High school dropouts from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Neon Dreams are already an international phenomenon. The duo are formed by frontman Frank Kadillac and drummer Adrian Morris, who explore through the edges of alternative, pop, folk, funk, hip-hop, and reggae to bring a whole new genre of music. So what do they call their music? We recently had a talk with Neon Dreams, and they gave us some very interesting facts about their sound and the experiences so far. Have a look at the intriguing interview below:
To start from the very beginning, how did you meet each other?
We met on a dating app for musicians called YouTube. We both were in high school at the time, and the band I was in at the time had our first big gig. It was sold out, and the only problem was the drummer at the time quit. We couldn’t believe it—Then one of our friends showed us Adrian playing Flo Rida’s “Low” as a rock version on YouTube. He went to a school 30 minutes away from mine.
We reached out, and he was down right away, with only two days to learn the songs. We played that show, and he was the highlight of it From then, we never looked back and always made music together through three or four bands until we landed as a duo in Neon Dreams.
How would you define your approach to songwriting?
Making music is a service for me. I love the idea that someone’s day could get better from a simple melody and a few words. Fela Kuti said that musicianship is a gift from the gods to better humanity. I take a lot of my spiritual growth and discoveries about life and find the most inspirational parts and plant seeds in the studio and see how they grow—They are all just practice shots ’til something sticks.
Can you share your experience of making the music video for “This Is It”? How do you feel about working with director Daniel Cole?
Daniel is a good friend of ours, and that video was a breeze compared to all our past videos. I barely had to do any extra work because I was on stage every night.
So far, we know that you have a complete disregard for the bounds of genre, so how would you define your music?
I call it sunshine music, like when the sun touches your skin on a beautiful day; it just feels good. I grew up in a Jamaican family, and I always had one or two genres of music playing. Jamaicans are loud so music was bumping all the time. I eventually just drowned it out, and I wasn’t very interested in music. Then one day, I visited my uncle. I was having a horrible day, getting bullied, and he tried to cheer me up by saying, “Hey, there’s this song you might like—It’s different; it’s rocky and rappy,” and he showed me Linkin Park’s “In the End,” and for the first time, I felt like I had a song that understood how I felt.
I was hooked. I constantly searched for songs that made me feel like how that song did, and I found it in so many genres. I guess what I’m saying is, Neon Dreams doesn’t have a genre because Neon Dreams is just a feeling.
How long did it take to complete Love Child Baby Dolphin? Do you have any interesting memories from that time of recording that you can tell us? Do you have a favorite track?
LCBD created itself when we first came to South Africa—We created two songs, and we left. Those two songs were “Little Dance” and “Blue Butterfly,” and when we got home we instantly realized we couldn’t make music anywhere else than in the South African sun to get the same feeling. So we went back instantly and started fishing for songs that felt like sunshine.
It took us a year and a half to complete the entire album, since we had a few tours in between. There was a day when I was meditating on a rock and realized something that I couldn’t get over. When we sit on a rock it’s a clean surface, but if the rock was flipped upside down, no one would want to sit on it. It’s full of bugs and mud, but it’s still a part of the rock. I realized we are just like that rock, and that side of us covered in pain is what’s holding us up and exists in everyone we know. That realization turned into the song “The Other Side of You.”
What is the next step for Neon Dreams? What can fans expect from you this year?
We already started the next batch of music and collaborations with some extremely talented artists. The next time you hear us, you’ll understand—We figured out a beautiful formula that’s going to transform our family into a big one!
Expect a lot of music to come out this year.
Lastly, would you say a few words about your fans and followers?
To our sunshine family, I know who you are. I know what you’ve felt. Keep going, and fight for the love you deserve. This life is a beautiful journey when you think about it, and we are glad we get to share the ups and downs with you.
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Photo courtesy of Matt Barnes
