can also be so beautiful.
Produced by Dan and Tom Glashausser (aka Glashaus, a duo known for their work with artists like Moxie Raia), Eclipse unfolds in a lushly textured form of alt-pop spiked with mind-bending beats, hypnotic guitar tones, and delicate piano work. This project is very special to me for so many reasons.
I strived to create something that was all inclusive and I really feel that was accomplished because there is truly something on there for everyone. No matter where you’re from, who you are or how you’re feeling. I would sit in the studio and reflect on what I really felt like I had waited too long to say. I dove deep into even the darkest places of myself, which was uncomfortable at times, but telling my story was always my first priority.
Eclipse is moody, sexy, vulnerable, uplifting and so much more. I poured my heart out in hopes that I could make some sort of impact. I share my story with total transparency and unaffected boldness. That spirit of solidarity is essential for me. My ultimate ambition is to connect with anyone who’s following their own singular path through the world. In everything I do and everything I make, I just want to be completely open about who I am as a person and what I’ve gone through. Hopefully that helps other people to be more vulnerable and honest with themselves, and maybe opens their minds and helps them to think in a whole new way. I’d love for them to walk away from this record with their own ideas about what this all means, and what they want to do with their time on this planet.
For FAZE, the unfettered honesty of “Magic” , “Right Here” from Eclipsestems from years of working to uncover his most authentic voice as a songwriter. A member of the LGBTQ community intent on making his art as inclusive as possible, the San Diego native spent years grappling with his identity and finding a sense of belonging—a struggle complicated by his being diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at the age of seven. From his earliest years, music provided some salvation, and by the age of nine he’d learned to play both piano and cello. “My idea of fun when I was a kid was just sitting in my garden, listening to classical music and playing my cello,” he recalls.
By his early 20s, he’d begun joining in songwriting sessions for leading artists, which went a long way in sharpening his songcraft and refining his vision for his own work. “Even when I was writing for other people, I was always pulling from my own experiences—I can only write what’s real to me,” says FAZE. “But now with Eclipse, I feel like it’s the first time I’m stepping out into the world, and fully showing who I am as an artist.”