Words by Amar Gera //

With bands like X Ambassadors leading the way, the future of music is looking bright to say the least.

One of the most dynamic and interesting bands to come out of the US in recent years, X Ambassadors are a music lovers dream, boasting endless rock tracks that hit hard, sound amazing and have a lot of heart. Consisting of lead singer Sam and his brother Casey on keys, as well as drummer Adam, the trio are unstoppable as producers as well, having collaborated with artists like Travis Scott, Rihanna and Jay Z.

More recently, the three-piece have racked up some serious production creds on superstar Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You album, producing the title track as well as numerous others, most notably ‘Jerome’ which won the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance just the other week.

When they’re not producing for other artists, the New York outfit are hard at work for themselves, crafting gorgeously lush tracks that’ll have you hook, line and sinker. And with songs like ‘Sucker for Pain’ and ‘Unsteady’ getting placements in films like Suicide Squad and the romantic drama Me Before You, it’s clear the boys have a huge musical range, being able to create everything from hard-hitting rock tunes to heart-wrenching ballads.

Sold yet? Who are we kidding, of course you are! And you’re in luck, as for the first time ever, the New York three-piece will be making their way down under for some very special headline shows, in support of their latest album Orion, the follow up to 2015’s critically acclaimed VHS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2RGleYl5e0

We got to catch up with lead singer Sam over the phone, check it below.

Congrats on all the success you’ve been having with ‘Orion’! It’s a really cool listen. Can you give us the rundown on the album and who you guys are as a band?

Yeah, so my brother had a son this year, and his name is John James Orion Harris. So, the record is kind of named after him. The album is a really personal one for us if I’m honest. It’s about loss and growth and learning how to grow from pain and change. We worked really hard on it. It took us four years between records. So, our first record, VHS, came out in 2015, and this one came out last year.

So, in between that time, we released a bunch of singles and a bunch of other music and even had a whole record that we ended up kind of scrapping. We didn’t feel like it was right. But, yeah, we worked really hard on this one, and it came from a very personal place, and I tried to be as raw and honest as I could on the record.

And as for us as a band, me and my older brother Casey who plays keys, we’re based in LA now, but we grew up in Ithaca, New York. Casey was born blind, and he learned how to play piano all by just ear. We then moved to New York and met our drummer, Adam in 2007, and we’ve been a band ever since!

And aside from being a high energy band you guys are some badass producers, having collaborated and produced for artists like Rihanna, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, the list goes on. What’s your approach when you’re in the studio with an artist? Does it change depending on whether they’re a rapper or singer?

With a lot of the artists that we’ve worked with a lot of it’s just been over email, sending tracks back and forth. But I do like to treat every artist… Obviously, you have to interact with different people differently in everyday life, so it’s no different with an artist. But some artists are more open. And some, you’ve just kind of got to get into a groove and have multiple sessions with and then you land on something good once the ice has melted a little bit.

But yeah, I’m never looking to come into a room and like write a hit song. I think that’s a terrible approach. I want to come into a room and write something that’s honest and exciting, whether for myself or another artist. Something that feels different you know?

And we can’t not mention your production credits on Lizzos ‘Cuz I Love You’ album, with one of the songs you produced ‘Jerome’ winning best Traditional R&B performance at the Grammys the other day. What was it like to work with her? I imagine you’d feel a great deal of pride watching all the success she’s had.

Oh man, it’s… I’m filled with so much pride and joy watching her star rise. She’s an incredible human being, an amazing artist and an amazing writer. And, yeah, when we started working with her, it was back in May of 2018 I think, we just got in a room together, and none of us knew each other. But we had a similar bond in that we’d all been in rock bands together over the years, and we just loved her music and loved her vibe.

So, it was very natural, and we had so much fun. Again, not worrying about making a radio hit, we were just working. We just wanted to make cool music that felt good and that was her you know?

I wanna get your opinion on a slightly heavier topic if that’s okay. The Grammys have been subject to a lot of controversy in recent weeks regarding the way artists are grouped into certain categories, with artists like Tyler, the Creator calling out the concept of the urban and rap categories. Being producers on the album that won ‘Urban Contemporary Album of the Year’, what are your thoughts on the whole situation?

I mean, I’m very happy and honoured that the album that we worked on won anything at all and was nominated at all. I do think that just like, objectively, you look at the awards, and you look at the people who have won them, historically, in the big four, they’ve been primarily white artists. And that’s a problem.

No matter what, no matter how it ends up happening, I don’t know. I can’t really speak on the nuances of how the Grammys system works because I don’t really know well enough how it works, but I think that it’s a problem, and I wish that I had a solution for it. I’d probably… I’d be helping a lot of people out if I had a solution for it. But I don’t, and I think that all the academy can do is to continue to try and create more of a diverse voting base. They do a great job with their educational programs in trying to promote diversity and encourage young female artists and creators of colour. But I just think that we need more.

