Rising Pop Star SPENCER BARNETT Opens Up New Music, Being Signed to The Orchard and Who He Would He Would Love To Work With!

Get to know the rising pop star Spencer Barnett (10 million streams; 145K Spotify monthly listeners; 73K Instagram followers)! All summer, he has been releasing new singles. Today in fact, he put out the acoustic music video (WATCH HERE) for his latest single “48 Hours in Paris.” On July 10th, he released “eta.”

These singles will be on Barnett’s final installment of his ambitious three-part EP series, which follows “I’m Fine” and his debut “Reckless” that garnered critical acclaim and landed him on Spotify and Apple Music’s most coveted pop playlists including New Music Friday, Pop Rising, A-List Pop, and Breaking Pop. 

Born in New York City and primarily raised in San Francisco, Spencer Barnett is a 19-year-old multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who is represented by Khalid’s manager Courtney Barnett. Barnett reveals his storytelling ability and sophisticated musicality by working with major producers like DIGI (Khalid), DJ White Shadow (Lady Gaga), and Hoskins (Kiiara, Icona Pop, Hailee Steinfeld). Barnett navigates through the boundaries of art, fashion, and music, intertwining those influences and experiences into his sound seamlessly. 

Learn more about Spencer Barnett in the following All Access interview:

Thank you for your time. So given these unusual Covid-19 times, what does a typical day look like for you? How have you adjusted to these times?

Right now I’m working on my record so it’s usually wake up, drink coffee, and hit the studio. But at the beginning of the lockdown I was definitely a little bit lost and confused as was everyone. I crushed all three seasons of Avatar the Last Airbender in 10 days. Not my proudest moment.

What has been the hardest/most challenging part about being quarantined? Is your city starting to open up more now? 

I’m in New York right now, which is starting to open up more. It’s been nice to occasionally go to a restaurant or two outside, but it’s been really hard to see friends which is a real bummer.

How have you been able to use social media during these unprecedented times? Are you finding that you use it even more now to stay connected to fans and other musicians? 

I am not wired for social media haha. I try to keep my phone on for the least amount of time possible so that I can make music and spend time with people and I think in quarantine that is even more true than before.

What has it been like having to reschedule your spring, summer and fall shows? What shows in 2021 are you are already excited for?

Having my tour cancelled was a huge bummer but I can’t wait to get back out there when shows start back up again! Hopefully things will be back to normal by the end of 2021 and I can meet my incredible supporters in person.

Since we are all desperately missing live music, can you recall a favorite show of yours from the past? What do you think ultimately makes for a great show for you? What about a favorite show of someone else?

I loved seeing slowthai in LA last year. The energy was incredible. I went with two of my friends and we all moshed it was insane. I think a great show comes down to the artist being able to connect with their audience. People search for a good time when they go to a concert but they also search, sometimes unknowingly, for a connection. My favorite show I played was in New York in February right before the shutdown. It was my first headliner so I was pretty psyched about that.

Let’s talk about your recently released single “48 Hours In Paris.” What was the inspiration for this track? How does it compare to your other tracks and the rest of your three-part EP series?

The song is about my first two-day experience in Paris last summer. I was with some friends working on a project and we went on this spontaneous 48 hour adventure and had the best time. The song was written a few days after when everything was still super fresh in my mind. I think this song represents the greater EP really well, which is all about growing up and having experiencing life with fresh eyes. I tried to capture that feeling in the song.

What was it like putting together these EPs? Did anything surprise you about the overall process? Were there any unexpected challenges?

It was a blast! The process was really quick on the music side of things, on purpose. Each EP was written within a week in order to capture my experiences and feelings in that specific moment of my life. But that wasn’t a challenge surprisingly. If anything, it was super helpful. Sometimes you can’t overthink and just have to do.

How will you celebrate the release of your forthcoming EP? 

Haha. I’ll most likely just grab a beer with some friends and turn off my phone for the night!

Why do you think The Orchard is the right place for you and your music now?

The Orchard has been an incredible partner. Everyone in the office is so incredibly kind and supportive of my vision for the project. They’re amazing collaborators. Having creative control is massively important to me and that’s why I chose to release this project independently with the help of The Orchard.

How do you think future music is going to be influenced by this incredible and absolutely necessary Black Lives Matter movement that the US and even the world is going through now? Is it inspiring you and your music today at all?

I think this is long overdue. I owe so much credit to all of the black artists that have inspired my sound and artistry and hope that this movement is a catalyst for equal opportunity in the business.

If you could get into the studio with any artist today and collaborate on a new song for you, who would it be and why?

I’d have to say Bon Iver. I’ve been a fan of their music for so long and it would be such a dream to work with someone of that creative caliber!

What would your dream music video look like right now? 

I just made a music video for my next song that is coming out next month and I’m so excited about it! I think it really encapsulates everything that I say in the song and on the EP while still being extremely stimulating and artistic.

Would you like to share anything else about yourself or your music with our readers?

I’ve been in the studio non-stop working on new music that I can’t wait to share with you all!