OnCue took some time out of recording his next project to speak to our @_AlexSmith1. We learned a little bit about him as an artist and his roots. We also got some new details about the forthcoming album, Angry Young Man. Check out the full interview below and follow @OnCue on Twitter.
AS: How’s it going, Cuey? For any of our followers who may not be familiar with your work yet, give them a quick introduction.
OnCue: My stage name is OnCue. I’m a 24 year old up and coming artist,originally from Newington, Connecticut — which I’m assuming is a place most people never heard of, but I’ve been living in Brooklyn, New York for the last 3 years, and in those last 3 years — that’s when people started hearing about me.
AS: In 2011 you released what I think you would agree was your biggest project, Can’t Wait. It was marketed as a mixtape, but really, due to its quality and being all original material, it was more of a free album. Can you tell us how important that project was to you and the impact that it’s had on your career overall.
OnCue: “Can’t Wait” was a huge release for me. Not only was it a successful milestone in my career, it was also the first time I think I truly solidified my overall sound as an artist. Reason being, every project I put out prior to “Can’t Wait” was predominately based on samples from other genres. “Can’t Wait” was when I really stepped out and said “Look. This is me.”
AS: One thing that you’ve been dealing with since dropping Can’t Wait is an overwhelming anticipation for another project from the public and your fans. It’s clear that you have a very “quality over quantity” attitude when it comes to releasing your music. Do you feel that the wait can have an overall positive effect as anticipation grows? Is this something that you considered?
OnCue: Glad you said this. In the beginning when I realized “Angry Young Man” wasn’t coming out when I initially projected it to be — I was stressing a bit over the push-back. But then as a few months passed, I realized just in fact how loyal my fanbase is. After that, I started to realize this whole push back thing was for the best, not only for the overall product, but I feel like a lot of people don’t know what they have until it’s gone if you know what I mean. I’m extremely excited and if you’re reading this interview — and fuck with me — thanks for the patience, for real. Truly, it took this push-back for me to really realize how loyal my fanbase is. I’m lucky.
AS: Let’s talk about your sound a bit. You’ve addressed some of your influences before; you’ve gone on record as saying one of your favorite band’s of all-time is Death Cab for Cutie. Who has influenced your sound and how has that genre of music been infused into your sound?
OnCue: Late High School, early College I started really getting into indie and alternative rock. So much so, I started infusing it in my music. The funny thing is I couldn’t stand Rock music growing up. I think something clicked in my brain or some shit and I’ve never looked back. But now, I listen to a lot of different stuff. I’m heavy into R&B, oldies, and of course obviously my first love, Hip-Hop. I think the influence is shown through the type of production I utilize, and my sung-choruses.
AS: You are getting ready to drop a new project, and we’re all excited. How long have you been working on Angry Young Man and how did you come to the decision that it was finally ready to be released?
OnCue: Sadly, there’s more than JUST the music to prepare. There’s more than the videos to prepare, so when it releases — it’s for every reason in the book — not just because “it’s finished”. I’ve recorded nearly over 50 demos. But I can say this; when a project is done — you know it’s done. It’s like this instinctual feeling. I’ve been working on it for nearly 14 months now (daily), if that puts context to any of this.
AS: Even though you’ve been kind of shoved into the “college music” category, you’re not all about party music. You’ve tackled some pretty serious themes on Can’t Wait. On “Alive” you rapped about family issues, including drug addiction. On “Better Than Before” you dug deep as well, along with plenty of other tracks. Is this something that you’ll continue to do on AYM?
OnCue: Yes, but I’m approaching it in a different fashion. Once you play the project, you’ll understand what I’m saying. As far as the whole “college music” thing, fuck that shit. Sometimes I tend to get categorized like that due to that fact I’m white, the state I was area I’m from. To say I’m “college music” I’d only have to assume they say that due to the fact I’m a white kid, and nothing else. College kids like all different types of music. Rap, EDM, folk-rock, indie-rock, you name it. Is my fan-base made up of kids in school? Yes. But so is Kanye West’s.
AS: If you could pinpoint thing about AYM that makes it different from Can’t Wait, what would that be?
OnCue: I haven’t toned down the singing or anything, but AYM is a bit just more — hip-hop than the last few projects. It’s raw, it’s a bit more aggressive, a bit darker — but more up-beat, faster paced. Overall, it’s a stronger project. It’s well-rounded, it’s 100% proof I’ve grown as a songwriter, and as a musician in my own right.
AS: When it comes to producers, you’ve definitely kept a pretty tight-knit circle. CJ Luzi and manicanparty have contributed great tracks to Can’t Wait. Who’s going to be the big contributors sonically on AYM?
OnCue: Well you got the usual suspects like, CJ Luzi, manicanparty, Brenton Duvall, and Just Blaze (who acts as an executive producer as well). I’ve also been working with some new blood too. I could change a song tomorrow, so I can’t say who are the biggest contributors just yet. When I decide on a final tracklist, that’s when I could give you that an answer.
AS: Aside from songs and projects in general, something else that you put a lot of effort into is visuals. Your videos have been handled by a lot of the same people, including director Adam Ross. Can you tell us about how important your music videos are to you and your plans for the next one?
OnCue: The quality of the music videos are just as important as the quality of the music — because we’re living in the YouTube era. I always like to ask my team, “Does this video do the song justice?” if the answer is no, we move on. Adam Ross is like my right-hand man. A long time collaborator. He gets me. He gets where I’m trying to take my career, so we have a great working relationship.
AS: Is it safe to assume that we’ll see you doing some shows after AYM drops?
OnCue: Absolutely. One hundred percent. It’s cool, after having touring under my belt — you have this new found knowledge of how to structure an album that caters to live performance a bit more. So I’m extremely hyped to hit the road with the Angry Young Man material.
AS: Well we’re all excited for Angry Young Man and can’t wait to hear it. Thanks for your time, Cuey. Any last thoughts you want to leave people and your fans with?
OnCue: Just wanna say thanks to everyone and anyone who’s been patient for this project. It’ll be well worth the wait.
