Demo Taped is from Atlanta, but he’s as far from the Atlanta artist stereotype as you can get. With influences including Herbie Hancock, Flying Lotus and his own father, Demo Taped creates beautiful electronic-based music, layered with his smooth vocals. At 20 years’ old, he’s already released two EPs, most recently 5-track Momentary earlier this year, as well as a chunky handful of singles and features.

We caught up with him for a light-hearted chat after this show at the Pandora stage on a sunny March 13th, the weather reflecting his yellow headband and smiley temperament. He was constantly dancing and bouncing around his set-up, engaging the entire audience, even though I’m sure not everyone knew his tracks. We spoke about his path to a career in music, his open dialogue about mental health, comparisons to Jai Paul, and his plans for a full album.

UHH: You’re from Atlanta but you're not an ‘Atlanta rapper’. Do you feel like it helps to be from Atlanta, but not emanate the typical artist style? Or do you feel like it doesn't even matter where people come from these days?

Demo Taped: I definitely see how the place you are from can influence you and your music, and your art. Atlanta has definitely done that for me, but just in a different way.  I've interpreted the city the way I see it. I think the work ethic of the artists that don't sound like me is more inspiring than me sitting around saying, ‘no one sounds like me’, you know? Because when I'm there and people are producing like ten tracks a day, and finishing songs, that motivates me. I really want to do that. You see something, you want to start doing it.

UHH: Is there a particular artist that you used to, or still look up to a lot for musical inspiration?

Demo Taped: Yes, I look up to Flying Lotus, of course. His music was actually the reason that I really started thinking about doing music full time, because I wanted to be a filmmaker. I was all set up to go to film school, and then I released my first EP [Heart] and it did well. When I saw that people enjoyed it, I was like, ‘maybe I can do this’. It gave me the foot in the door to be able to actually think it through and think of it as a real possibility.  Curtis Mayfield, he's so incredible. His voice; I can't get over it. I'd say Earth, Wind & Fire, of course. My dad really introduced me to a lot of music, like Herbie Hancock - he's one of my big influences.

UHH:  Nice, so you like some jazz too?

Demo Taped: Yeah, I really love it. I grew up playing jazz.

UHH: You released Heart in 2015 and it did well, and you thought, ‘I could see this being a career’. Is it something you thought you could never do, or just that a film was a better fit?

Demo Taped: I'd always been a musician. I started playing piano when I was four, and my dad is musician too. So he got me guitar lessons; my parents got me whatever lessons I wanted, and they've supported me with everything, even with film. I'd ask for a camera that was just expensive as hell, and they would do it because they believed in me and what I could do. I'm so grateful and blessed for that. I thought of music more of a hobby at that time, and film was my mainstay. It was my big passion, it still is. But music and film are neck and neck right now.

UHH: The other known thing about you, aside from coming from a musical household, is that you’ve been very vocal with your mental health. Even on stage just now you said how a year ago you were depressed and had anxiety, and wouldn’t have been able to be on stage. What helped you come out of that time?

Demo Taped: It's a combination of finding something you love, which was music for me, and having that be your creative outlet, as well as your emotional outlet. Learning about the illnesses that you have, and medicine. A lot of people don't like to talk about medicine, but if I didn't have my medicine, I wouldn't be able to be doing what I'm doing right now. The support system, be that family, friends - just anyone that you can call on and count on. They all know about my mental illness because I was super open about it. I just want to be transparent with everybody because I feel like even if I have the smallest of voices, I need to use it to bring light to something that has been so stigmatized, and that people are afraid or uncomfortable talking about.

UHH: I know you've mentioned Kid Cudi before - he’s a big name who has spoken about his own mental health in recent years, which has I think, been very impactful. Would you agree that mental health is even more stigmatized within the young, black male community?

Demo Taped: Exactly. To see a young, black male come out and say, ‘I'm taking some time off from what I do and I am going to be hospitalized’, that strikes a chord. You know, I've been hospitalized. It's something that a lot of people go through, and a lot of people need it in order to continue to exist and live. It's just so great to see more and more people coming out about their mental illness and the actual steps, and not shying away from the ugliness. We have to be able to get past that and just talk, and talk and talk and talk until everyone gets it, you know? That's going to take a long time, but you have to start sometime.

UHH: Do you get people messaging you, ‘your music helped me’, or ‘I read this thing that you said and it made me do this’?

Demo Taped: I do, yeah. I won't ever get used to that, it's really special. I've actually had someone come up after a show, and tell me about their anxiety and how much me speaking out is making them feel a little bit more comfortable about telling someone or doing things. I am so proud of that because if I could save a life, potentially, that's what I want to be doing.

