YOUR BEST FRIEND'S FAVORITE BAND
Interview: Amy Bell
Born in a fluorescent paint explosion, YOUR BEST FRIEND’S FAVORITE BAND (YBFFB) tells stories that aim to tap into your most profound and emotionally charged memories. YBFFB radiates a bouncy euphoria by mixing the new age alternative rock sonic palette with the rawness of classic singer/songwriter pop to give you the warm nostalgic feeling you never knew you craved.
YOUR BEST FRIEND’S FAVORITE BAND found the theatre world and fell in love with the art of rich storytelling camouflaged within catchy tunes. YBFFB uses the foundational roots of theater as a way to create compelling, keyboard based, story-driven, adult contemporary pop.
After 200+ original songs and 10,000+ hours of preparation, YOUR BEST FRIEND’S FAVORITE BAND is ready to completely disrupt the music scene with the first of a collective of songs. YBFFB's third single "HOPE" is s a poetic message of love that feels like a soft dance as you listen. The climatic build along with the powerful story will leave any listener with an ear worm for this song.
YOUR BEST FRIEND’S FAVORITE BAND believes that we live to make the world a better place for those we love and those to come. YBFFB is a message of kindness, empathy, and joy. The goal is to leave a smile and a full heart for those who listen.
Hi Sam, Thanks so much for speaking to ReVamp, in 3 words describe your sound?
energy, Energy, ENERGY
When did you realise that you had a talent for music and wanted to pursue your talent?
I started playing piano when I was 3 years old. My parents put me in a whole bunch of extracurricular activities, but music was the one I was always drawn to and had that natural love & passion. When I was around 10 I started singing pop & rock… I fell in love and never looked back. Music is a universal language and it’s a way to connect people with all different viewpoints and backgrounds. I love it as a connecting tool.
Do you remember the first album that you ever bought?
Yes! It was Chris Daughtry’s debut album, “Daughtry”. Watching his story on American Idol really showed me a journey of how a love for musicianship can translate and inspire people.
Let’s talk about your music, how has your music changed since you first started creating music?
I’ve gone through many many phases of music. I started playing classical & jazz piano, to singing classic rock, to having my first unofficial release be a musical theatre concept album… I’ve had music influences all over the spectrum. Right now I would describe my musical taste as alternative pop, and look forward to diving deeper into the 80’s sounds that are coming back.
You have a new single out ‘Hope’, what was the inspiration behind the song?
I wrote this song in a really dark time for myself in the pandemic. I needed to feel optimistic about what was to come in the future, because it felt like I was going to be house-bound forever. I wrote hope as a wish for the future, and after writing it, I definitely felt much better.
Was ‘Hope’ from a personal experience?
The direct personal experience that inspired the song is when my ex asked to get back together. I was unsure how to feel, so I wrote 2 songs. The first was a “no I’m never getting back together song”. The other was “HOPE”. I liked HOPE better as a song, but it also made me realize there’s hope for the future and not to go back to what’s comfortable when you know it’s not good for you.
Can you give us a sneak peek of your favourite lyric from the single?
My favorite lyric is definitely “I’ll chase you down in a heartbeat, I’ll always save you the best seat”. I like how it barely makes sense, but means so much in the context and feeling of the song. I love lyrics that are so specific to a vibe that they wouldn’t make sense on their own.
When it comes to writing and recording the single, what was the process?
I actually wrote and shelved this song about a year ago, and it wasn’t until I was going through my harddrive that I found it and realized that I really loved it and wanted to put it out. From there, I worked as hard and as fast as I could to get this song out.
You always are so full of positivity and love to spread positivity, what makes you want to always spread positivity, especially in these hard times we are living through?
The world is so hard. The world is so depressing sometimes. Music for me is a way to escape, but also to really feel and express myself. So my message is always to inspire joy to lift people up and bring them out of the hardships they are experiencing, but never run away from the difficult things to talk about. All I can offer is an optimistic perspective.
How do you stay positive personally?
Boy oh boy it’s all about mindset. We can think of the things we are grateful for or we can think of the things that we wish we had. One leads to a much happier lifestyle. Wayyyy easier said than done, but at the end of the day I always try to choose joy and choose happiness.
What is next for you now that ‘Hope’, has been dropped?
I have A TON of music prepared for 2022. I haven’t announced any projects just yet, but I will leak to you that my next single will be my popstar moment. That will drop towards the end of March.