Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I’ve always loved pop music, since I can remember, it really is at the core of my musical knowledge and taste. There’s something about that mix of pure unseriousness and camp, with sincerity- the line between what’s real and what’s artificial is so blurred in pop music, and I really love that. I grew up in a Polish household in London, a child of two cultures, so as you can imagine there’s a lot of different influences there, but I don’t come from a very musical family, so I was kinda left on my own to shape my musical taste and see what’s out there.
Q: Can you describe the musical style of Major Neptune in three words?
A: Sparkly gay pop
Q: How do you stay connected with your fans, and what role do they play in shaping your musical journey?
A: It’s quite selfish, but I consider myself my number one listener, because if I don’t like what I make, why should I expect anyone else to? That kind of thinking is really what birthed POP- I wanted to make the music I wanted to listen to, and I can only hope that other people also want to listen to it. I love seeing people enjoying my music as much as I do, and I can only hope I see more of it in the future.
Q: You have just released your new album, ‘POP’. Is there a story behind it?
A: Yes, its a part of my trilogy- I noticed that almost everything I listened to on the daily could fit quite nicely into 3 categories. So I came up with the idea of the trilogy, where each part references and pays tribute to a different musical aesthetic that I am absolutely obsessed with. This first part, POP, is all about 2000s and 2010s electropop.
Q: What is your favorite track from the album and why?
A: From POP, it’s hard to say but I think it might have to be The Hook-Up. I like to think it’s what a Lady Gaga and Britney Spears collaboration in 2009 would sound like.
Q: Can you walk us through the creative process of producing the album, “POP”?
A: Everything (almost) on the project was produced, written and mixed by me, so these songs really are my babies. Each song has a different reference point, but most of those references live in a similar world, so it was quite easy putting them together. I was bartending at a gay club at the time, and a big inspiration for POP was just what I was hearing at work at the time. Production-wise, each song grew slowly from the original concept, adding layers and layers over weeks until it reached that pop maximalism that I absolutely adore. I love a smooth album listening experience, so I always make sure every songs flows smoothly, or transitions into the next.
Q: What has been the most memorable concert or performance for Major Neptune so far?
A: We held a one-off performance of High Enough at my uni’s auditorium, the idea was to create a music video live on stage, which we ended up editing into an actual music video. It was really a theatrical performance more than a gig in the traditional sense.
Q: Reflecting on your body of work, each song holding its unique significance, could you share a particular track that stands out to you personally? What makes that specific tune special, and why does it hold a place of pride in your musical journey?
A: Something To Remember holds a special place for me, it’s one of my most minimalistic songs, and it’s one of very few songs that I didn’t micromanage the production on- my wonderful friend uncle_unfiltered produced the track. When it comes to my music, I am very much a control freak, but it felt good giving up some of that control, especially to someone who I really trust. I did do the final mix though- if uncle_unfiltered had his way, the bridge would have not a single vocal, and I loved that bridge too much to let it go.
Q: Exploring the diverse creative processes within the music industry is always fascinating. Could you provide insight into your unique approach to crafting music? From the initial spark of an idea to the finished song, how do you navigate the creative journey and bring its musical concepts to life?
A: I find that I have two modes of working on music. The first is sparked by an idea, and I can usually hear a whole arrangement in my head, then its a race against time to try to get it all out of me before I lose it, or get distracted. The second is pure experimentation, I go into an Ableton project and I just see what I can do. With a lot of the trilogy, I took my favourite elements and parts of my favourite songs and put them all together, or sometimes I tried to recreate a sound or instrument that I loved in a song but then pivoted somewhere along the way, making something new but inspired in the process. Later on, when the tracks are built out, there’s a lot of listening back to them over and over and over again while making notes about any and everything that I don’t like, then going through and fixing everything, only to make more notes later. It could very easily turn into an endless cycle.
Q: As we wrap up our conversation, looking ahead, what aspirations or dreams do you have, and what message would you like to share with your fans as they continue to accompany you on this musical journey?
A: Neptune world domination. One day, Major Neptune will be everywhere, inescapable. I can only hope that my eventual downfall will be as glamorous as I am.