It’s hard, too, because everyone who is up there has worked so fucking hard, and they all have created amazing bodies of work that do deserve recognition and do deserve praise. But you do see some inequality that is there, and you just… The biggest example, I guess, is probably Beyonce’s Lemonade.

But I don’t know, man. I’m just trying to be out here and make interesting music that people like. I also think award shows can drive you crazy worrying about them and letting them define you and your work.

Now onto ‘Orion’, songs like ‘HEY CHILD’,’ BOOM’ and ‘QUICKSAND’ feature some crazy powerhouse vocals that hit super hard, but then you’ve got other songs like ‘CONFIDENCE’ featuring K.Flay and ‘RULE’ where you’re a bit more dialled down vocally and the lyrics & production get to really shine. What’s it like going from crafting really intense tracks to ones that are a bit more low-key? Do you prefer writing one over the other?

I love it all, man. I love it all. I’m a multidimensional human being and performer, you know? I like doing everything. I think that I’ve never really wanted or felt comfortable pigeonholing myself in a specific sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YZm5n9VNZQ

And I wanna touch on your song ‘Optimistic’ that’s focused on gun violence in the US and its detrimental effects on everyone, why did you feel compelled to do that track? You can really feel the emotion come through the lyrics and vocals.

Yeah. It was after the shootings in Dayton and El Paso. I was driving in my car in LA and listening to it on the news, and I just, I felt so… For the first time… Look, every single one of these mass shootings has been so tragic, and it hits you like a tonne of bricks, and it’s so heavy. And it’s so sad, so sad. But for the first time, I felt angry. I felt like really, really angry and helpless at the same time. So, I didn’t really know what to do except go home and write the song, and I wrote it in maybe an hour. We finished it the next day and put it out the next week.

It felt immediate. I felt like I wanted to do something, and I wanted to promote an organization that’s doing some great work here in the United States called Everytown for Gun Safety. They’re helping pass sensible, common sense gun control laws in this country, and are lobbying for change, which we desperately need here in the US.

You guys have a pretty special part of your live show when your brother Casey has a solo piano interlude. Whose idea was that and what do you think it adds to your live performances?

Oh, thank you. Yeah, that was… Casey would never opt to give himself a solo. He’s way too humble for that, but I forced him to do it pretty early on, and, yeah, I love that part of the show, too. I think it is genuinely moving and powerful when you hear him play. So, yeah, I love it, man. Thank you. I’m glad you like it, too.

Being brothers, is it easier to collaborate and be honest with each other if something isn’t working when you’re in the studio together, As opposed to working with another artist? What’s that relationship like when you put it in a creative setting?

It’s good. You know, I like having no filter with them, with both Casey and Adam. I consider Adam my brother, too, and it can be very helpful when working on something like music that needs to be, you need to be daring you know. You need to be bold, and you need to not compromise or tiptoe around anything. But look, it’s also hard because you get on each other’s nerves because you know exactly what makes the other person really frustrated, or you know how to push their buttons haha.

You guys noted in an Instagram post, way back in June I think, that you’ve been incorporating Braille into your single and album artwork which is such a cool concept. What was the thought process behind that?

We wanted to do something with artwork that was really personal, and that’s the most personal thing for us. That’s a very, very big part of our identity, the fact that Casey is a person with a disability. So, we wanted to do something with braille, and so we’ve put braille on our actual vinyl, so it’s tactile braille that you can feel on all the vinyl that we press.

Oh, that’s really cool and different.

Yeah! And then, for the artwork, for ‘Boom’, we wanted to do something visual. My brother can see a little bit. He has about 10% of his vision, so he can see yellow on black really well. He likes high contrast stuff like that. So, when I made the artwork, he took one look at it, and after a couple seconds he said, “Oh, that says Boom.” And it’s totally in braille. So, unless you know how to read braille, you wouldn’t know what it said. That was a really special moment.

Aw beautiful. Now talking about touring, you’re gonna be coming over to Australia and New Zealand for the first time for some headline shows, why has it taken so long for you guys to make your way over here?

Man, good question. That’s a question that I’ve been asking my agents and my managers and the label for a very long time now haha. I’m glad that it’s finally happening now.

Is there any song off ‘Orion’ or VHS you’re most excited to play live?

I’m actually excited to play some brand new stuff for you guys live. We have a new EP coming out in March, and we’re going to be debuting a couple of new songs on this run, too, so that’s what I’m most excited about.

Lastly, I just really wanna know, who’s your dream artist to produce or collaborate with?

Oh, man. Oh, who is a good answer to this? I had a good answer to this the other day, and I’m blanking on it now. Let’s see what I’ve been listening to. You know, I really have been digging this guy named slowthai. He’s a rapper from the UK.

Oh, I love Slowthai. I’m just thinking about that now, that’d actually be so sick. Please make that happen!

It would be sick. I’ll definitely try!

X Ambassadors will be playing some very special shows in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne later this week. You can cop tickets to all here.