Medrano: Inside Out
Los Angeles-based musician and producer Medrano is an exciting newcomer to the city's underground music scene. His 2019 debut single 'Die', available on Spotify, captures exactly what he is about. It is an infectious, R&B-infused pop number that oscillates between lush, organic synths and tense, choppy beats. Medrano's dark and sensual lyrics are delivered in a soothing voice, but one that he isn't afraid to push in the choruses, adding to the song's emotional intensity.
We spoke to Medrano during the Coronavirus lockdown about his background, his outlook on life, and his creative process. In contrast to the introspective mood of his music, Medrano came across as personable, down-to-earth and light-hearted in conversation, welcoming the opportunity to connect with fans in the early stages of his career.
Originally from Chicago, Medrano moved to Los Angeles five years ago to pursue a life as a musician. With just five-hundred dollars and a guitar to his name, he spent a month homeless, sleeping in a tent by the side of a highway and busking for his meals. He believes that this humbling period taught him a lot about adulthood and what to be grateful for in life.
His escape to Los Angeles was undoubtedly a dramatic change from his sheltered, Jehovah's Witness childhood in Chicago. In, fact, it was this upbringing that drove him to go it alone and experience the world for himself.
Despite his conservative family, music was an outlet for Medrano throughout his life. He took up piano lessons at the age of five, but his real passion quickly became guitar, which he learned by ear, playing covers with his friends. This led to involvement in various bands and eventually production experience. Music became the defining feature of Medrano's teenage years - that, and girlfriends.
When asked to list his formative musical influenced, Medrano acknowledged the significance of guitar music such as Blink-182 and Muse, but argued that it was R&B, pop and hip hop, from the likes of The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar, that directly influenced the music he makes today. He also named Drake as a key role model, not only for his music but for his impressive work ethic.
Medrano was more than happy to dissect the writing and recording process behind his debut single 'Die', giving us an insight into his ongoing process of gathering material before sharing more with the world. He believes that most artists don't appreciate the value of getting a coherent body of work together before promoting yourself.
'Die' started its life stripped back: just guitar chords and a non-verbal vocal melody. Medrano prefers to write the music first, and then write lyrics to match the mood. He then took the song to the computer and started laying down the beat. When adding vocals, he goes back to the instrumental and alters it to complement the vocal, and vice versa, creating a symbiotic back-and-forth between the instruments and his voice. 'Die' captures this process in a seamless blend of vocals, synths and beats. Finally, he mixed and mastered the track himself. In total, he says the song took around 50-60 hours to complete. All of Medrano's work is completely DIY, but this comes with its own challenges. Moving between different roles - writing, recording, mixing and mastering - makes it difficult to focus completely on any one task. Medrano described this humorously as "trying to wear more than one hat at the same time".
But, judging by the final product, he seems to have navigated these challenges with ease. As Medrano himself admits, 'Die' is undeniably influenced by The Weeknd, especially his moody 2012 album Trilogy. But what makes Medrano unique is his tendency to incorporate field recordings and nature samples into the texture of his music, contributing to its organic, fluid sound. He describes it best himself with the image of "walking through bioluminescent woods with a lover". Love, and sex, are central to Medrano's lyrical themes. 'Die' beautifully captures the sacrifice of self that takes place when making love, that feeling of getting lost in another person.
When asked more broadly about his creative process and where he finds his inspiration, Medrano explained that his own creativity is a sort of feedback loop. When he has an idea, he feeds off it and improves upon it. This reflects his interest in the practical process of making music more than its emotional significance. He enjoys diving in and figuring things out, taking inspiration from the process itself. Any other inspiration comes through subconsciously and unintentionally.
This problem-solving, DIY attitude extends to all aspects of Medrano's work. Although his background is music, he is confident of tackling a range of creative fields, such as making his own album artwork and videos.
But music represents more than just a career for Medrano. It is an opportunity to connect with people. In fact, it was an invitation to make music with a friend that got him out of homelessness in those early days in Los Angeles. Medrano continues to take every opportunity to talk to strangers and connect with people. He believes that respecting one another and giving each other the time of day are simple but important aspects of how we live our lives.
Giving back to those that have helped him remains a driving force behind Medrano's work as a musician. With this in mind, he does his best to keep money out of the creative process, preferring to trade favours with other creative people instead. Who knows where this attitude might take him? He has already expressed a desire to collaborate with such diverse artists as James Blake, Bon Iver and even Kendrick Lamar (although he seems more interested in just chatting with Kendrick than actually getting any work done).
Medrano is a self-confident but open-minded musician. His approach to pop music is a breath of fresh air for the underground scene in Los Angeles and across the world. His goofy but thoughtful personality make him instantly likeable, and his outlook on the world is an important one in this day and age. Check out his debut single 'Die' on Spotify now, and stay tuned for more.
