MVRemix: Why did you move from Tokyo to the US?
Lyrics Born:
Well my parents got divorced when I was two, so I moved over here then with my mother.
MVRemix: What is it that you believe makes Quannum so strong and respected as a label?
Lyrics Born:
Really it comes down to just making a very conscious decision to make good music and every time we step to the plate, everybody's trying to hit a home run.
MVRemix: What is it that made you decide to form your own label as opposed to shop demo's for a major?
Lyrics Born:
Well we did try to shop our demo's around, we're talkin' fifteen years ago. We were a bunch of teenagers with a bunch of demo tapes. But because we weren't in the industry, we were sort of away from it because of where we lived. We really just created our own label because we needed an outlet for music. It wasn't really because we wanted to be label owners, it was mostly just because we felt like if we didn't put out our own music... Nobody would.
MVRemix: Given your knowledge of the industry. Convince me why I should become an independent artist, and why I shouldn't.
Lyrics Born:
For one thing, when you're an independent artist what you do is totally within your control. The industry right now, with the economy is in the shitter. Major labels are going out of business, nobody knows what's gonna happen next year. Sales are way, way down. The market is too unpredictable at this moment. But, independent labels are thriving despite the difficulties within the industry. They always have. We're much more recession proof than the bigger labels and we're much less prone to drastic changes based on the market. We're very steady.
MVRemix: On the flip side, convince me why I should not.
Lyrics Born:
Well, if you make the kind of music that is palatable to the masses. If you make very standardized music, then probably an independent label wouldn't work for you.
MVRemix: What are your goals with music? Are you trying to be around for the next ten years, are you trying to make the perfect album...
Lyrics Born:
I just want to continue to make music, and I always will do that. Whether I have a label, a record contract, whether independent, whether major. I will always make music. I will always do that.
MVRemix: What do you think of artists like Jin exploiting their ethnicity?
Lyrics Born:
I really don't know a lot about that. I'm aware of him. I know he's a very talented guy. I've seen him on TV and so forth, but I haven't heard any of his music yet, so I can't really speak on that.
MVRemix: Tell me about how you came to do a track with Morcheeba...
Lyrics Born:
Those guys called me up, I guess they'd heard my album and they liked it. They called us up and wanted me to get down on a track with them. While we were on tour in Europe, I just flew down to their studio and we recorded. It was dope.
More...
Related content:
Lyrics Born 2003 Interview by Todd E. Jones
Lyrics Born 2004 Interview by Hugo Lunny
Lyrics Born @ The Plaza, Vancouver by Adam LeBlanc
