Good evening Joshua, it's great to have you on the first show since our return. Now it's been an eventful last couple of weeks, wouldn't you say so?Ha! Yeah, "eventful" is certainly one way of putting it.
You've never been shy in putting your views forward. It seems as time passes, more and more things come to light in the entertainment industry and it's certainly a positive sign when people step forward and shine a light on certain issues. Do you believe there is a lot more being hidden than we're all currently aware?Oh, for sure. I've witnessed and experienced so much within the industry. So much so that I've probably forgotten to even share certain stories as it's often just fucked up event after fucked up event. I've dealt with some shit and, here's the thing, I'm a white male in this business. I get treated "nicely" in comparison to a lot of other groups of people. What other must endure, I dread to think. For sure, there are a closet full of horror stories waiting to come out.
You got the whole world talking about your performance at the recent FCA Awards and rightfully so, I was watching on from the crowd and felt a strength and overwhelming sense of pride in your performance and what you stood on that stage for that evening.
Do you care to go over the thought process behind this whole dramatic reveal and how long before the show did you know exactly what you were going to say and do?Well, thank you, Cara! Uh...well the song speaks for itself. You just have to listen to the lyrics. I'm a very visual person and I have synesthesia which means I can hear colour. I'm always thinking of visuals whenever I hear a song and it doesn't have to be one of my own. Certain sounds just trigger specific images in my brain. I knew that if I were to perform SURPRISE! it would be very dramatic and theatrical, hence the crumbling of a wall, the huge thunder cloud projections, me singing at the top of my lungs in the rain. I knew from the jump that the visuals of this song would be like that. The "reveal" part of it, however, came at a much later date. Certain people just kept on pressing my buttons and...well, they pushed too hard in the end.
You received a lot of positive reaction for what you did, myself included. But you also received some negative reaction for the way you publicly delivered your message. How do you feel about the backlash you received?I get backlash simply for breathing and waking up each morning. This isn't anything new to me. I understand that it was a "petty" thing to do but Jesus Christ, sometimes you can only go so long or go so far being "the bigger person". On the surface, it looks like I just came out on stage and ripped those guys to shreds but things had been brewing behind the scenes for a long time. Sometimes being rational doesn't work with some people. They don't get the message. You can try to be as diplomatic as you like but if the other parties aren't responsive to that tactic, you have to find a new way of handling things. Sometimes that way is calling them out during a heavily televised live performance, haha!
Obviously you were the talk of the event in the aftermath. Did you understand that you'd very much be the main topic of conversation following the show or did you not expect the reaction to be so huge?I was aware of it, certainly. You can't go on stage at the world's biggest award show and publicly expose three other pop stars without a reaction. The mass audience, however, was like a secondary factor to me. In that moment, it was all about me showcasing my art and using it to convey a message to those involved. SURPRISE! is an extremely personal track based on true events. The FCA was literally a performance piece. I was telling my story and taking my art to a new, visual and emotional level. I know what it meant for me and those on the receiving on know what it means to them. Everyone else is free to pick it apart, talk about it, turn it into some pop culture phenomenon, that's totally fine. You can all get caught up on that but I'm moving on to the next thing.
You also gained a lot of respect in the aftermath from peers alike. Prior to the show, Brandon Caulfield listed as you as somebody that he thought deserved to pick up an award that evening which of course you did and following your performance Ryan Ross Hernandez reached out to you, somebody you've stated previously that you have immense respect for. That must have gave you a sense of pride in your own status?Yeah, that really tugged at my heart and it's what I'm trying to take away from that night. When I arrived on the scene, I got a lot of backs up. I was this young kid with a lot of shit to say. I wasn't all cute and fluffy like all the other young "pop boys" when they started out. People couldn't quite figure me out and I got a lot of flack for being kinda...blunt and raw. To now have people like that support me, encourage me, want to create art with me? It's bigger than anything. It's beyond any award handed to me.
And the rumours began circulating that the two of you could end up collaborating in the near future, any details to share on those rumours?For now, it's all just talk. I'd love to work with him but there's no concrete plan just yet. The ball is more or less in Ryan's court. I've got all my new songs locked down. I think Ryan is still very much in that creative process so I'm waiting on him giving me a call regarding a particular track or maybe he'll want to book a studio session with me and we can create something from scratch. Either way, I'd love to work with him. He's an artist I've admired for many, many years. It'd be an honour.