UHH: Amazing. I think it's very courageous. There are some things that used to have larger stigmas attached to them, like sexuality or homosexuality, and are starting to fade away. Why do you think mental health, which affects so many people, is moving more slowly than certain other issues?

Demo Taped: I think it's largely in part due to individual stigmas that people have in their communities. I can only speak for the black community, and I know that from growing up, I was called sensitive a lot. I started to associate that with being bad. I started to associate feelings other than just okay - feelings of sadness, and they started getting distorted. I was afraid to feel those feelings because I thought that made me a weaker person. After years of therapy and just reading about what I have, and learning more about mental illness as a whole, I learned that those things don't matter. You can't let any of that get in the way. But I think that's really the reason why it's moving a little bit more slowly, because there are so many individual stigmas in each community. Those can make a person backtrack and not want to be so forthcoming or open with what they want to say or what they're actually feeling.

UHH: Thank you, I appreciate your openness.

UHH: So Momentary came out in February - congratulations! I really, really enjoyed it. How has the reception been?

Demo Taped: Thank you! It's been really great. I went about this EP in a different way than my first one. My first one was cathartic, me getting out all this emotion that I needed to get out. To be honest, I can't remember making it. I was going to LA, and before I went, I wrote down questions, concerns, thoughts, beliefs, things I don't believe, things I want to believe, things I maybe believe.  I really wanted to tap past the conscious level of creation, and reach the place where I’m getting all the subconscious things I need to get out. Because that's where I believe the most truth and the most connectivity lies; it’s within a place where I am most vulnerable, and I am telling my story with no censorship, no anything.

So I went in with all these questions and wrote with some very talented people. Actually, my favorite song off there is Winter Soon. I made it with How to Dress Well, which is crazy, because when I was making mixed tapes for my girlfriend who I wrote Heart EP about, a lot of them had his music on there.

UHH:  Aw, that's such a nice circle.

Demo Taped: To be able to go from that to us writing a song about my dad and family, and how that affected me, that was just a beautiful thing.

UHH:  It's amazing. That's so cool. Was today the first time you were performing the EP?

Demo Taped: This was it. This was the first time. I was a little bit nervous about it, but it was so fun. I also made this EP with performance in mind, because I really wanted to play songs that I enjoy. I really wanted to feel it, and hopefully that translated.

UHH: Yes, one hundred percent. I’m not very technical, can you tell me what are you actually doing on stage?

Demo Taped: So on my right, I am able to push. Each song is separated into about five different stems of the song. We have the bass from one song (it’s all in a row) all the melody parts, which are like scents and things, background vocals, and then sound effects, which are usually field recordings I have, or the ending to songs. On each of those, I trigger the track with the MPD. For this show I actually did a totally new process, where I don't have to trigger every song, so it all just kind of flows together. Then on my left, I have the MPD32, which I use to affect the beat, affect the timing and the drums. That makes the show different each time, because that's what I really wanted to do. I don't play guitar up there, I don't play piano up there. You can make things different each show with those instruments. So I wanted to find a way through electronic purposes only, to make a set that is adaptable and to do different things with it. So I'm happy to say that I've kind of achieved that.

UHH: Absolutely. When it's properly live, electronic music is so special. When I saw James Blake live, I felt like I was on another plane. The combination of the music with the lighting was just insane.

Demo Taped: That will take you there for sure.

UHH: For any type of electronic live performance, it's far more interesting when they're twiddling something, and you think, ‘I don't know what they're doing with that but I’m curious’.

Demo Taped: Right, you want people to ask, ‘what is he doing up there?’ You want the curiosity too, because that's also important for engagement, you know?

UHH:  What about live artists that you’ve seen, who have you been inspired by?

Demo Taped: So I've seen Flying Lotus three times, and two of those were off the You're Dead tour with the 3D set up, and it blew my mind. I saw that and thought okay, maybe I can develop what I'm trying to do into something. I saw CARIBOU once, and that was incredible. They did Can't Do Without You, that track is incredible. Jamie xx was another artist I saw that blew my mind, it changed my whole way of thinking. I'd say those three were pretty life changing, in terms of the reception.

UHH:  Do you have plans for a little EP tour?

Demo Taped: Yeah, we are gearing up for something right now, and I'm really excited about it. [A few days after the interview, it was announced Demo Taped will be supporting Amber Mark on her North American tour].

UHH: So you've toured with NAO, who is one my favorite artists.

Demo Taped: Seeing her live too, blew my mind. When I saw her show, it reminded me of the importance of smiling up there and having a good time. There are so many times I've been to concerts, and I've seen artists that don't look like they're having a good time. When you're not having a good time, the audience isn't going to have a good time, you know? She is so very much herself on the stage, and she’s like that on and off stage, she is a beautiful human being.

