Music Spotlight: Ted When
With an impressive list of credentials and an innovative sound, the young artist known as Ted When is breaking new ground in the genre-defying territory that’s defining pop music today. Born in Cedar Rapids, Ted formerly fronted the band Mansions on the Moon and has toured with Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller, worked in the studio with the Neptunes, and currently bounces between Los Angeles and Nashville. We had the chance to discuss his sound, his new remixes and more. Check it out.
What was your favorite part about working on your newly released remixes?
I love hearing the top-line melody and lyric with a new instrumental. Hearing other producer's interpretation of the song is inspiring and gives me a new appreciation for the original. I also love how the different artists use my backing vocals. I tend to use my voice as a pad or instrument and so I love hearing it chopped or re-harmonized.
What's been your biggest takeaway/piece of advice since releasing your EP, morning?
Since I’ve released the EP in a very strange time when there are no live shows and people are working from home and social distancing, I’ve learned to look on the bright side of seemingly negative circumstances. No matter how many people are listening, I try to remember it's not about popularity or praise, it's about art and expression.
How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never listened to your music before?
I guess I’d call it experimental pop? A lot of publications described it as "genre defying" and it's hard to put it in a box. I think my melodies and lyrics are approachable and familiar but they are arranged in an untraditional way and paired with unusual, avant-garde instrumentation and rhythms.
What song(s) are you currently playing on repeat?
Cattails by Big Thief
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Teaching high school biology and working at a wildlife rehabilitation center.
Lightning round! Describe each of the following in one word: Who you are, what you value the most, and what you’d be if you were a food item.
Who I am: Perception
What I value the most: Relationships
What I’d be if I were a food item: A gummy bear
Listen to Ted’s morning (Fool’s Gold Remixes) right here.
