NILUM on What Inspired his latest Single "Coffins For Rent"

Getmybuzzup: Tell us a little about yourself?

NILUM: NILUM is the soul of a 466-year-old vampire from Transylvania that resides in the body of a London based independent music artist, YUP ME! My sound could be described as an eclectic blend of hip-hop and rock, combining urban production and hip-hop influences with rock style choruses and vocals. I write, produce, mix and master all of my music as well as direct my music videos, all independently.

Getmybuzzup: How long have you been in the music industry for?

NILUM: Originally, I come from Portugal, where after graduating from a degree in classical guitar I decided to go to London and pursue a different direction in music, as I was always writing music since childhood, I went on to graduate from a Bachelor Degree in Songwriting at The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London.

During my teenage years (about a couple of centuries ago), I had different artist projects as I really enjoyed experimenting with different types of music, I was in rock bands and I even had some sort of a pop project, that after getting a small taste of what the music industry was like, literally made me not want to become an artist anymore. After that, I was initially thinking of writing and producing mainly for other people but after being possessed by NILUM I felt a strong need to express my own sound, and now with full creative control and a much clearer vision, I ended up creating my own project, releasing my first single ‘Numb’ in July 2019.

Getmybuzzup: What inspired you get started in the music business in the first place?

NILUM: I was always making a lot of noise as a child, so my parents decided to get me some musical instruments and lessons, to give my destructive efforts a better outlet. Over the years I ended up playing saxophone, electric guitar as well as a classical one and explored a vast amount of genres from jazz to classical, hip-hop to pop and rock. However, I recall that songwriting was somehow always in me, as I would come up with random melodies as a child and therefore I eventually ended up pursuing this direction. I have considered other careers over time, however, I always knew I would end up in the music business, even if it’s not the greatest of ideas!

Getmybuzzup: How would you describe your latest single ‘Coffins For Rent’?

NILUM: As with all of my music, it has quite a dark edge to it, influenced by the rock music I’ve always been listening to. That, combined with urban production and vocals that could be classified as heavily rap influenced would be the essence of the track. In terms of the lyric content, I tend to often take inspiration from Egyptian mythology, which is certainly present in this song. Overall, ‘Coffins For Rent’ is a song about escapism. About wanting to bury all your problems 6 feet under the ground, and only ‘dig them out’ once you are ready to deal with them.

Getmybuzzup: Who inspires you to get into the mood to create in the music industry?

NILUM: Many different things, and often ones that are not related to music at all. I do get very inspired by watching movies, especially horror ones, seeing pictures or just a simple quote that sparks a whole concept in my mind. Also seeing a great live show, inspires me immensely. When I am producing I often find unexpected and different sounds inspiring too, where a whole song can just blossom from that one sound.

Getmybuzzup: How do you go about writing a song and what is your process?

NILUM: Overall I think I could boil it down to two different approaches. Either i start with the melody or the production. I often get random ideas of beats and melodies that I just quickly record on my phone and then develop them later if I deem them worthy ahah! Or I can start with the production, browsing sound libraries and coming up with an interesting beat that has a strong mood and gives me ideas for a good topline. My writing proccess is very flexible and I usually approach the writing from many different angles and ends. I also really enjoy to ocassionally write for other artists too, as believe it or not, I do have a knack for catchy pop choruses!

Getmybuzzup: What is the concept behind your forthcoming project?

NILUM: The whole concept behind NILUM is from a music side a blend of different music genres from the visual side, very much inspired by vampire aesthetic which is something I have always been into, and it is part of my lifestyle. Apart from that my artist name, NILUM, which is of Latin origin, could be translated as ‘nothing or the existence of nothing’ which to me signifies the absence of definite music genres and music constrictions across my project. Also, in the forthcoming projects I intend to explore more of these influences and continue to release more singles.

Getmybuzzup: Any plans on touring to promote your latest single ‘Coffins For Rent’?

NILUM: At the moment, I am focusing on creating and releasing as much music as possible, including music videos and other forms of content, so touring is not yet on the agenda, however that is definitely something I intend to do.

Getmybuzzup: How does the process works of mixing and mastering your own music? And what made you want to mix and master your own music?

NILUM: I have naturally found my way to mixing while producing as I was interested in making my track sound good as a final product not just a skeleton of a production. I would say that as much as production plays a great role in my songwriting, mixing plays a great role in my productions, and it is a sort of a circle that is difficult to break if you want to make something sound the best it can. And that inevitably leads you to learn how to mix. I have to admit that mixing is probably the hardest one, as it takes up an incredible amount of time compared to writing or recording.

Getmybuzzup: What are must-haves when your in the studio working?

NILUM: Coffee. Loads of it. Energy drinks. And a few blood bags. And no sun please.

Getmybuzzup: What is the best piece of advice in this business you actually followed?

NILUM: Unfortunately, to be honest, I am still waiting for a decent piece of advice to follow. Other than that I’d say that it is crucial to realize working hard and working smart are two different things, and that being true to who you are without comparing yourself to everybody else is more important that’d you think.

