Louie Blair just dropped a fresh track called "Vibin"; a massively relatable smooth R&B banger that isn't afraid to express exactly what it means.
Blair is very straight forward lyrically and passionate vocally and the song boasts some incredibly radio viable style.
"Vibin" grows and shines further as it does and Blair has also now released it's acoustic counter part. "Vibin (Acoustic)" is also just as smooth but with a different atmosphere and lets you almost feel like you are seeing him perform live in the room.
Released as part of a series of singles dropped throughout the year, there is plenty to soak in and we wanted to have a chat with Louie to talk about it all.
So Louie, "Vibin'" Acoustic was a super smooth R&B song with soulful vocals and it feels passionate. Where did this song come from?
Louie: The song is about this girl that was just giving me crazy mixed signals, showing me how we’re great together and having a great time one second, and then she would go hang with these bozos and get her heartbroken and complain to me about it. I wrote this song out of frustration one night after we were hanging out and she left early to go hang with one of the before mentioned bozos. I plugged my guitar into my loop pedal and played those 2 main chords and wrote that song in like 2 hours. I’m pretty sure it’s the fastest I’ve ever written a song.
"Vibin" Acoustic seems like a solid follow up to your "Simple" single released earlier this year. Your songs have a very radio friendly style. Do you set out to create singles for radio when you write your songs?
Louie: I don’t really think about radio when I write a song. I try to make sure that if someone puts my song in a playlist that it doesn’t stand out in a bad way, but that’s definitely not my main focus. If you’ve heard my song I Stayed Up All Night, that song has a spoken word poem in the middle of it and that definitely isn’t something you’d hear on the radio. I think putting the spoken word poem in the song might have hurt its chances of getting radio play but I think it was overall the best choice for the song.
How did you start doing all of this?
Louie: I have been singing for awhile in choir and stuff but it really all started with song-writing. I went through some grief and some heartbreak that really weighed on me and I was able to use song-writing to let go of those things that were weighing me down. I also noticed that when you write music in this way, it captures the purest essence of whatever you’re feeling. I also learned how to use this method to not just write about sad stuff. Since then I’ve just been addicted to it. Nothing compares.
"Vibin" was originally a song on your 2018 Love And Lust EP. The EP has gained you some strong following. Did you expect to build a fanbase when you started this?
Louie: I am definitely working to create a fanbase. I think that’s one of the most rewarding parts of song-writing. I can release super vulnerable music and people going through similar stuff will reach out and tell me how much my song helped them get through what they were going through. Not only that, but it also let’s me know I’m not crazy or alone. That’s overall what I want to do for other people too, validate people’s feelings.
I will say, before I released the Love and Lust EP I had no real understanding of the music industry which created unrealistic expectations. I thought I could ask friends and family to share my songs on their social media and that I would go viral from just that. Now I realize the grind it really takes, you have to build your brand and get discipline. I’ve been really trying to master those two things.
There are some great styles on these songs. Can you tell us what artists really influenced you? Who changed you and made you want to do this?
Louie: I had a high school choir teacher, Mr. Roemer, and he was super influential in getting me to believe in myself and taught me a ton about music. I also have a mentor right now, Jeremy Ray, who has been teaching me a ton about Sound Engineering and Recording which has allowed me to make music entirely by myself. I am forever great full for everything these two have done to help me.
Musically, number 1 is Frank Ocean. He’s just a tier above the rest to my ears. He is also the first legendary singer-songwriter that I heard with a similar vocal range as me. Before I found Frank Ocean, I tried to sing a lot of Bruno Mars who is also a huge inspiration of mine. Bruno’s voice is just too high though, that man’s range is insane. Frank showed me I could be great even though I didn’t have a godly range. I listen to a ton of different music that all inspires me for different reasons. Some of my other musical influences include: Daniel Caesar, Ed Sheehan, Damien Rice, Jason Mraz, Bryson Tiller, Pink $weats, Miguel, Drake, Alabama Shakes, The Beatles, Fleet Foxes, Father John Misty, Kanye, Childish Gambino, Travis Scott (I saw him at Astroworld and it was the best live show I’ve ever been to).
Besides music, I take a lot of inspiration from pop culture. I quote Robin Williams and Naruto more than the Bible.
What ultimately got me to commit to pursuing a music career was I genuinely started to believe in myself. I’ve always wanted to be a musician, but for the longest time I thought it was unrealistic. I made music a low pressure hobby for awhile, but it just hit a point where I was like… “these songs are actually good!” Then I thought about, "what more could I really ask for as a starting point to pursue a music career?” I’m a white middle-class choir kid from America, the center of the world’s entertainment industry. I really do believe my music has potential to help a lot of people, and that’s my ideal life, so I have to go for it. This could be the only life we get, and I don’t want to hate myself when I’m old because I was too scared or lazy to explore my potential.
Do you have anything else in the works for this year? Are you releasing any other singles we can look out for?
Louie: I JUST released a song called “Everything” out now on all streaming platforms. This song is a tier above anything I’ve released so far, please go check it out. Vibin (Acoustic) was really a warm-up for the new lineup of singles I have coming out. I’m trying to drop a new song every 2 months or so for awhile. Please tune in and follow me on this journey.
I also post covers every other week on my YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. I post the full cover videos on my YouTube and then post shorter clips on Instagram and TikTok. I try to use these to showcase my influences.
Follow me on ALL social media: @louieblairmusic
Is there any advice you would give to young artists out there trying to get heard?
Louie: I think the most important thing at the start is to slay your excuses. It’s ok to recognize that something is holding you back, but it’s not ok to accept those things as a road block. The goal is not to find valid excuses as to why you didn’t live your best life, the goal is to live your best life.
So if you think you need a nicer microphone, monitors, subwoofer, interface, plug-ins, etc. Get them and see if they fix the problem. I know that’s easier said than done, it took me years to get everything I need for my home studio. You’ve got to keep fixing the leaks until there are no more leaks. Sometimes, you fix one thing and it exposes another thing that needs to be fixed. That is ok, trust your gut, chase down your excuses and slay them. Don’t listen to those people that try to convince you that you can make a hit with a trash setup because you’ll just get frustrated and burnt out.
Before we go, is there something you'd like to express to your fans?
Follow me on ALL social media: @louieblairmusic
Go save my songs to your music library. I’m on Spotify, Apple Music, etc.
I might be dropping some Merch soon so be on the lookout for that.
Thank you everyone listening for following me and supporting what I’m doing!
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