Diandra Interviews Boslen: Only The Real Will Prosper

For Boslen, like many artists, approaching music is like approaching a mental-health check-up. Your songs allow you to rise up from lows and keep cool through any highs. Yet, life can have several rough patches and often in a series. Sometimes, we think life loosens up because our hearts feel broken enough, but, for Boslen, resilience is born not from what you lose but from what you sacrifice, even after loss. He has has to work on overdrive trying to make his career in a music industry that, similar to his sports’ career experience, can have bouts of favoritism and nepotism. Yet, optimism is not only about seeing the bright side of life but seeing the bright side of yourself, even when no one is looking. In our interview, Boslen discusses creating the songs and mind that keep him determined. 

Diandra: You use music to build your mental health. Which of your songs do you find most empowering to
you and why?


Boslen: Making this album was a journey of self-discovery, which forced me to reflect on many things including my mental health. Making the music became an outlet for me to express my feelings and thoughts which helped me deal with everything that was going on. One song in particular, ‘DAWN’, represents where I was mentally when I made the
project. With DAWN, I wanted to capture the energy of something holy, and I feel like the messages that this song
delivers are bigger than myself. The lyrics touch on injustices I’ve witnessed, the growth and development of my city,
and my personal journey into a new era. Every time I listen to this song, it brings me back to the moment I was writing
it. Just like everything else in life there’s good times and bad times and DAWN feels like the happy ending, which is a
feeling everyone can relate to. It’s the song that closes the album and, in a way, it felt like the end of a chapter for me,
as it concludes the project, which I had been working on for so long.


Diandra: You want to make music that inspires children to chase their dreams. Who are the people in your life that inspire you to chase your dreams? Why them or how so?


Boslen: My parents have been keeping me grounded through my entire journey. They always remind me not to get too high and not to get too low. My team is also like a second family to me. They inspire me every day as a result of the time
and passion they put into everything that we do. Lastly, I would say my supporters, I really wouldn’t be here without
any of them inspiring me to keep pushing forwards.


Diandra: You have spoken on how music has helped you find and build your identity with blackness. What
has music taught you or helped you frame about blackness?


Boslen: Hip Hop is one of the biggest genres in the world. Young black kids, like I was, get to see artists like Travis Scott, Migos, and Lil Baby at the top, like beacons inspiring them to chase their own dreams. Growing up, I did not have
many black influences in my life; so rappers became my role models. They were confident and proud to be
themselves which is something I admired. Music and, particularly, black music gave me the confidence to be myself
and follow my vision. One of my career goals is to become another beacon of inspiration to not only black lives, but
Indigenous lives as well.


Diandra: Growing up in an Indigenous household, what of your culture is something you most appreciate and
place in your sound or music process?


Boslen: Tying Indigenous culture to the music industry is tough for me because most of my teachings were traditional. The best example I could provide is the cultural significance of being very family-oriented and respecting those around
you. This has translated to how I have been able to build my team and other meaningful relationships in the industry.


Diandra: You have said you felt you never fully belonged. How has being an artist helped you feel like you
belong as a person?

Boslen: I’ve received amazing responses over the last few years from the people who have supported my music, and a lot of the music I make comes from a very vulnerable place. I talk about my dark thoughts and my weaknesses and my insecurities. To get such amazing love and reactions to this kind of music has done a lot to build my confidence and make me feel acknowledged.


Diandra: You have said “Only what’s real will prosper.” What do you find most genuine about you, and how do you feel it translates into prosperity?


Boslen: When I say only real will prosper, what I mean is that the people who put in the extra work are the people who
succeed. I come from a sports background, and I saw the difference between how the coach’s son was treated versus
the kid who barely has enough money to play. Much like in sports, in the music industry, there will always be
undeniable favoritism and people with advantages, but if you work while they party and sacrifice, while they don’t, you
will prosper.


Diandra:How do you feel “Dusk To Dawn” will reflect your personality in sound? What are some terms or
qualities that pop into your mind when you think of the connection?


Boslen: I have very high-highs and very low-lows and that is a battle I continue to have. In the music industry you get so used to highs while selling out shows, traveling and working with your favourite artists. This last year has been full of lows, stuck in the repetitions of work, without being able to see your supporters and fruits of your labour. The album explores my interests, struggles and aspirations. Once people listen to it, I feel they’ll have a much better understanding of who I am. The production and lyrics of the album directly reflect how I react to the highs and lows in my life and how I deal with them. People will be able to find moments of discovery through beat switches, tempo changes, and the overall flow of the music. This album to me is grand, cinematic, plaintive, pensive and personal.


Diandra: Deny, Vultures, and Trip all seem to be about rejecting the negative, especially people, that can make us somebody we are not. With that in mind, what are the qualities that you most love in people versus the one you hope they most love in you? What are the negative ones you reject?


Boslen: I expressed this sentiment the best in DENY where I spent time self-reflecting on someone who I thought I needed but turned out not being healthy for me. VULTURES is more about the people who have refused to believe in me only to change up and express their support after they’ve observed others around them doing the same.

I value loyal, caring, humble, genuine and hardworking people above all else, and I want my friends to see those same values in myself. My biggest pet peeve are people who have a misplaced sense of entitlement.


Diandra: What is a movie you think would be a great concept album? Why and how so?


Boslen: I think the Matrix would be a cool movie to centre a concept album around. I think it was visually engaging and I loved how the movie built a compelling storyline where you get lost in it. At some points, it makes you question yourself and your reality, which is something I have experienced when listening to great music.


Diandra: What is a song of yours you feel would be a great movie? What would be the premise and who would you cast?


Boslen: The song would probably be NOTE TO THE CITY. It’s a song about my city of Vancouver. It would be a story of the underdog on the come-up, which I feel is the case with Vancouver. In terms of the cast, I would probably feature
legends that made for a name for the city like the Rascalz and other artists/creatives from the city who have inspired
me on my journey.


Diandra: If you could describe the music industry like a Rugby game, how would you do so and what is the best strategy to win?


Boslen: The best example I have would be playing until the end. We were always taught that you can’t play ‘til half and expect good things to come to you or the results you expect. You need to play with your full effort until the very last minute. You also need to learn to trust your team. Everyone plays their positions, and has their own strengths and weaknesses. You have to learn to lean on people and support each other to achieve the best results.

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