Unfiltered Canada: Full Interview with Parker Graye

Last year, our US team announced our newest artist interview series, Unfiltered. Now, we’re excited to introduce this installment for our Canada fam! 🇨🇦 With this video series, we’ll chat with some amazing Symphonic artists and get a closer look at everything they’re working on, personal stories, passion projects and so much more. Read the full interview with Parker Graye below…

Unfiltered Canada: Full Interview with Parker Graye

Parker Graye (P):

“Hey y’all, it’s Parker Gray and this is my unfiltered interview.”

Alejandra Marroquin from Symphonic (A):

“Can you share with us a bit about your journey from like pop music to country music and what inspired that transition?’

(P):

“So, I grew up on country music in my mom’s Suzuki Vitara and my dad’s truck, but so it’s interesting that I like kind of diverged away from the genre to all the way come back. But when I really started producing my own music and getting into my own stuff, I was obsessed with like Ellie Golding and Lorde and Bat for Lashes. And like, it was like that rush of electronic music that had that rock edge…”

“and like Fantagram, oh my gosh, I miss them… But I thought that was my lane. And I thought that that’s like, because I wasn’t so in love with that music, I thought that that’s what I had to focus on. And so I tried to write pop music and I had done like that rock electro band, but nothing ever felt like genuine. Like it never felt in my soul, to be honest. And then I was producing a pop single in LA and a guy found me on Instagram and he was like, what are you doing? — Why are you not doing country music? And I was like, huh, interesting. And then we wrote on Zoom in 2017 and I’d been like A, B testing lyrics on Instagram to like see what people were reacting to. And I would like use that for like potentially songs later. And we used one of those examples in our session on Zoom and it like, it was that moment, that session was like the catalyst for everything else.”

“So then… I started working with him and I came to Nashville for the first time and produced my first two singles and it was interesting. It’s like it was such a full circle moment and I remember I had the worst memory ever but that I remember that day writing Do Over and thinking like everything just changed. Like it was just this like internal like shift of energy and I’m so sad it took me so long to get there, but in the same breath, I’m also like so happy just that I’m here now.”

(A):

Yeah, I know it can take long, but you’re on your path now, and that’s the important thing. Yeah, so now that you’re doing what you love and what you’re meant to be doing, can you take us through a typical songwriting session with you? How do you capture and translate moments of intense emotion into your lyrics and melodies?

(P)

“Yeah totally. So historically, I’ve been the person that gets my heart broken and I choose, I made four choices, obviously, with romantic partners. And so that has always been like the subject matter of a lot of what I’m writing and everything I’ve written has been like very based on true events. So often it’s just taken from like the rawest, deepest corners of my heart of like being absolutely heartbroken… but sometimes it’s like I’m listening to another song in a whole different genre and like I hear a lyric incorrectly and it like sparks an idea or a title for something or like, you know, we’re throwing ideas out in the room and we riff off something that someone else has had. But generally speaking, I’m the person that comes into the room with like some heartbreaking moment that I’ve experienced in recent months.”

“And I’ve had to really choose to embrace vulnerability and be okay with kind of like hanging my heart out into the world. And last time was the first song that was never supposed to see the light of day. I wrote that with Luca Fogalli in his basement. Like I was heartbroken. I was so heartbroken. And we just took like texts and phone calls and like threw it into a word doc. And I like just like let my heart just be as open and raw as possible. And that song was never gonna see the light of day. And a couple of people were like, no, this needs to come out. And it was that moment that like, once I released that song and like let it no longer be my own, that I was like, oh, it’s safe to do this. Like I’m allowed to tell this story. And one of the things I think nobody talks about is just that sad songs are there when you’re lonely.”

“Like when you’re sad and you’re in those, the pits of the emotion… And, and like, that’s great. But I think what is so fascinating is how music can catapult you back to like a time and a place and like a smell or something, and you can listen to a sad song six months, eight months, five years, 10 years down the road, because it brought you back to that space and time, but you can see how far you’ve come, which I think is like such an interesting reflection that often gets overlooked with sad songs, because people are just like, it’s a sad song. Like you’re just sad. Like that’s brutal, but nobody really looks at like the whole full spectrum of the journey that you were in and like how you got out of it and where you are now. And, and lots of people are like, don’t you write happy songs? Like I do. But like, this is also so much more than just like the meaning of the song and the story that I’m trying to articulate.”

“But I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some people who really like embrace that with me and make it a safe space to share. So I just love sad songs, oh man.”

(A):

“I really get what you’re saying because sometimes I’m listening to a song and it just takes me back years in my life. And I’m remembering my first heartbreak and yeah, you realize how far you’ve come and how you used to feel in the moment when you first heard that song. And I think that’s really special. It’s some kind of therapy for me.”

