Diandra Reviews It All Interviews Drax Project: Making A Crowd Feel Better

Performing at Coachella, Drax Project have, officially, entered the pop festival sphere. The “big kids” from New Zealand gave me instant, good vibes with their responses, especially because that is their main, music goal: to make others feel good. They are unashamed and unabashed in their desire to make life a party want to attend. In our interview, they discuss how everything, from busking to Ariana Grande, has inspired their music.

Diandra: How does it feel to be performing at Coachella? Has the legend of this fest reached New Zealand?

Drax Project: Yes! I think the legend of Coachella has reached most of the world! It’s definitely amazing to be around the festival and see what it’s like in real life, it was quite a surreal experience.

Drax Project – Woke Up Late ft. Hailee Steinfeld (Official Music Video) Starring Liza Koshy

Diandra: You are working on new music. How do you feel touring has influenced your sound and style?What is you favorite memory coming from your busker days?

Drax Project: Playing live definitely impacts the style of music we play. We love testing new/unreleased songs in a live context first to make sure they have the right energy and to see how people react to them. Busking was kind of similar; we had to gauge people’s reactions and see what worked for our audience so they had a great time. One of our favourite memories would have to be Matt getting fed a whole cheeseburger whilst playing, that actually happened a couple of times with pizza too! Basically, making music for us was, and is, all about having a good time and seeing other people have a good time with us. We just want our shows to be a big party!

Having formed in 2013, how have you seen each other grow as people* and musicians in the past 6 years?

Drax Project: I think we all understand pop music better now; that was a bit of a process going from jazz/music students to writing pop. It’s been so interesting trying to perfect that art, and it’s a never ending journey. To be honest, I don’t think we’ve changed a lot, we’re all just big kids.

Drax Project – Woke Up Late ft. Hailee Steinfeld (Behind The Scenes Video) Starring Liza Koshy

Diandra: You have toured with massive names like Camila Cabello and Ed Sheeran. When you observe their level of fame, what do you find exciting?

Drax Project: Its really cool to have met both Camila and Ed, they’re obviously hugely popular and write amazing music but they are both so humble and hard working. With Ed it’s really cool to see someone who went from a really similar busking background as us to playing on huge stages around the world and having number 1’s, it just shows that we (or anyone) can get to that level with hard work and dedication.

Diandra: You listen to everything from Bon Iver to Ariana Grande. What is the one thing you feel all the artists you listen to share in how they sing about life and love?

Drax Project: Obviously, the stories that people tell in different songs are sometimes closer to or further from their own real life experiences, but in any good song that you want to listen to, over and over, there has to be some sort of emotional connection. That comes from an honest performance with a clear intent. It’s all about feeling some connection to the artist, which helps you understand the vibe of the music and what they’re trying to convey, that’s the same throughout all kinds of music.

Diandra: Having a jazz background, what is one jazz technique and style you feel pulses through your sound?

Drax Project: I think the main thing we all go back to is having a good time and being able to make something feel good by having a good time. It doesn’t matter what you’re playing or how clever it is, no one wants to hear it if it doesn’t feel good.

Drax Project – Prefer [Official Audio]

Diandra: When you are a band, you become like family. What do you feel each member offers this family in three words?

– Shaan – Airline Points, Organisation

Matt – Large Food Consumption

Sam – Random Useless Facts

Ben – Terrible Dad Jokes

Diandra: You all grew up in music: from parents that were musicians to your natural affinity to it. How do you think music defines and heals the world?

Drax Project: Everyone needs to forget the pressures of life, sometimes, and a great song can help you do that. It could be anything from singing along way too loudly in a car to laying down under a tree and relaxing, but it’s so cool when you just get taken to a different place for a few minutes because of a song. It’s also amazing how music can hold or trigger memories. It’s always great when you hear a track somewhere, and you instantly remember where you were and what you were doing when you first heard it.

Diandra: When you look at Noon as a time capsule of your life, what do you think this EP says about you and who you were during its creation?

Drax Project: To us, it’s a feeling of having no idea what could happen in the future but just accepting that, embracing it, and jumping right into life so we can fully enjoy the ride.

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