Mal Holmes, a third year entertainment and media studies major, sits down to interview artist, Aidan Bissett.
Q: You’ve been playing guitar since you were seven years old, do you play anything else or just guitar?
I’m self taught. I can get by playing basic stuff on drums and piano. I can play bass pretty well. Yeah, I guess that ties pretty hand in hand with guitar, but everything else is, like, I got a basic gist of it.
Q: Have you ever thought about going into production?
Yeah, for sure. When I first got into music, I was producing all my own music because I didn’t have access to a producer. So the first, like, four songs I put out were just produced by me – three or four. And now I produce a lot of, like, demos on my own. I just demo out stuff, and then I bring them into sessions to have people who are much more experienced than I am really flesh stuff out.
Q: One of the other things I saw for you, is that you were really into football and that was a huge passion for you. Did you ever feel like that was another career choice?
Oh, yeah. I was fully planning on that being my career. It was a big deal. I played for seven years and was scouted when I was in high school. I moved from Oregon to Florida to finish out high school, and I just really lost the passion on the team I was on. The environment wasn’t the greatest in the most simple of terms, and I didn’t want to be a part of a team that wasn’t going to be great environment. That’s kind of how I left. And the only thing I had left was that I played guitar.
Q: How do you feel being a “TikTok star” of sorts?
I think there’s definitely levels to it. I think TikTok’s a great tool to, you know, get your music out there and a place for someone like me where I didn’t have access to any kind of marketing. I think being a TikToker gets a bad rep. I don’t necessarily see myself as an influencer, but I definitely use the app, for sure, for music.
Q: Has your engagement with socials changed since you’ve gotten more attention?
I guess not necessarily changed. I think my relationship with it has changed in the sense of, you know, when I started posting I was 17, and now I’m 21. I think the vision around my project has obviously matured and grown since then. So when it comes to putting stuff out on social media, it’s a little bit more cultivated or, like, more thought out and time is put into what it is, especially if it’s around a project. I think that’s the main way it was changed.
Q: How do you feel about the level of your fame currently and just expanding more to becoming more of, like, your Taylor Swift’s and Beyonce’s? Because I know this is a conversation with artists today and independent artists of just being comfortable having your core group. Do you ever feel like you want to broaden out to have more of a wider stronghold of fans or are you satisfied with the core group?
Yeah, I think every artist would be a little bit of a liar if they said they didn’t have goals and dreams, but, yeah. I think when I got into it, my goal was to be able to play stadiums, and so I still have that hope and dream that one day maybe I’ll get to play in a stadium of people who all sing my songs. I think that’s the coolest thing ever. The level I’m at right now, I also love it, you know?
I think a lot of my drive or my, like, willingness to keep going is like the football mindset where it’s just always, like, keep getting better and keep writing songs, you know? It’s always in the back of my head, like, “Let’s just keep going. Keep going.”
Q: I was listening to your new album, Supernova. Really love it, by the way. I was wondering, what was your process in writing that album, exploring different themes and your growth for it?
Yeah, that actually was an ep. We called it an ep, but the process of it was really cool. It was like, the first time that I had really thought about something holistically rather than just writing a bunch of singles and throwing them together. It was a great, like, dipping my feet in the shallow end of what an album could really be like.
I was going through, I think a lot at the time, as I feel like every young adult does, with relationships and friendships and just trying to figure out who I was as an artist. And I think Supernova was me taking my first step and who I wanted to be as an artist, whether that was visually or sonically. That ep was the greatest way for me to do that while also honing in on who is Aidan Bissett as an artist.
Q: Touching on the visuals for your artistry and creativity, like for “Planet,” I was wondering how that process was in making that and if you have any more ambitious music videos coming up.
Planet was definitely a weirder one, for sure, but I love pushing visuals. I think visuals are such an important thing when it comes to artistry, and I think it’s a little bit lost in the past few years. But I think visuals is how, you know, bands and listeners can get lost in what the project is. You get, like, to be in the world that the artist is building outside of just the music.
I think there’s so much value in artists who can say, okay, here are these songs, and I spent so much time on them. Like let me build this entire world for you outside of just the music. And I kind of think that’s what separates artistry from just being a musician – and I don’t always hit the mark on that. I always try and strive for that because I think that is really important.
But Planet was one of those things where I was working with a friend who I shot the “How’s It Gonna End” music video with – and that’s probably my favorite video I’ve ever been a part of just because it was shot on film. There’s so much emotion behind it and some incredible shots. And he’s like, oh, I have this crazy idea behind it, which had, like, special effects and me, like, floating in the air, and I was like, “You know what? It’s a cool vision, and it’s very in line, so let’s try it out.” We went to Dallas for that. It was crazy, insane experience.
Q: I can tell you have a real love for film, and so I just wondered if you’ve ever dipped your toes into, like, film, movies, even a show?
Yeah, you know, I’ve always thought about that. I actually grew up doing acting stuff. Never made it big, but, you know, who knows? I definitely studied it for years when I was younger. So it’s something that I would like to get back to at some point because I really do have a passion for it, even just as, like, a fan.
Q: And is it like a fan for more older cinema, modern? Just like, what’s your taste coming from?
Yeah, it definitely spans. I just love a good story. Like, the same reason I love music so much is that you can, you know, feel something through a type of media. So it could be an action movie, a rom-com, an old black and white film, you know, as long as it’s translating some sort of a story or a message.
Q: Any favorites? You can say your Letterboxd top four too, if you want.
