In a candid conversation with host Harry Stebbings, Grammy nominee Aloe Blacc delves into his journey from a laid-off consultant to an internationally acclaimed artist, revealing his aversion to fame and the pressures of supporting others' livelihoods. Aloe also discusses his entrepreneurial venture into biotech, aiming to combat COVID-19 by licensing a promising scientific discovery. The discussion touches on the intricacies of songwriting, the influence of technology on music creation, and the balance between artistic integrity and commercial success. Aloe reflects on personal growth, the impact of parenthood on his music, and his aspirations for the future, both as an artist and a business founder.
"I ran from that. I've always looked at rules like good suggestion. Is that a stop sign? It's a good suggestion."
This quote highlights Aloe Blacc's desire to distance himself from the dependencies created by fame and his inclination to see rules as flexible guidelines rather than strict mandates.
"There was always something. He had a huge stereo system that was just state of the art for the time."
This quote conveys the significance of Aloe Blacc's father's influence on his musical tastes and the presence of music in his childhood home.
"So when I graduated from college, I went to go work as a full time consultant in the health sector industry. And my music was just making it all around the world."
This quote describes the pivotal moment in Aloe Blacc's life when he shifted from a traditional career path to following his passion for music.
"Definitely getting laid off was the tough time."
This quote reflects the challenging period in Aloe Blacc's life that ultimately directed him towards a successful music career.
"Presence is very important."
This quote encapsulates Aloe Blacc's parenting philosophy, emphasizing the importance of being present in his child's life.
"I'm running towards longevity. That's certain."
This quote reveals Aloe Blacc's long-term goals, focusing on personal fulfillment and lasting impact.
"Once I figured out I had enough money for my grandkids, I'm not racing against other people at this point."
This quote indicates Aloe Blacc's shift away from competitive drive towards a focus on personal and familial contentment.
"And my barometer of success, I think the very small part of it at this point, because I've already had what I feel is enough. On the finance side is everything that relates to humanity and family, not measurements that are external."
This quote emphasizes that Aloe Blacc values aspects related to humanity and family over financial achievements when it comes to defining success.
"Sometimes I'm scheduling, and I'll schedule a four hour session, no longer than 4 hours. For meeting with someone else to come up with an idea."
Aloe Blacc explains that he schedules songwriting sessions with a clear time limit, often resulting in the creation of a new song.
"A good story, I feel, is something that helps the listener forget that the world exists and fall into your paradigm."
Aloe Blacc describes the power of a good story in music to fully engage the listener in the song's narrative.
"You know it when you're in it? Sometimes you don't, but I think mostly you know it when you're in it."
Aloe Blacc suggests that songwriters can usually sense when they are crafting a magical story within their music.
"They just have a facility with words and all the dynamics that come into poetry."
Aloe Blacc explains that professional songwriters possess a high level of skill that makes the collaborative process more efficient.
"You can't determine what's going to be a hit. And quite often, it's not right. But it's okay because you can always edit before you get to final record."
Aloe Blacc acknowledges that the initial version of a song may not be perfect, but there is always an opportunity to revise and improve.
"So flower, to me, is not dynamic enough. This is a very strategic method of songwriting, but it's also, I'm inspired, and I can use my left and right brain at the same time."
Aloe Blacc discusses how he strategically enhances his songwriting while also drawing on inspiration.
"But what I do then is I go into my bag of tricks. I scroll through thousands of ideas that have been waiting for this exact moment."
Aloe Blacc explains his approach to overcoming writer's block by utilizing his archive of ideas.
"I'm not compelled to create by any sort of sense of urgency. I'm compelled to create just because I can't stop it."
Aloe Blacc expresses that his drive to create music is not based on urgency but on a natural and constant flow of creativity.
"I need to quickly readjust and use the algorithms to their benefit and continuously release music."
Aloe Blacc acknowledges the necessity of adapting to the digital landscape in order to effectively promote his music.
"I don't necessarily look at it like technology has changed anything. I think what will happen is we will continue to make music based on how it can be sold."
Aloe Blacc discusses how the music industry has always been influenced by commercial interests, with technology being the latest factor.
"No, it doesn't affect me in the creative process. The creative process really, truly is genuine."
Aloe Blacc emphasizes that his songwriting is not influenced by commercial pressures and remains an authentic creative endeavor.
"Your anonymity, your peace and quiet. Sometimes, in some cases, your safety."
Aloe Blacc reflects on the personal costs associated with fame, highlighting the loss of privacy and potential safety concerns.
"I just thought, this is not the way I want to live. I don't want to miss out on my burgers. I don't want to be interrupted everywhere I go all the time."
