After releasing last year’s DREAMERBOY, rising recording artist Isaiah Brown is ready to showcase more of his backstory in the music with the release of his new single “Me & U.” The latest release is a mesmerizing blend of dark soulful pop and deep bass. The track opens with a hypnotic percussion-fueled beat, layered with chilling echoes. The song’s music video is full of captivating camera shots, transcendent effects, and vivid coloring, while centered around Isaiah himself.
“Me & U” represents Brown’s personality as he has overcome many trials and tribulations throughout life and is eager to share all of them in the lyrics. Brown shows all the abilities of a bonafide superstar. He is currently in the studio forging a new project, untitled, and gearing up for an exciting tour for DREAMERBOY.
Brown and myself had the opportunity to discuss the new music, how last year’s hits laid the foundation for superstardom, hitting the road, and so much more. Find the full interview below.
[Boom]: What techniques did you use to blend pop and electronic together in your single, “Me & U”?
[Isaiah Brown]: To be honest, it was so long ago that we made the record. I can hardly remember the process behind the production. We were only in the lab for about 3 hours and before we knew it the song was done. I think what really put it all together was that baseline mixing in flow with the echoes in my vocal. Having low synth layers stacked on a baseline gives it that electronic depth, and with simple percussion, the bass can shine in its own respect almost like a push and pull sort of feel. A simple trick is adding a minor chorus modulation on the bass to give it more depth in unison, to sound like multiple voices are singing one note harmoniously.
Why led to making a part of the song just your voice and a stand-alone drum sequence? How does this more simplistic component balance with the rest of “Me & U”?
We wanted to create a sort of wave of emotion and bring the listener in and out of a trance. We utilized simple percussion and lyrics to pull the audience out of the moody dark vibe into the lighter message that two lovers meant to be will never lose sight of their connection to one another. When we use light elements to convey this emotion, it brings together the full storytelling aspect of the record.
How do the lyrics in “Me & U” relate to your personal experiences in life? What message do you hope the track delivers to its audience?
I’m a very loyal and strong lover when I open my heart and commit to someone. Me & U was written more about how I feel when I’m with somebody rather than a specific person. The overall message I wanted to deliver with this song is that no amount of distractions or hardships can tear apart a couple if they know deep down their soul connection is meant to last. Living in LA really taught me to be strong in my loyalty more than anything else. I see how detrimental giving into the distractions can be for our soul, so I strive to maintain that loyalty in any relationship I have.
Why was “Me & U” chosen as the track from your album to center a music video around? What thematic similarities do the visual and auditory interpretations of the song share?
As I’ve mentioned in other articles, my goal is to have content around all of the songs on the DREAMERBOY album. I believe each record has a story to tell in its own right, but I chose to get the train running with Me & U because there was so much inspiration around the song to begin with. I wanted to hit that ASAP Rocky/Travis Scott psychedelic effect to really capture the attention of the world, and my gameplan is to shock and mesmerize my audience with each piece of material I release. The overall theme that the song and video has is the contrast between the darkness of the distractions versus the love that keeps us together. No matter how hard the world may try to tear two soulmates apart, true love always seems to have the upper hand at the end of the day.
How did you create and finally become set on the graphic for your “Me & U” merch? Why do you think the blue and black image is a mesmerizing design to viewers?
I loved Maurie’s face melting away in the video like she was on the verge of disappearing from my life. That one clip, in my opinion, really captures the emotion of the entire song/video. I honestly had no idea if it would resonate or mesmerize people, but it did for me and that was enough for me to decide on that for the merch design. I have to give a huge shoutout to my editor Daniel Provenza over at Zwick Post for helping me create the final asset for the design, and for helping me bring my vision to life. Now we’re onto the next project, Please Be The One (Out April 7th.)
