Smoothboi Ezra Interview

Rapid-fire Questions

1. What have you been listening to lately?

Haley Heyndreickx Kate bush, Adrianne Lenker, Lomlda to Clario

2. If you had to start a band with 3 fictional characters, who would you choose?

Marceline from Adventure Time, Troy and Abed from Community.

3. You’ve never eaten a peach?? Why?

I’m not a massive fan of peach flavoured things. I don’t see the need.

4. I heard a rumor that you’re working on an album, but recorded completely in the language that Minions speak. Can you address that rumor?

No comment at this time my lawyers with be in touch with you.

5. First concert you ever attended?

Troye Sivan Blue Neighbourhood – Olympia Theatre Dublin 2015

6. What is the worst piece of advice you can give me?

Stay friends with your ex.

7. If you could write the soundtrack for a movie, what would the movie be about?

Any movie about a lesbian relationship that is realistic – They meet, they have coffee, they move in, they get a cat or two, they crochet each other jumpers, they get matching tattoos. The twist is they’re happy and stay together!! The End.

8. On a scale of 1-10 how is this interview going so far?

Is 1 good and 10 bad or is 10 good and 1 bad? I’d say 50:50 since the question is open for interpretation.

9. Any local bands that we should check out?

Queens, The Love Bug, Milk

To start things off can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m the middle child which is why I write sad songs I have two dogs, two cats, two guinea pigs and a Fish. My favourite colours are sage / olive green, burnt orange and occasionally purple depending on how I feel.

How did you get your start in music?

My parents always played music around the house, I started playing piano when I was five.

What did you listen to growing up?

When I was younger I listen to anything my parents listened to, like The Cure, Queen, Stereophonics, The Verve. When I turned 10 I started listening to Emo music like MCR, Panic at the Disco, Fall out boy and Bring me the horizon and my music taste developed from there.

I saw that you’re playing the Dot To Dot festival in Bristol this September! Is this your first festival, or have you played other music festivals before?

Earlier that week I’ll have played my first festival in Dublin called Eastbound, I can’t wait to play Dot To Dot though.

Who are you most excited to see at the fest?

Probably Palace.

If you were putting on your own music festival, what would the lineup look like?

According to my Festify it would be Snail Mail, Soccor Mommy, Angle Olson, Lomelda, Haley Heyndreickx, Bo Burnham, Clairo, Lorde, Mitski, Big Thief, Lucy Dacus, Men I trust, Adrianne Lenker and Blood Orange.

Can we expect a US tour anytime soon?

I don’t know, but that would be very cool. I’m definitely up for that.

I was reading your interview with can’t not music blog from 2019. They asked about your songwriting process, and you said: “I don’t sit myself down to write a song. I’m usually sleep deprived around 4am and so I sit down to write down what I’m thinking and then some of it rhymes and some of it doesn’t. Maybe I’ll go back to it and see if I can work it into a song... They’re essentially diary entries.” Has your writing process changed over the past couple of years, or has it changed at all? Nope still an insomniac writing and recording in the middle of the night.

Is there a particular place or setting where you feel inspired the most?

I don’t know, I never really thought of it. I write at home mostly, but I do make quick notes if I’m traveling alone. I tend to drift off so it doesn’t really matter where I am if the conditions are right.

Talk to us about your latest EP Stuck

It’s about a breakup, the realization that you’re in a relationship because it's there and familiar, then thinking it’s not really for you. Then breaking up and finding it difficult to accept that you’re no longer the other persons “go to” or “number one”.

Did the songs on the EP end up sounding like the original idea you had in your head?

No the songs sound completely different to the way I thought they would sound when I wrote them, but I’m happy with the way they turned out.

Do you have a favorite part of the music process?

My favourite part is adding harmonies once the bones of the song are done.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would you pick?

Phoebe Bridgers or Haley Heynderickx or Kate Bush

What is something that most people wouldn’t know about Smoothboi Ezra? I have a green tag in TaeKwon Do.

What can we expect to see from you in the near future?

Live performances.

To wrap up, do you have any questions for me?

Would you rather have no eyebrows and everybody thinks you have, OR, have eyebrows but nobody can see them but you?

I guess I'd rather have no eyebrows and everybody thinks I have eyebrows. I don't really look at my face that often, so it wouldn't bother me.