Diandra Interviews RAC: Creating For The Joy of Creating

With the release of Boy, RAC promises to enter a domain of personal and liberating sounds. The result is a record that is100% unique, and getting to interview him explains why. The album, in itself, turns sonic frequencies into mystical, yet child-like vibes. I can’t explain its effect on me without describing it according to feelings such as, joy, wonder, nostalgia, and a the belied that hope never dies. Wooh! That got deep and so does my interview, with RAC, as he discusses how Boy was his return to the joy of creating. 

Diandra: What are the complexities from your childhood that Boy was able to approach and heal? 

RAC: It wasn’t so much that I had a childhood trauma as much as I grew up in Portugal, to a missionary family, which is kind of unique. (he laughs) I would NOT categorize it as bad or traumatic. My parents were so caring and loving, but the environment, itself, was pretty complex. So, coming into this, it was about channeling this music freedom I had at the time. For context, I didn’t have a lot of access to music for religious reasons and pre-internet Portugal did not have a lot of options. I was a kid, too, so I couldn’t really buy albums. But I really loved music and, I was creating to create, so it was really about capturing that effortless creation: unencumbered by the world and sounds. It was about thinking of this time period and transferring it to where I am, now, in 2020. 
RAC – Carefree ft. LeyeT ❍ Music Video

Diandra: When did you feel or know you had spiritually transitioned from boyhood to manhood? 

RAC: Good question! If you really think about it,  probably, when I moved out of my parent’s home and I went to school in the U.S. When I moved there, I really had to become my own person. That is the most specific thing, but it is a process. Some people have traumatic events, but, for me, it was a slower transition. The idea is that you always develop as a person. 

Diandra: With your last album being titled Ego, how do you feel music, especially your current sound, has helped you combat egotism?

RAC: I wanted to take that word and give it a different context. The album was about being my own person and it was, kind of, a singular thing. It was the first time that I felt I could be myself. 

We all have an ego. It is an intrinsic thing. Of course, it is bad to over-indulge it, but it is good to have a sense of self. That doesn’t answer your question (he laughs).

Me: I like his answer WAY BETTER than my question (lol!) 

Diandra: You have spoken about how you felt from multiple worlds, being American and Portuguese, how do you see the division molded you into a person and thus artist? 

RAC: I think it is at the core. Growing up in Portugal, I would speak English at home and speak Portuguese everywhere else, and I remember being really confused by that. It was just a lot to process, and that was, actually, when I found music. It became this third language where I could express emotions and wasn’t bound to a specific language. It was more obscure and I could release in a way. It was more obscuring and clearing, in a way, of emotions. It was, definitely, a meaningful part of my life.
RAC – Stuck On You ft. Phil Good ❍ Music Video

Diandra: If you could define music as a space made for you, what are the qualities you would give it? 

RAC: It is such an interesting question because I do think of music like this extra layer and  space, even though it lives in your head. It is so based in memory, and it is very easy to attach  smells to spaces and music to combine and make your memory. So if there was a space made for me, I think I would just want it to be comfortable and warm, which is the music I am writing. So I guess I am writing for me (he laughs). 

Diandra: Describe a moment in your life when you felt like your music was your freedom. 

RAC: There has been a lot of them. I have, actually, been quite fortunate, throughout my career, to be able to do whatever I want. I’m kind of used to it, now. So anybody who challenges that, I don’t take it well. (he laughs) I’m a good collaborator, but I, definitely, want my point of view to come across. Most recently, I got to score a ballet for the Oregon Ballet Theater. It was a lot of fun, and, you know, how many people get to do that. That was, definitely, freedom. 

Diandra: In honor of Change The Story, what is one story about your life or even the world that you wish you could change? 

RAC: That’s, actually, a good question, but, unfortunately, I am one of those people that really doesn’t have regrets. (he laughs) I put efforts into my choices, and it not something I take lightly. So when I make a decision, it is with the best information I have, and if I make a mistake, well, it was done with the best intention. (he laughs)
RAC – Change The Story ft. Jamie Lidell (Audio)

Diandra: How do you see the current pandemic has altered how others and yourself consume and create music? 

RAC: On the creation side, for me, personally, it is the same. I do a lot of my work at the studio and I work remotely. Consumption-wise that has changed, dramatically. On average, 80% of income comes from live music. There was this thought that streaming would take off, but it, actually, went down. (he laughs). I think it leveled off, now, but, they say, it is because people are not commuting. There are live-streams, but they are not monetized so that is kind of a waste. It has taken the thing that is most profitable in the music industry and made it free. So, that doesn’t make any sense. Also, how many times can you perform the same set? But, I am very curious to see what happens. 

Seeing music as healing, how has music helped you define what better days mean for you? 

RAC: Good question! And, actually, timely! It is interesting because it is almost like I don’t understand, fully, the emotional side of music. I just know that it makes me feel better, and whatever comes out, in the end, comes out. It is a representation about what I feel at a given moment. It is a very present thing so it is actually interesting to think of it in a future sense. It is, usually, about the past and present. So, it is hard to go, what does this look like?

Maybe, it is about looking at the past and hoping for better, if that makes sense. I think this is going to be the most significant, financial event of my life, and we will see what happens, in a few years, when we come out of it. 

I have to say I really enjoyed this RAC’s responses, especially about how the pandemic will alter the music industry, especially once it is over. Right now, the world is still trying to convince itself that everything will go back to “normal” and “be the same,” but that can’t and won’t happen, which is why his last answer is so perfect and his journey to making Boy apt; create to create, and  let the joy come: no matter what space or outcome. For More Information on RAC’s Boy Click Here.