Interview with Aaron Frazer

Interviews

The rebirth of a broken heart with Aaron Frazer.

Our spirit can be broken into a thousand little pieces with every broken heart, and it can happen through anything: the death of a pet, loneliness, or love. It doesn't matter. All emotions and grief are valid. Aaron Frazer shows us with his new album, Into the Blue, The important thing is that we clean our knees, take our pieces and glue them back together with love and patience.

I think self-expression makes you an artist. If you express yourself through cooking, you're an artist. If you express yourself through painting a house or carpentry, anything, as long as it's art that you express yourself through.”

The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is known for being part of the iconic neo soul band, Durand Jones & the IndicationsBut like all artists, he needed a new space to express himself and be inspired and he created it with a solo project with which he already released his first album entitled Introducing… (2021), made by the producer and vocalist of The Black Keys, Dan Auerbach.

It’s my journey after the destabilization of a breakup and then finding balance, that process of grieving, of healing, of dating again… it’s all those things that I’m still processing. I was with my partner for five years and I thought we were going to move in together, we were planning to move to the West Coast together and I ended up going alone. It was a big change.”

Two years later, the singer and songwriter returns with Into the Bluea record made by the hand of Alex Goose (JPEGMAFIA, Weezer, Vince Staples). They met in 2018, after the member of The Indications He wrote to tell him how much the project of versions of The Blueprint 3 (2009) from the producer.

Frazer He mentions that they started working on this album in early 2022, when he traveled with his partner to Los Angeles to see if they could move there. Everything flowed naturally. First, the instrumentals appeared and then, the lyrics when “his life was falling apart.” In that way, he ended up capturing a moment when everything in his life was changing.

It’s scary to feel that raw side, for me especially, even talking about this record, I can feel it… I’m going to cry trying to play these songs live. But I will, it’s part of the healing process, too.”

The performances of the songs feel fresher and simpler to be as vulnerable as possible and to bare his soul to the public, a challenge for any private artist, the philosophy he learned from his days with Auerbach in Easy Eye Sound. That's why he decided to challenge himself with the last topic, “The Fool”showing the instrumental recording made with an iPhone.

I think the first and most important thing is to look at the feeling. If you try to suppress your feelings, they will always come out in the most damaging way possible and often times, they are redirected at other people, which you see in politics all the time, in generational trauma and all that stuff. I think you have to accept your emotions, not judge them and my most practical advice would be exercise and therapy.”

For Frazeralthough he does not believe in New Age or esoteric things, he thinks that in the end everything fell into place as it had to be, from the first moment he met Dan for the release of her single under the name of “The Flying Stars of Brooklyn NY” such as having created what he describes as “a modern classic” inspired by hip hop and the soundtracks of (Ennio) Marconi(Piero) Umiliani(Piero) Piccioni and David Axel Rod with Goose.

You can now listen to the new album of Aaron Frazer, Into the Blue. Available on all platforms.

Staff

Written by

Christopher Johnson

Christopher Johnson is a dedicated writer and key contributor to the WECB website, Emerson College's student-run radio station. Passionate about music, radio communication, and journalism, Christopher pursues his craft with a blend of meticulous research and creative flair. His writings on the site cover an array of subjects, from music reviews and artist interviews to event updates and industry news. As an active member of the Emerson College community, Christopher is not only a writer but also an advocate for student involvement, using his work to foster increased engagement and enthusiasm within the school's radio and broadcasting culture. Through his consistent and high-quality outputs, Christopher Johnson helps shape the voice and identity of WECB, truly embodying its motto of being an inclusive, diverse, and enthusiastic music community.