Obviously you've had recent success with your previous album. Could you confirm where you're currently at in terms of your next LP. Is this something you already find yourself working on?The album is pretty much finished and it's in the process of mixing and refining. It's titled GOLDENHEART, following on from PORCELAINHEART. There are four chambers of the heart and I'm treating them all as different aspects of what makes up me. The "heart" theme will obviously be continued for a few more albums.
Your music has always been a raw and honest look at your own life and the world at large. It seems like an obvious step that your next work will tackle major current issues, there's a whole lot of fucking material for you to work with. Trump, BLM, COVID and issues of social justice and so much more. Can we see you tackling topics from a more general standpoint on big issues or will you continue with the personal approach to your music?I thought hard about this. I'm known for my activism and standing for what I believe is right but it's all very depressing at the same time. Let's face it, the world is fucked up and we need hope more than anything. I'm not saying we should bury our heads in the sand, not at all, but I think an entire album of me reminding everyone about how terrible things are won't help mental health. There are a couple of songs on there that do focus on politics but they are also wrapped up in metaphors and my own style of storytelling. I think that Ryan's new song, on the other hand, takes a more direct approach. For me, I'll be using my social media, interviews, public appearances to tackle this shitshow.
And of course in recent months we've seen a host of acts talk and release tracks that tackle these very real issues. Could we see any other collaborations on the horizons for yourself soon, I'm sure the offers have been flooding in recently?Well, my own album doesn't have any collaborations. With the passing of my sister, my mental health struggles, breakdown of my previous relationship...it was always going to be a very personal, introspective record. I don't want any outside voices on there. That being said, I do have a collaboration with another artist for their project lined up and in true Grimmie style, I know it's going to turn heads, haha!! I'm open to work with others if the chemistry and the intention is right, you know? If the material is great and they genuinely want to work with me I am more than happy to.
As if our discussion this evening hasn't been revealing enough, we've got some AfterDark questions for you now. Time for a little more light hearted fun, are you down for this?Cara, after this last week, I am totally down for anything remotely lighthearted!
First one, we're sure you've met just about everybody in this industry even if super briefly. Who would you say had the shittiest attitude?Blake Williams. Aside from the issues I have with him regarding his relationship with my late sister, he's just...he's a mindfuck of a person. Unnecessarily rude, martyr complex and just this huge ego for someone whose only real achievement is looking like a young Mick Jones. If I never see that man again, I'll be happy.
Who would you consider your biggest crush in the industry at the moment?Aside from my gorgeous boyfriend, Dae? Haha! You know what? I'm gonna take this opportunity to hype up my good friend Lincoln Keaton and his new fiance Aaron Styles. Both beautiful guys, they aren't problematic, they're just so lovely and talented. Total boyfriend material. They deserve the world.
Elite level of artist now, pick three musicians of any genre or styles that you consider A+, elite level musicians?Orion for a start. They have such poignant lyrics, convey such strong messages and evoke heavy emotional responses while also delivering real catchy melodies. They're a great act. Uh, Chicago Nobody too. Literally everything in his music is down to him. The writing, the melodies, ad-libs, harmonies, production, mixing. It's all DIY from his home. Crazy genius man. Ryan Ross Hernandez gets my third and final spot. His words just speak for themselves. Love that guy.
Worst record you've heard in the past three years and why?Not sure if it's in the past three years or not but I'm gonna say Gold Digger by Elyar Black. The irony. The lack of self awareness. Makes you want to scream, doesn't it?
If you could swap roles with somebody currently in the industry, who would you swap with and why?Uh...I'd have to say Eilidh. I worked with her a few years back on a remix of one of my older songs. She was just a ray of sunshine. She's got such a positive, almost naive outlook on life. That's not a dig, by the way. I'm envious. I really just want to escape to Eilidh land. Gotta be much better than this, huh?
Hot take time to end the evening. Let's send em' home happy Joshua! Give us your most controversial opinion on the industry?I think that this generation of artists are far more creative as a whole than 5, 10 years ago. Just because sales are down and streaming is the thing, doesn't take away from what they are achieving and the work they are producing. So many independent artists carving out their own lanes. So many genres being dabbled in. So many speaking about world issues in their songs. People are far too busy wanting the "glory days" back that they're failing to see that the music industry is so special right now!