(P):

“Yes, I totally agree. And even now, like I’ll go back to songs that either didn’t get released or songs that like I have released. And I’m like, whoa, like even just reflecting on the person that you are, you know, like not even related to the romantic or the heartbreak of it all. It’s just like how much you develop as a human being and like songs are those timestamps, which is so weird because again, like you can, I barely remember what I ate yesterday, let alone. Some of these intimate detailed moments that like if I hear a song and like, oh my gosh, I remember hearing that, hearing that song for the first time or like what I was like doing or where I was. It’s just, it’s wild. It’s cool.”

(A):

“And does that happen to you also like with your songs? Like if you wrote a song and you released it, like, I don’t know, years before, and you hear it years later, do you feel like you’ve changed? Or how do you like approach and listen to your own music if you’re in a different place right now?”

(P):

“Yeah, you know, some days last time has always been one that’s tough to go back to. And Lion to me, the newest single coming out this week is one of them as well. And there’s times where I’ll listen to last time and it just hits me on the right day. And I’m like, I’ll have a hard time singing it or I’ll have a hard time listening to it and being like, whoa, that was like a very broken version of me.”

“…and like someone who in reflection didn’t have all of her emotions packed down and managed and I didn’t feel seen and all of those things. And it can be really challenging to go back to those things because sometimes you feel like you’re still that person and then other times you’re like, I don’t even know who that is anymore. Like you know, you really do try to focus on growth, but and then there’s some songs where I’m like, damn, that was a smash. Like I did the thing, you know? And in other ways too, and I’ve done a lot of reflecting too as this like lion to me EP has kind of like come together. It’s like, I really don’t take enough time to assess and acknowledge how, like what has been, what has happened over the last few years. And it’s like, I’ve really in the only really in the last few weeks. And I’m like, I’m proud. And I’ve never felt that from my music before until now, which is interesting. But I feel like the evolution of feelings as you go back to songs is like ever changing too. So it’s like, I feel differently about things as I like experience more in life and release more. But, you know, I don’t know, it’s really interesting. It’s cool, because I feel like I’m experiencing everything with everyone as it happens. And like, as my like fan base starts to grow. — I feel like I’m on the journey with them, which like obviously, but it’s like, I feel like I’m kind of like reliving the old things as they’re discovering the old things. So it’s cool. It’s very interesting.”

(A):

“So let’s talk about Align to Me, your next release. We’ve heard it. And the raw emotion in your voice is really like one of the standout features. And we want to know, how do you approach conveying such intense emotions when recording a song like this?”

(P):

“So that one is insanely special. So that morning I had a conversation with the person that the song is about, I had a conversation with him, and it was one of the toughest conversations I’ve ever had with anybody that I like really had deep emotions for, and I thought we were going in a direction and then I proceeded to, it was right before a session, which was maybe the worst and best thing ever, obviously in this scenario, but I cried in a grocery store parking lot for 45 minutes over the conversation and I was going to cancel my session. And when I got there, I had already like mascara was already like dripping down my face and I like word vomited every emotion that I was feeling that day. And I knew I had to write about it in the moment. I didn’t know what it was going to come out to be.”

“I didn’t know if it was going to be as impactful because sometimes you, you intentionally go in to make this like heartfelt song and it doesn’t happen because like the intent is not genuine or the intent is just like you’re forcing something but this came out super organically and The the vocal on the final song that everyone hears is the vocal from the day we wrote it so we tracked the demo that day and that and I remember just like crying through the demo it was so hard to get through it and As we were talking about releasing this song, because we wrote it in September 22nd of 2022. And that song has lived like rent free in my mind ever since. And I knew it was going to come out. I just never knew what the timing was going to be like. And as we were talking about releasing it, and I’d been showing people it, they were like, this is an emotional journey. And the best part, to your point, and I agree, and thank you for that compliment, is that I think the vocal is what makes that song what it is because it truly, I was truly singing from a place of absolute heartbreak because the conversation had happened two hours earlier, you know, and I think that is one of the most important things for me and it’s a question I ask a lot of like anybody I work with from a production side is like, am I selling it? Am I genuinely selling the story?”

“Because if I like and if in moments I’m unsure if I feel it in the deepest guttural parts of my soul, I don’t think someone else is going to. And I have to try really hard to like, if it’s something that’s already happened and I’m reflecting back on it, I have to try really hard to really pull myself back into the version of myself when I was going through it, or tap into those old wounds and deep emotions and kind of bring it back to the surface so that when I’m singing it, I’m singing it from a place of honesty and like realness. But lying to me was just pure raw emotion from that day. And like, I wouldn’t change anything about that. Like I went back and thought maybe I could redo the vocal and I didn’t. And I’m so glad that I didn’t because I think it, it’s it and it’s imperfection imperfections and there’s a lot of imperfections in that vocal.”

“Like there was things that we couldn’t stop from happening because it was just a demo. It wasn’t supposed to be what it is now, but I think that’s the beauty of it. It’s not perfect. And it’s also, that’s like such a reflection on the song and like, you know, lying to yourself in those situations because we aren’t perfect. So it’s a really special thing to capture and it doesn’t happen all the time. It definitely doesn’t happen all the time like that. And so I’m excited. I’m excited for it. And I hope it resonates with people the way that it resonated with you guys. So thank you for that compliment.”