Okay. Yeah, my letterbox is kind of insane. It’s so weird. Oh, it’s “Princess Mononoke”, the Studio Ghibli movie. It’s “Prisoners” that I love; a good murder mystery film. “Sweeney Todd and the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” that Tim Burton musical music in that movie is so good. And the last one is an all time favorite. Mine is just a guilty pleasure. I’m not even guilty. It’s so good. It’s the “Perks of Being a Wallflower.”
Q: Can you tell me about playing Gasparilla earlier this year? What was that like?
It was cool. It was where I finished high school and where my family was. My whole family was there. I had gone to that festival when I was younger, as a fan, so being able to play it was really cool.
Q: How was that compared to Lollapalooza. Do you prefer the intimate acts or more of a bigger one?
It was a very different experience, for sure. Lollapalooza was insane. I mean, our stage, they told us we had, like, 10,000 people after. I don’t remember much, to be honest with you. I think I blacked out walking on stage and being like, “Oh my God, that’s more people than I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” But it was so much fun, and they’re fun for, like, different reasons. You know, I got to have my family at one of them, which is really cool. With Lollapalooza, it’s, like, legendary. So I don’t know what I would prefer. I think both have great aspects to them.
Q: I saw that you met Coin there. Can you tell me about that?
Actually, Chase [Lawrence] and I have been friends for years. We started writing music together when I was 18. I think during COVID he was taking a bunch of sessions, and I just got really lucky and we stayed friends. And that was, like, a total coincidence that they were playing the same festival. I had been to Nashville with him quite a few times before that to write stuff for my project, and then like, “Oh my God, guys, we’re playing the same festival,” which is so crazy. So it was so great to see them, and their set was so good.
Q: Which artists do you liken yourself to? You mentioned how you worked with Coin, what other artists do you find similar or would like to work with even?
Oh, man, I would love to work with George [Daniel] from the 1975, just because he’s an incredible producer and writer. I would love to work with him. Who else would I love to work with? Probably, like any, like, cool bands, like the Strokes or Arctic Monkeys, the Killers. I think that would be really cool.
Q: Do you have any specific artists or even just people in general who really helped you both hone in your craft and even just keep sane within the last couple years?
Chase Lawrence from Coin has been, like, a huge mentor for me for years. When things are tough, he’s always been there to help get me through it and he’s taught me so much about writing and conviction through writing, you know, having something to say when you’re writing songs. So he’s been a helping hand, helping me mature and grow through music.
Q: So do you see for yourself transitioning to more of a rock tone for your music or how do you want to grow? Would you like to grow or expand the genre that you work in now?
Yeah, I think I just, like, finished up writing my first album, and it’s got a good mix of both – more like alternative. Like, there’s rockier tracks on there for sure, but I don’t think I want to be rock. You know what I mean? I like having a good mix of pop and alternative. I think it’s really fun to play with that balance. I love making dance songs, but I also like making straight up band songs with big drums and guitars.
But, yeah, I also really love people who can play with structure of songs. I think if I was to really expand, I think just messing with structure is really fun. Radiohead was so good at that. You never really know what to expect when you’re listening to a Radiohead song.
Q: How’s the touring process going? What are you doing to, like, keep in touch with your family, keep sane, all that stuff?
I think routine is a really important thing. Making sure you’re eating healthy, making sure you’re working out regularly. My brother comes on tour with me, so I already have family on tour, which is really great. I talk to my parents on a regular basis, which is really important, too. I think communication while touring is super important, especially with the people you’re touring with. It’s important to be constantly checking in because, you know, you’re spending a lot of time with people in a close space.
Q: What is your concert structure, or the way you like to run your sets?
So we just kind of mixed it in every night just to give people something to look forward to, you know? I have an electric guitarist with me playing lead while I’m playing rhythm guitar and a drummer. So it’s very much like a band show. I love keeping things high energy, having people dance and move and all that stuff.
Q: Do you have any upcoming songs that you’re ready to, like, perform or just sort of just focus on the upcoming album and tour?
Yeah, we’ve been playing new songs on this tour. We’ve picked three new songs to play on this tour, so people who come to the shows have been getting a new taste of what’s to come, which is really cool. And so far, the response has been pretty great.
Q: What would be your dream venue?
Red rocks would be really cool. I think that’s on everyone’s list. I’d love to do the Greek in LA, just cause I’ve been to so many shows there, and it would be just so cool to play a show there. The Forum and Madison Square Garden.
Q: What are your green room must haves?
Great question. Lots of vegetables, lots of fruits. I need peanut butter. I need dates. Also, there’s just, like, healthy stuff. I also like rice cakes. Nothing really crazy. It’s honestly mostly just, like, healthy things. Just because if I am to snack, I just want to make sure that I’m putting things in my body that are good for it.
Q: How do you like to bring your fans into spaces, interact with them, etc.?
I love doing, like, anything. Like, pop ups, I think are really cool. I went up the west coast last year and did a little acoustic shows in parks just for fans to come and say “What’s up?” which is really cool. I love to have kind of, like, interactive merch items, in a way, like we’re doing on this tour and all throughout the roll out for the album.
I’m wearing these pins that have, like, kind of weird or provocative sayings on them that are changing per city on the tour. And anytime I’ll go out, like, press or anything, I’ll be wearing pins. And I think it’s really fun because, like, the fans and listeners, they can get in on it. You can either make your own pins or we have pins that are being sold at the shows that people can get. Having things that your listeners can come together and do together, I think is a really cool way to get people involved.
Q: So, like, let’s say 10-15 years from now, where would you hope to see yourself?
I really hope to see myself in stadiums. But if not, hopefully just with a family that I love.
Q: Do you have anything else you wanted to say or mention?
If you can make it out to a show? I would say come to a show and just keep on the lookout for all the new album stuff coming.
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