Gnat Interview

Conducted By Bethany M

My name is Gnat, my real name is Nat without the G. I am a singer-songwriter working in slightly alternative music. I am originally from Seattle, but I just moved to Los Angeles. My song "Fill" comes out on March 28th.

Who inspired you to start writing and pursuing music as a career?

There wasn't a specific "who"; I just kind of did before I knew who any artists were. When I was a really little kid, we had a piano that nobody played in my house, and I just got on and started teaching myself stuff. Singing and writing lyrics came quickly, as soon as I could talk. As I was growing up, I would listen to a lot of classic rock and got really into Christina Perri and those sort of emotional singers that were big in 2008. I think it was a combination of all that that brought me to want to pursue songwriting in a real way.

Do you have a set writing process?

I think my songwriting process is pretty emotion-driven. Usually, there is a situation or just a gut feeling I have. Then I try to tap into that the best I can. But I know that a lot of artists start with lyrics and then put music to that. I just heard someone talking about how Phoebe Bridgers writes in her notes app a lot and then brings that into an instrumental situation. I am almost 100% of the time doing the opposite, so I make myself write structured chords that feel like they have some sort of synergy with the feeling I am trying to get. Then, usually, when I have that set up, the lyrics just happen. I definitely think more consciously about the music, and then the words come next.

What themes and messages do you want your songs to communicate?

Most of my songs are about feelings, situations, and the feelings that come with them. I think that the EP with the song "Fill" is the single, which is called Better Be Perfect, which comes out in around two months. That definitely has a lot of themes about grief, absence, and longing. The way you can escape, and when people that are important to you let you down, and too-high expectations. I think my music is a safe place for disappointed perfectionists to land. It's about accepting emotion as a valid thing that needs to be processed and understood. I know for a lot of people, it can be a little too emotional in that way. I think that feelings are really important, and we need to talk and write about them. I think that the people who will enjoy my music, and who I want my music to connect with, are people that want to get in touch with their emotions, especially in terms of their relationships.

What is the deeper meaning behind "Fill"?

I wrote "Fill" around a month after a really big breakup. It was my first serious relationship. I was feeling really devastated by just the absence of that person. I feel like a switch flipped after I had an experience with the first person after that. I freaked out, and I didn't know what was going on. I felt like I had done too much too fast, and I was still really grieving that first person. "Fill" uses this metaphor of hunger. Hunger is really the best way to describe that really intense longing for someone that just suddenly leaves your life—such an important part of your life. Like eating, drinking, and breathing—that's all stuff we have to do. This person just felt like that for me. "Fill" is about learning and coping with having to deal with that person's absence. The whole metaphor is just food and being sick. It was inspired by that breakup, but it took on a bigger theme of just what it's like to be missing that person in your life.

What is your favorite part about being an artist?

My favorite part about being an artist is showing people a song for the first time. I am definitely not a music artist for attention, but I do really like having these established relationships with people in my life—with my friends and family, but also a few dedicated fans. I get excited when something new is presented, and I get very excited when I write a new song. Seeing another person's reaction to a new creation of mine and connecting with other people on that front is really satisfying and fun. I love the songwriting process, but I love the sharing part, and it is maybe my favorite part.

What are the challenges you face being a smaller artist?

It's just hard being a small artist—specifically, social media. That's the top one. When I set out to be a musician, I never expected that I had to become an influencer to get people engaged. That part is hard because I feel like such a big foundational piece of my message and identity as an artist is tapping into authenticity, and it's hard to. I prefer stuff like this (interviews), because I actually get to connect with someone and talk in a real way. Having to evoke that feeling through an Instagram post is really tough, but then you don't get things like shows, residencies, or incubate your opportunity if you don't have a following. I am struggling to reconcile that, and I just want to connect with people in a real way. Sometimes on the internet, I can't feel a genuine connection.

Who would you want to collaborate with, dead or alive?

I think that collaborating with Hozier would be awesome. I love the way he writes guitar parts and his voice. I harmonize with his voice in the car. I would love to sing with him. That would be amazing.

If we're talking about people who are no longer with us, I would go crazy for a chance to play with Jeff Buckley. Just the way that he sings is wild. The way that he writes is wild. I feel like the muses just go straight through his head and out through his music. He is such an inspiring guy, but he's not around anymore, and that is really tragic.

Learn more about Gnat by emailing us or on their Instagram @gnat.rezek.