(A):

“I really love the song and it really makes it so special and so different because yeah, you can really relate and feel everything you’re feeling. So I love it and I know it’s gonna do great. Speaking of sad songs, you have your catchphrase, Sad is for the baddies, and it has become quite popular among your fans. So can you tell us more about the origin of it and what it represents to you?”

(P):

“Thank you. Thank you so much. Appreciate that.”

“Yeah, so a lot of people meet me and they’re like, like they hear my songs and then they’re like, oh, you are not what I thought you were gonna be. Cause I think people think I’m gonna be like this sad girl who’s just like really like blah and like kind of boring, but I’m like, I’m not that at all. I swear like a sailor and I have an attitude. So it’s like, it’s kind of this weird juxtaposition with the songs that I release and like who I am as a human being.”

“And during the pandemic, when Clubhouse was a thing, people were talking about like catchy phrases and stuff for like your bio. And I was like, I’m a bad B who writes sad songs. So like saddies for the baddies. Cause like we all have that edge, right? Like not everybody is just like wallowing in their own self pity 24 seven. And like there has to be a lane to like, you know, wanna bang out to Beyonce, and like a hardcore rap music while all simultaneously wanting to like cry with a cowboy hat on. And so, so that kind of just like happened and it’s people have like really attached to it, which is cool, which means we really need to do some merch here pretty soon. But yeah, it was again, really organic thing that I like love. I think it’s rad and it’s a, it’s definitely like culminates everything about me in one line.”

(A):

“So finally, but not the final question. I have one more question for you, but what advice would you give to aspiring musicians who hope to following your footsteps and make an impact themselves, like in this industry?”

(P):

“One would be write with anyone and everyone you can, even if it’s a different genre. I think collaborating is super important and people can articulate things in ways that you never thought possible or you just learn things from different styles of producers and track people and writers.”

“And I think building that community of people around you is truly what’s going to expand your career and help grow your career. And those people ultimately become your champions as well and support you through the process. And two, learn the business. I came from corporate marketing world, and I worked in corporate land for a very long time. And that has certainly helped me develop my own career. And I think learning the music industry and understanding how to market your own music, how to write a press pitch, how to do your own content, how to upload your own music. And like, if that means you have to find people who know how to do it or artists who have done it themselves before to help teach you. And that’s something I’ve tried really hard to do is extend the olive branch of like, you want to learn how to pitch your music to the boot or to this media publication or how to like make a one sheet. Like I will help you.”

“Just like shoot me a message. And I think that like, those are the things that are, you will eventually have a team of people around you that can help you and support you. But until that point, if you can do it yourself, it’s like, it changes the game. Like knowing the business and really picking people’s brains and having coffee with people who know more than you is going to change everything. And not just because it’s gonna get you there faster. I don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s being able to do it yourself makes you wanna work that much harder and it makes other people wanna work harder for you. So expand your community, write with as many people as possible and learn the dang business.”

(A):

“That is such great advice. I can’t thank you enough that you said that because yeah, the music industry can be like really hard to navigate through if you don’t really know what is going on. And that’s really basic for every musician. So yeah. And now that you’ve talked about collaborations, that was actually my final question. If you could collaborate with any musician, living or dead, who would it be and why?”

(P):

“Okay, well, it’s very much, is that? Yeah, it is, Kacey Musgraves, for sure. Because I feel like her journey as an artist has been so fascinating, and I love the way that she has navigated herself in this industry as well. And like, I love her songwriting. Like she is so about the brand, which is also my lane, is like everything needs to kind of simultaneously fit together. And she thinks about the experience of music beyond just putting on your headphones and listening to it. Like it has to be an immersive experience, like with her candles and her merch and her show. And she’s just done this incredible job of building this beautiful brand around her incredible storytelling. So, and I just like, I’m like, I want to be a Casey friend. — I want to be in the group chat, you know? Yeah, that would be insane. That would be wild.”

(A):

“Yeah, that’s amazing. I’m going to be manifesting that for you because it would be such a great collab.”

(P):

“Let’s go baby, it’s happening. Even if I could just go on tour with her, like even that, I would even just as start there. Like that would be, I would lose my mind. Lose it.”

(A):

“Hopefully that’ll happen because wow, it would be amazing.”

(P):

“It would be fire. Well, and that’s like, it’s, like I could live that persona, but I’m just, I’m not, like I’m just a wiener. Like I’m just a goofball who really loves sad songs and like, and also too, I think it’s really hard. I think some people try to like be that version of themselves as an artist. And then I’m like, but then what happens when you want, if you chose that you wanted to release a drinking song or like a banger or like do a collab with like, I don’t know, fucking Diplo.”

“Like, what do you do then? Like it’s, I wanna be as authentic as I can be at all times. And like, if you’re my friend, you know that I’m a wiener. Like that I’m just like a bit of a nut job. And I like swear and eat, you know, random spoons of peanut butter from a jar. Like, I’m a human being.”

//

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