Photo Credit: Mr Vee
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Kia Ora! How has your 2021 been so far?
Kia Ora! 2021 has been quite an interesting year for me. I’ve managed to successfully release 2 tracks, one with a decent rollout plan, change a place of employment, and start to work on a long awaited project, which will hopefully be released at the end of this year.
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So who is Goodlynx? Tell us about yourself.
Goodlynx is my current music project with a full focus of self production, engineering and mixing. I’ve started this project about 2 years ago. I used to release music under “Degoya” name, which was mostly in Russian and with instrumentals from Russian producers. Back then it was harder for me to connect with a local scene and artists in Aotearoa. I just started making music at the age of 19 and slowly journeyed upon self-discovery in terms of my “voice” and personal “style”. Most of my tracks back then were cookie cutters of the already existing songs and you could easily pick up the influences and inspirations.
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How long have you been creating music for? Because you only started releasing music last year (according to Spotify).
I’ve been writing lyrics and songs, mostly in the rap genre, for almost 5 years now. I’ve also been producing myself for the past 2 years. The decision to switch to “Goodlynx ” came up to me when I realised that I wanted to focus on the local scene rather than the Russian one. Also, I wanted to have more freedom with my sound and brand image. I released 2 EPs with “Degoya” moniker and wasn’t quite happy with the sound and delivery of those projects. SO, I decided to start off fresh with a new name and different sound. I was also more happy with my own production by that point and started rapping over my own instrumentals.
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How would you describe your music to someone?
I think my music currently falls into the Alternative Hip-Hop category. I’m still looking for my style and very eager to experiment with different textures and sounds. I would describe it as alternative, raw and rustic. Unrefined, authentic sound and lyrics.
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Do you produce your own music and does finding the sounds come before or after the lyrics?
Yes, I produce my own music. It really depends on the situation and songs. Lately, most of my lyrics were written to the beat that I’ve fully composed first. I have a song that I’ve been trying to finish for 3 years, and failed because I can’t find the right sound yet for the melody. I have the drum pattern, and even fully written verses and hooks, but can’t find a proper melody yet. I used to get very frustrated with that, but now I understand that the song is not ready yet, and I am not ready for it either.
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You just released your track ‘Purple Blue’ Ft. Jade Lewis and you also did a video for it. How has the reception/feedback been for this release?
The song came out almost a month ago now and it has scored big numbers, or anything crazy stats wise. However, a lot of people reached out to me with kind words of appreciation and support from this tune. Quite a few of my friends who are into video recording pointed out mine and my crew’s beginners mistakes with a music video, but overall, people vibed with the song’s visuals.
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The video was a simple video shot on the beach which tied into the track quite nicely. Did you know that was what you wanted the video to be? Or was it just a quick idea that worked?
Yes. I always have visuals and visions for my tracks, Whenever I write lyrics to the beat, I always visualize how the person rapping or singing those words would look like and move to the tune. Because visuals are just as equally important and essential part of the experience of the song as words or music. You ought to have all of them together. I think good songs always have rad visuals that compliment the music. It was also quite a simple idea to execute and perform.
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How cold was it? Because you are rugged up!
It was pretty cold. We arrived at Muriwai Beach around 6.50 am in the morning. To say it was cold is to say nothing. We fueled ourselves with hot coffee and pies and started shooting the video. It may look like it only took us a few minutes to shoot this video, but we spent about 2 hours working with different lighting and locations.
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How was your 2020 and what pushed you to release music during that time?
My 2020 was a year of self-development and adjustment to a completely different reality. I spent most of the time inside my apartment, reading, and watching documentaries about musicians and artists. Absorbing their daily habits and routines, trying my best to implement some of them that I thought might work for me.
The realisation that I might not have much time left in New Zealand to prove myself and establish myself on a local scene made me focus more on my music. I’ve been living in Aotearoa for the past 6 and a half years, but still haven’t got my residency here. So, the thought of not achieving something that I have set out to do made me push and work hard on my craft.
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Do you have much planned for this year (as much as planning can be a bit hard with everything) or are you just going with the flow?
I love one quote, I hope I’m not butchering it. “If you want to make Gods laugh, tell them you have plans.” I think that would be a perfect answer to this question. To be completely honest, I am a control freak who loves planning, but what I learned with time is that life happens and there’s always going to be an event that might alter your entire plan. So I would like to believe that I flow within my plan.
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SOME FUN QUESTIONS:
Fave snack?
OSM – one square meal. Chocolate flavour. Or scrougan.
Overused phrase?
I need to relax a bit.
If you could start a rumour about yourself, what would it be and why?
I do not like rumors. They dilute people’s perception about you.
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