Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I grew up about an hour away from the Windsor Detroit border. I would say that I had a very “weird kid trapped in the midwest” kind of upbringing. Music was my way out of the painful predictability, and stuffiness of my small town, evangelical upbringing. As a result of feeling out of place in my surroundings, I spent a lot of time daydreaming as a kid, and in lala land I was always thinking up lyrics and song ideas. I think that it was just meant to be that I learned how to play guitar, and found the confidence to sing and perform in front of people, because I don’t think that there’s anything else that could hold my interest the way music does. I wouldn’t have gotten into music so heavily though, if it weren’t for my older brother Scott’s influence. He is a musician also, and he had no problem introducing me to everything he knew. He showed me bands like Sonic Youth, The Velvet Underground, The Cure, Pixies, the list is endless. I’m so glad that he did that because it really did shape my aesthetic and music taste, and without a doubt his mentoring led me to where I am now.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Debbie Christ”?
A: Honestly I think that I’m just going to keep making music, and see where it goes. It feels weird to think of having “fans”, because the people who come to my shows are mostly just good friends being supportive. I think that if I ever got big I would have a really hard time with the pressure of being under a microscope. All I really want to do with music is go on tour, because traveling is like the second best thing compared to music.
As far as a message for fans, well Debbie Christ is a character who I’ve created, and she represents everything that I’d like to grow into. She’s unapologetically vulnerable, and brave, so I guess for anyone tuning in, I hope that you’re ready for her, and also know that you too can tap into that kind of energy if that’s what you desire.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Lou Reed, I love Lou Reed, not the most exciting answer but, to me he is also just super bright, and I love how he could just come up with any idea for a song, it didn’t have to be anything deeply personal. For me I can usually only write about my personal experiences, so I think that he’s a true storyteller, and that’s a key to captivating songwriting.
For my own music, like I said I find inspo from my own experiences, but also by the current events going on around me. We’re going through so much on a global scale, the world’s never been so topsy turvy it seems like, so right now I’m trying to write music more about the tragedies in our world, how to cope with this madness, and finding reason for hope.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Lust!.”?
A: Well, I wrote Lust! when I was just a few weeks sober from alcohol. It was a really difficult time obviously, and I wrote this song to help me make sense of my relationship with alcohol, and how tumultuous my break up with it was. Often people think that I’m singing about a toxic boyfriend, which I wrote the song purposely that way, because when asked how sobriety felt, I would describe it as feeling like “ending a really toxic relationship”. I think making that comparison in the song helped me express just how difficult sobriety is, because you can’t just “quit” and be done with it forever, this substance has a hold on you, and quitting it feels like a big loss, even though you know it’s for the best.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Modern dad rock.
I’m sort of kidding because that’s 3 words, but I would say… hopeful.
I’d say that because my music definitely gets heavy at times, but I feel like there’s always a feeling of “everything might actually be okay” by the end of the song.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Lust!”?
A: I’m not really sure if challenge is the right word, but I definitely had to be patient with getting to the recording stage. When I first wrote the song it just came pouring out, but it took years to find the right band to complete the song. If there was any challenge it was having enough money to get it recorded, without having to choose that over groceries and rent.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I don’t think that I have an exact message, I think that I’m just being myself. If there was any message, I would just want all of the weird kids to know that there is a place for you in this world, and that you’ve got to be here for the world to experience the magic that you have to offer.
As an artist, I just hope that I can keep on growing, and can get over my own inner critic, and just try things without hesitation. We’ve just finished recording our debut album which will be out later in the Spring, so now I’m working on our next album, and I’m just trying to write as much as possible, and see what comes to light. Right now music is my primary focus, and I hope that I don’t get distracted from it like I have in the past.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Well Lou Reed, but I would love to collaborate with David Byrne and James Murphy. I’m someone who really loves to dance, and I feel like making music with them you’d just be dancing and laughing the whole time. But now that I really really think about it, I think I’m more eager to collab with Kim Gordon. She is just such a powerful presence, and she can do anything. Like she just released trap music at 70 years old, she really doesn’t hold herself back, and that’s the kind of influence you want when making art.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Do it because you love it, and just be weird, try things, don’t follow some formula. It’s all about making art, taking risks, and expanding yourself. You can have 100 million followers on tiktok or whatever but that doesn’t mean that the art that you make isn’t hollow. It sounds so cliche but it’s so obvious, just make something that makes you happy and speaks to you.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: This is something that I’m currently working on, and I have to tell myself this often but it’s to stop being my first barrier, so I would tell my younger self, “stop telling yourself that you can’t do something before you really try. Most things in life take effort, and being uncomfortable, and you’ll be so glad that you gave yourself a chance once you achieve whatever it is that you wanted to do”.
