Hey Autmn first things first I thank you for coming on our platform and interviewing with Nefarious Supply! Just to get the interview started give us a brief introduction to yourself who is Autmn Rains and what led you down the path to becoming an artist?
Thanks for reaching out to me, so much love. I always loved to sing but it took me a long time to believe in myself. After shutting my creative side off for so long I realized how unhappy I was within myself. Music was the only thing that made me feel at peace, so I knew I had to find a way to overcome myself. I started taking music more serious about six years ago. My goal is to make music that is me, what I truly feel and resonate with and I hope to inspire and contribute to others in the process.
What area are you based out of and how would you say this area has influenced you, your sound and your overall feeling of music?
I’m from Melbourne, Australia. I wouldn’t say that my area has influenced my sound. I draw inspiration from situations I have experienced here though this hasn’t necessarily been because of the area.
In addition to being from the area describe the underground music scene of the area have you worked with any artists from the area and if so who were they and how was the experience?
Honestly, I am not really in the music scene in my city I haven’t worked with anyone here. I usually keep to myself. In my experience collaborations are not common here, I am not exactly sure why.
What are some things you have learned since you’ve started making music and if you could give some advice to a new artist what would it be?
I have learnt self-discipline, self-belief and hard work are so important. They really go a long way over talent. Everyone’s path is different and it’s so important not to compare your journey to somebody else’s. My advice to a new artist would be to take the time to work on crafting your sound and don’t be in a rush. Find somebody you can trust that will tell you the truth and build together. Have good people around you that lift you up, it’s hard enough believing in yourself consistently so you need as much support as you can get. Finally, humility goes a long way there is always something you can learn from somebody else.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences to date and what albums would you say influenced you as well?
I would say Aaliyah is one of my biggest influences. Followed by Jhene Aiko, H.E.R, 6lack, Kehlani and Russ. Aaliyah’s last self-titled album was a big one for me because of the production. I love her airy vocals over the dark beats and when I first heard it, it was a type of R&B I never felt before.
So let’s talk about your music! I gotta say I’m blown away by everything but some of my favorite songs from you gotta be; “Think About You”, “Myself”, “No Games”, “More” and “Convinced” tell us about each of those songs the feature you tapped in as well as who helped you with production?
Thank you so much. All of the production was done by LxndxnAve. “Think About You,” “Myself” and “No Games” were originally part of the weekly “Sunday Sessions” drops that I was doing when I first started releasing music in 2019. They were all uploaded to SoundCloud first and I later decided to upload them to distribution platforms. LxndxnAve is my in-house producer so those records including the features honestly were an experimentation of the sound that was to evolve into the Run2u EP.
“More” was actually supposed to be on the Run2u EP, though we didn’t feel that it fit the theme with the other records so it was released as a single. “Convinced” was actually recorded two years ago and was also supposed to be on the EP. It didn’t make it because I felt I had evolved as a singer since then, and I wanted the debut EP to feel like a consistent “me” in that moment of time. I felt that if I waited any longer, I wouldn’t have released it, so it was a good lead up before Run2u dropped.
You also just released your debut album Run2U which features 7 songs, walk us through the album and give us some background on each of the songs? What does this album mean to you, and who helped you with production, mixing and mastering?
This project means so much to me because it marks a point in time where I overcame a lot of my fears. I was finally able to get to a point where I was happy with what I had put together, I wasn’t afraid to share the music with the world and I was comfortable with expressing myself as an artist. All the records were mixed and mastered by LxndxnAve. He executively produced every record, with the exception of “Yeah, Yeah,” which was co-produced by DV$TPH. From the very beginning, I wanted the project to feel like a journey, so I ask my listeners to hear it in order as it has a cohesive flow and tells a story. I also love late night drive type music so with this project I really wanted to capture that aesthetic.
It starts off with the intro “Wanted This (Introlude),” as soon as Lxndxn made the beat, he wrote the first few lines and the rest of the words just came out instantly for me. I wanted all of the writing to be really organic for this project and I didn’t want anything to be forced. There were probably about 100 records written though they were never used, the 7 records I chose were the ones where I felt the freest in both the writing and recording process. “Wanted this” explains my situation perfectly, it starts off with “I’m taking time to do it my way my way,” as I took my time putting this project together. It also sums up a lot of the heartbreak I experienced in my life but didn’t know how to express at the time.
“Wassup” is really soothing, I was actually sitting on the couch with no intention of making music that day and Lxndxn started the record, I got up and just wrote what I was feeling in that moment while hearing the beat. “Yeah Yeah” and “Love for Ya” flowed for me really quickly for me. Those records almost “came to me” in that moment, I didn’t really think about it while I was writing them, they just felt right in this unconscious way. With “Expectations,” it was really fun to record I got to use my higher range and I enjoyed the challenge. Again, the verse just fell out of me in that moment. “Louisville” was one of those records where I just felt such good vibes making it and it had to be on there. We would car test all of the records and with Louisville I literally couldn’t keep still every time I heard it. I felt that it fit the theme really well collectively. Finally, the outro “O.B.E” I wanted it to feel like a dream and I wanted to forget that it was me when I heard it, it’s really soothing so I felt it was a nice way to end the EP.
So what’s next for you in 2020 what are some goals you hope to accomplish by the end of the year?
I am working on my next project that I hope to release by the end of 2020. I am also releasing some merchandise very soon. I want to expand on my visuals and just get to that next level to challenge myself with the music overall.
Who should we interview next for Nefarious Supply?
LxndxnAve & DV$TPH.
Any last words?
Love everything you are doing supporting the underground scene worldwide. Thank you so much for having me.
Big shout out to Autmn Rains for coming on to Nefarious Supply to talk about her album. If you want to listen to Run2U it is available on all streaming platforms now, and while you’re listening be sure to follow the talented artist on Instagram as well as Twitter.
If you want to stay up to date with news and content coming from Nefarious Supply you can find us on Instagram, and Twitter. We also recently opened the Nefarious Supply Store and we are doing a free giveaway so if you want to support you can show some love here and spend time with us while we count down to out next Season of Merch coming October 31, 2020!