Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with healer

Bryce Waitkus is the singer-songwriter that the world needs right now. As the creative genius behind healer, Bryce is spreading a message of love and positivity, and reminding us that we can get through any obstacle that life throws at us—a fitting message for 2020. Pop Culturalist caught up with Bryce to learn more about how he discovered his passion for music, taking each experience in life and channeling it into his craft, and his new single, “Cat’s Meow.”

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Healer: My life was guitar. I started taking lessons in fourth grade, but honestly, for the first year, it felt like a chore. It took me some time to develop that skill and find my love for it; I really realized that music was my passion when I was about thirteen. At that time, I was given a list of bands that really kicked it off. It had Mumford and Sons, the Lumineers, Jack Johnson—people like that. I heard that stuff and was like, “Oh my God. I didn’t even know music could be like this.” I had that foundational skill of guitar and finally had found the music that I loved, and so from then on, I spiraled into it more and more. It became a passion and a piece of my identity.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Healer: In terms of what I listen to, it’s always evolving. I still haven’t landed on my style, but it started with folk. Once I became a little bit older, it evolved into more of an emo kind of thing. [laughs] I became obsessed with Bright Eyes and Flatsound, people like that. Recently, it’s been interesting because I feel like I’m using that sound as my foundation, but I’m really into people like Cavetown and mxmtoon who are a little more poppy but still have that emotional foundation. So yeah, definitely in terms of musical influences, that’s where I’m at right now. It’s more of a synthesized, indie-pop sound that still has its roots in that natural, emotional kind of sound.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your young career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Healer: It would probably be with my band, War is Over, when I was about seventeen. I’ll never forget the day that I woke up and I was obsessively checking the Spotify streams because I was so excited about it. I also remember waking up and seeing that we were in Discover Weekly and we had gotten like two thousand streams that night—I was so excited. It felt like that was the first moment where I was like, “Okay. People are responding to this. Maybe it could be a career.”

PC: You have a new single out now. Tell us about “Cat’s Meow” and the inspiration behind the track.
Healer: “Cat’s Meow” rose out of this whole crazy climate of 2020 that we’re in. It’s interesting because it’s a song about that feeling of uncertainty and missing normalcy, but it’s also a really positive song—one of the most positive songs that I’ve ever written, at least. The foundation came from a place of feeling uncertain, but the song is saying that it’s okay to feel that way; let’s figure this out together, let’s get through it, and let’s get better.

That emotion was inspiring, and I was trying to put that into my music. People need to be able to feel comfortable right now and know that it’s okay to take a break from the stress and let themselves exist right now. I feel like everyone is overwhelmed right now. Everyone is stressed, lonely, and nervous, and it’s okay to feel those things. We should be feeling them, and we should be working towards resolving those feelings, but at the same time, you have to come from a place of centered balance and comfort before you can take on those feelings.

PC: Your projects have represented different points in your life, and there’s an incredible message behind healer. Tell us about how this project came to fruition and what you hope to say through it?
Healer: You’re right; every project I’ve done has represented a time and place for me. I have to say I’ve always felt like someone whose purpose is to lift other people up. For a lot of my life, I thought I was going to do that through psychology.

I studied psychology in school and I still really love it—I honestly would still be totally happy becoming a therapist someday—but along that journey for me, I started using music. I started using music as a way to process and categorize my experiences. It’s part of my personal journey.

After releasing my first album earlier this year, I got to the point where I felt like that was so central to my growth that I really wanted to find a way to take that experience and bring it to other people as well. Healer, to me, is my way of honing in on me as a therapist, me as an empathetic person, and me as an artist; looking for ways to lift people up and spread love and kindness through art.

PC: You’re gearing up to drop a few more singles in the upcoming months. If you had to choose one that best encompasses who you are as an artist right now, which would it be and why?
Healer: Every project that I’ve ever done represents me. I try to be vulnerable in everything I do; every song that I release is just a different part of me. Off the healer project, I would say it’s the next song coming out called “Are You Glad?” That’s probably the most sincere, honest, emotional healer song I’ve written yet. I try to treat every song like an expression of myself, but that one feels especially close to my heart.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Healer: I’m sure there are so many. I listen to everything. On this trip so far, I’ve listened to Goat Rodeo, which is awesome. It’s Chris Thile, Yo-Yo Ma, some awesome other classical musicians coming together, and I love them. Honestly, I’m down for anything.

PC: First album you bought?
Healer: On and On by Jack Johnson—it’s so amazing. It really opened my eyes to a whole world of music as a tool for healing and growth.

PC: First concert you attended?
Healer: The Counting Crows when I was twelve.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Healer: I would say Sleep by Flatsound. I discovered it at a point in my life when I needed it. It taught me how to be vulnerable through music and how music doesn’t have to live up to a certain aesthetic. You don’t have to be cool or super well-produced; you can be honest and record songs in your bedroom and change people’s lives that way.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Healer: Red Rocks.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Healer: Yerba mate—I’m a hardcore fan.

To keep up with healer, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Pick up or stream “Cat’s Meow” today.