Getmybuzzup: Will you be collaborating with any other artists in the future?

NILUM: I don’t have that in my plans at the moment, but never say never, I do keep an open mind, in case a suitable collaboration would appear.

Getmybuzzup: What artist have you had the pleasure of mixing and mastering for?

NILUM: Lately I have been writing, mixing and mastering all the songs for a London based pop artist Nina Tribus. It is a project very different from mine, but stepping out of my own project to write something such as a dance or a pop track, helps me to ‘taim’ all songwriting urges, as I have this unceasing need to write different genres, so this is a great outlet for those ideas.

Getmybuzzup: Do you think your music is mostly enjoyed more for the beats or for the lyrical flow or content?

NILUM: Hmmm, I’d like to think it would be a mixture of all. As a producer, I cannot help but wish that people would also enjoy the beats, but at the same time my songwriting self obviously would like that people could relate to the stuff that I talk about, since I do often talk about various subjects, including some more introspective ones, ranging from mental health, depression and anxiety but at times I might also write about lighter subjects such as plain and simple having a good time.

Getmybuzzup: What area do you need to improve on in regards to your career? (Example: Better production, Delivery, Stage presence, etc..)

NILUM: At the time being I would definitely need to put more tracks out, and start touring as soon as possible, that’s something I really enjoy doing so I can’t wait to plan some shows, that’s a must!

Getmybuzzup: What’s your all-time favorite song?

NILUM: While My Guitar Gently Weeps by The Beatles.

Getmybuzzup: What was the last album you listened to?

NILUM: Eminem – Songs To Be Murdered By

Getmybuzzup: In your opinion who is the most influential and successful artist in your genre today and why?

NILUM: Oh, that is quite a difficult question as I have a hard time putting myself in a very specific genre to be honest, as cliche as it may sound, as most artists do have this problem, but I suppose artists like Suicide Boys or Ghostemane are successful because of releasing content very consistently, they have a well defined vision, authenticity and a great realitionship with their fans.

Getmybuzzup: How do you feel about the current state of music?

NILUM: I think that even though the music industry has and still is undergoing some dramatic changes in terms of the way it operates, artists have now more control than ever over, their creative choices, careers and interactions with fans which was something unheard of before. I think that the internet has brought a lot of good things, and I dont like to look at it as being resposible for taking away the earnings of artists. I think it is a wonderful tool to truly connect with people who like your music and to market your music to an incredibly vast audience literally by yourself. If you are an entrepreunial person that enjoys all aspects of music including the business side, you will thrive in today’s industry.

Getmybuzzup: What is your main goal as far as music?

NILUM: I think that just being in a postition where I can make a comfortable living doing whatever I want in terms of having creative control over my music and have a platform that allows my music to be heard by people would be the main goal.

Getmybuzzup: Who would you say your music relates to the most?

NILUM: I suppose it relates most to people who are not necessarily mainstream in their views or lifestyle. They might be the outsiders, people who have different views might relate with some of the subjects I speak about in my lyrics and some who might enjoy a more dark mood.

Getmybuzzup: What separates you from other artists? (What’s makes you different?)

NILUM: I think it might be the fact that when I make music I don’t care for music genres and music choice restrictions at all. Because I listen to such a vast amount of genres, a lot of influences seep into my music and make it quite different, I think. Also, I bring influences from other things that interest me outside of music such as other forms of art, movies, history and I implement that in my music, through my lyric writing approach and sonic choices to other elements in the overall aesthetic.

Getmybuzzup: When your not in the studio, What do you like to do for fun and relaxation?

NILUM: well… if I want to chill, I usualy like to drink a type B blood while watching American Horror Story. If I feel like being a bit more active I might go for a run and prey on the streets of London on the blood of innocent souls Ahahah!

Generally speaking, I really enjoy learning new things, so if I had more free time I would definitely use it to design more of my merch and maybe get back to painting as I used to love to do a couple of centuries ago.

Getmybuzzup: What is your dream venue to perform at?

NILUM: I would love to perform on some festivals, such as Rock am Ring or Download festival for sure.

Getmybuzzup: What artist music are you currently a fan of?

NILUM: I really like some of the stuff SKYND are putting out.

Getmybuzzup: Whose your favorite actor or actress and their best movie?

NILUM: Actress would be Angelina Jolie ahah, and actor probably Anthony Hopkins in all the Hannibal movies.

Getmybuzzup: What can we expect from you in the future?

NILUM: More, way more music, and more music videos. As well as performing live as I really would love to do an international tour at some point!

Getmybuzzup: Where can the fans check out for your music?

NILUM: My music is available on all major streaming platforms and Youtube.

Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nilummusic/?hl=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NILUMmusic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nilumofficial?lang=en

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5g7cBP6lGWkQ38d0b_HRoA

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0fGJBiUwuNB0HTmxkRGl1l?si=1y83V-hNSDSLQrRI07FyEA

Website: www.nilummusic.com

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