The quote reflects Aloe Blacc's realization that fame was interfering with his normal life and his desire to prioritize personal privacy over public recognition.
"Oh, I loved it. When Sia came out, I was like, dang, she really figured it out."
This quote highlights Aloe Blacc's admiration for Sia's ability to maintain privacy while being a successful artist, something he aspires to emulate.
"I just want to create a catalog that will stand the test of time, like a time capsule."
Aloe Blacc emphasizes his desire to create music that will remain relevant and appreciated long-term, indicating a focus on artistic integrity over commercial success.
"These are songs that will hopefully be the soundtrack to you living your best life or motivating you to achieve the impossible goal."
The quote encapsulates Aloe Blacc's artistic mission to create music that empowers and motivates his audience, serving as a soundtrack for positive life experiences.
"He'd reached out to me because he heard I need a dollar. He wanted to work with a soul artist and he was a fan of some of the songs of Marvin Gaye."
This quote explains the origin of Aloe Blacc's collaboration with Avicii, highlighting Avicii's admiration for Blacc's work and the soul genre.
"There's no way to know where a song is going to go in the marketplace."
The quote reflects the uncertainty artists face regarding how their work will be received and the success it may achieve, emphasizing the unpredictability of audience reception.
"The Internet is a place where people don't go to lose. People go to the Internet to win."
The quote highlights the competitive nature of online discourse and Aloe Blacc's perspective on handling criticism without letting it affect his self-worth or artistic direction.
"The music industry is, for all intents and purposes, a young person's sport and arena."
This quote addresses the youth-centric focus of the music industry and Aloe Blacc's intention to create music that also speaks to the experiences of maturing audiences.
"Your job now is to help them survive. And there's not a whole lot of wiggle room around that."
The quote reflects Aloe Blacc's view on the responsibilities of parenthood and the role it plays in personal development and adherence to principles.
"We made a rule that two weeks at the most, one week is cool. And whenever possible, bring the fam."
This quote illustrates Aloe Blacc's commitment to balancing his career with his role as a husband and father, setting clear boundaries to ensure quality family time.
"I don't know if I'm using all the terms right, but I know that what I like is just service, and I'm a provider."
The quote explains Speaker A's personal love language preference, which is acts of service, and identifies as a provider in relationships.
"But she's gifts. She's gifts and words of affirmation, words of affection."
This quote identifies the love language preferences of Speaker A's partner, which are receiving gifts and words of affirmation.
"The problem is I always default to mine. And I'm always thinking, oh, well, service. I'm going to service."
Speaker A acknowledges the difficulty in adapting to their partner's love language because they tend to default to their own preference for acts of service.
"It's easy to give the love that you favor giving. It's hard to actually give something that is not normally come for you, and you have to change the love that you give."
This quote summarizes the challenge of giving love in a way that doesn't come naturally to oneself, emphasizing the need for change and adaptation in how love is expressed.
"I got sick with Omacron at the top of 2022 in January, and I just started thinking about all the research papers I'd been reading and all of the science that I was learning about the disease."
Speaker A explains the personal experience and research that led to the idea behind their company, which is focused on finding a solution to block a receptor exploited by SARS-CoV-2.
"For me, it was really a philanthropic endeavor. I was like, the world needs this, because if we can block SARS Cov two and block Covid, we can block other coronaviruses with this particular solution."
This quote reveals Speaker A's philanthropic motivation behind starting the company, aiming to provide a solution that could have a significant impact on global health.
"One of the things I didn't know was that biotech is a specific sector and not all vcs are amenable to biotech as an investment."
Speaker A discusses the learning curve of realizing that biotech is a specialized field with specific investors.
"Who's your team? Who's going to take this from a dream to an actual product on the shelf? And who's going to return my money?"
This quote highlights the key concerns of VCs, which include the composition of the team and the potential for a return on investment.
"It's great. I love learning, and again, I love learning processes. So every time somebody tells me something I didn't know before, it becomes a tiger lily blossom, I love that."
Speaker A expresses enthusiasm for learning and discovering new processes, which they find deeply satisfying.
"First of all, my company is going to be either already with a product on the shelf or very close, like phase three trials and success with lots of investment."
This quote outlines Speaker A's vision for their company's future, aiming for significant progress and success in bringing a product to market.
"I fundamentally believe strongly that music has a healing power, and for everyone to be engaged in music is a type of healing."
Speaker A advocates for universal engagement with music due to its healing and cathartic effects.
"I'm really optimistic about youth. They recognize the extreme challenges that we have with our relationship with ecology, with social and political dynamics, with economic disparity."
The quote reflects Speaker A's optimism about the younger generation's awareness and potential to address significant global challenges.