UHH: She’s incredible, it’s amazing that you toured with her. You've been compared to another British artist, the mysterious Jai Paul, who is also highly talented. I feel like your sound is quite similar to lots of UK electronic music. Have there been any other comparisons you've heard?

Demo Taped: I haven’t heard many others, I just get Jai Paul a lot, which is very flattering because I love him, and I respect him so much. I actually met A.K. Paul on the tour with NAO in London. I was so nervous about meeting him because of the comparison. We had a great talk, and it was really incredible. And he doesn't hate me, so there we go!

UHH:  Of course not! Are there any other British artists that you’re into?

Demo Taped: I mean, Mura Masa, of course. I met him on that tour too, and Bonzai. I really want to start seeing the newcomers though. I want to learn more about who's coming up right now, because I don't know. I'm far removed from it.

UHH: Do you know Palmistry?

Demo Taped: Yes! When I first heard his music, less is more. That's all I can say. That is the biggest and most perfect example of less is more because those are hits, those are pop smashes.

UHH: And then Tory Lanez and Cashmere Cat just sampled him on Miss You. At first I thought they just ripped him off and didn’t credit him! But then I realized they did and I was very happy.

Demo Taped: It's such a great song, they put a great little switch on it too.

UHH:  How was touring in Europe overall?

Demo Taped: It was incredible. Just the crowd reception out there. Everybody wanted to move, you know?

UHH: Yes. Europeans want to dance!

Demo Taped: As an opener, sometimes you don't get much attention, but on that tour people were vibing. People were dancing. People were moving. I was in Belgium, in Gent, and they knew all the words. I was like, how is this possible? That blew my mind, and that was actually a really terrifying show because my table fell over.

UHH:  Oh my gosh! What happened?

Demo Taped: I was using a table from the venue, and one of the legs just went clean under. Half the table goes down, someone in the audience catches it. We put it back up, but everything had been disconnected – and this is my first gig on the tour! So inside I’m having a panic attack – it feels like twenty minutes has gone by but it was actually like three. But we got everything connected, and that was when they started singing the songs. It just redeemed the whole experience. That is probably one of my favorite shows I've ever played, even with the mishap.

UHH:  You turned it around. When something goes badly, but then it reverses, it’s even better.

Demo Taped: Exactly.

UHH: The EP recently came out, but is there a full album in the works?

Demo Taped: I am definitely doing a lot of planning around an album, in the same way that I did the planning for Momentary. But I am trying to go deeper. I've been practicing transcendental meditation, and I am trying to really dig deep into a place of honesty and vulnerability and just, truth. I don't want to write a song about love if I'm not feeling it. I want to just let everything that I'm feeling happen, and that's what I want to do with this album.

UHH:  Is there a wish list of people you want to work with on it? You know, put it out in the universe.

Demo Taped: Definitely NAO, it would be great to have her on it. How To Dress well, I’m planning that out. Khalid would be so cool, because his energy is just so positive. Flying Lotus, and I'd get MF Doom. If I could get MF Doom on a track, I would explode. Just spontaneous combustion. I want to work with Wet, (I actually toured with them) because Kelly’s voice is just perfection. Anderson .Paak, that would be insane.

UHH:  Oh, what about Kaytranada?

Demo Taped: There you go. That's the last one. That would be…putting that out there!

UHH:  Okay so it’s your first time at SXSW? And therefore your first show here too?

Demo Taped: First ever, yeah.

UHH:  And you're here for the week. Do you have time to see any other shows?

Demo Taped:  I'm here all week. I only have one other show, at the Majestic Casual showcase.

UHH:  Oh, that's amazing. So who do you want to see?

Demo Taped: Oh, let me pull up my list.

UHH:  You've got to have a list!

Demo Taped: You have to.  I want to see Smokepurpp tonight. Shamir. Trinidad James is here, Atlanta, you know?  Finneas - I've actually met him. He’s Billie Eilish’s brother, he produces all of her stuff. I want to check out Suzi Wu, Ryan Playground, Gus Dapperton. I haven't really listened to much of Tennis, but I wanted to go see them. Smino is also here.

UHH:  No way!

Demo Taped: Isn't that crazy? I want to go see Classixx DJ set, PJ Morton, for sure. I want to go see Tinashe, Billie Eilish, Mallrat - we've been talking online. WebsterX is here, and we actually met in 2015 online. He reached out and gave me some props and that was nice, so I want to go meet him in person. Cuco…and Khalid obviously. Sylvan Esso – I did a remix so I’ve got to meet them in person. I think that’s it!

UHH: Sounds like you’ll be busy! Thanks so much for chatting with us.

Find Demo Taped here:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5JMtXD9vPBIygW4cTcQ8x9

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/demo-taped

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtwakIvOs8onn0DOKmoWCWg

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/demotaped

Twitter: https://twitter.com/demotaped

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