Pop-Culturalist.com

At four in the morning, most people would be sound asleep, but not Trevor Douglas. The soulful pop artist could be found in his studio, pouring his heart and soul into his debut EP, which he produced, recorded, and wrote on his own. It’s that creative freedom that allowed him to hone and develop a sound that’s distinctively his own. Pop Culturalist chatted with this up-and-coming talent, who you should keep your eyes (and ears) on, ahead of release day.

PC: Four in the Morning dropped today. What was the inspiration behind the EP?
Trevor: They’re all love songs about one person and I honestly think they’re some of my best work to date. I had older songs that I loved, but I didn’t feel like they fit the vibe that I had going. As far as the title, I would work on this EP until late, late at night. I spent a lot on time on it because this was a learning process for me. I produced this on my own, so I learned a lot about the production, which is how it got the title: Four in the Morning.

PC: As an artist, what is the feeling like days before the release?
Trevor: It’s scary, man, gosh! This EP is really personal to me. I’ve never put this much work and forethought into anything before. It’s the most me that I’ve ever sounded with any of the music that I’ve done because it is all me. I wrote and produced all the tracks; they’re very personal. I hope that everyone likes it because I worked really hard. There’s a little bit of anxiety, but, overall, I’m really, really excited to share all the songs with everyone.

PC: Like you just said, you wrote, produced, and recorded the entire EP. What are some of the benefits and challenges of doing it all on your own?
Trevor: As far as benefits, I don’t have to rely on anyone. It’s hard to count on people to do things at times. Also, I really feel like artists who produced their own music sound the way that they want to sound. Take for example, Charlie Puth and Lauv. Their sounds are so unique because it’s them producing and writing their own songs. When you have a heavy hand in your own production, you will undoubtedly have a unique sound since it can be exactly how you want it to be. In terms of challenges, it’s a lot of work to do yourself. [laughs] It’s a lot of work, but fortunately, I had a lot of friends who I could bounce stuff off of. I didn’t master it by myself, though! I had a friend of my mine, Paul Flint, finish mastering it for me out of Paris. He’s so good. I needed his help because I’m still learning about the final step in the process and getting everything radio ready. Another benefit is that it’s so much fun and it really gets my sound out there more so than if I had someone produce it for me.

PC: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned during the process?
Trevor: I need to have more planning and forethought into getting my work out there. [laughs] After doing this, there are things I would have done differently in terms of the marketing. I would have given myself more time to promote it, but I had been working on it up until it came out. I was constantly making changes. I should have finished it a bit early and given myself more time, but I was so eager to get it out there. Now that I know a lot more about production and songwriting, it should be a lot easier for me to get it done next time.

PC: There are a lot of different styles on the EP. Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Trevor: I listen to a lot of music and different styles. After I put out “Pressure” and “Stay by Your Side”, Charlie Puth’s album Voicenotes came out. It is such a perfectly produced, mixed, and mastered album—everything was so clear. It really sonically helped me get my songs mixed and mastered better, so if I had to pick one thing or person that really showed me what to do, it would be Charlie Puth.

PC: Walk us through the process of selecting which songs would make the EP. Do you have a favorite on there?
Trevor: Yeah! I wrote “Pressure” and I knew immediately that it needed to be recorded. It’s a song that I was really proud of. It all started there. Then, I had a couple of other songs, “Stay by Your Side”, “Problems”, and “Nervous” (which didn’t make it on the EP). I had a lot of demos of songs that I had written, but the ones that made the EP all fit together sonically; they all flow really well. I had other songs that I had recorded, but I felt like sneaking them in there would have ruined the flow.

I like all of the songs on the EP for different reasons. “Pressure” has a great hook. “Take This Back” has a special place in my heart because I love ’80s style music. That’s another thing that had a huge influence on me: I listen to a lot of ’80s and ’90s music and that comes through in “Take This Back” and a little bit in “Stay by Your Side”. Also, there’s a funny story with “Dandelions”. The first half of the song is true and the second half was make-believe, but I kind of wrote it into existence and it ended up coming true. [laughs] I worked so hard on “Hold Me”. I’m incredibly proud with how it turned out. It was the hardest for me to produce—it took a lot of trial and error to find the right sound, the right style, and the right instruments.

PC: Most people will remember you from American Idol. What did you learn from that experience that you’ve been able to bring to this next chapter in your career?
Trevor: What was really prevalent to me on Idol was that I needed to stand out and differentiate myself from everybody. I had to do my own thing and I had to do it better. That’s how it is in music: you have to do your own thing and you have to do it better because if you’re trying to copy somebody, it’ll show. That’s really what I worked on during Idol. I had to stay true to myself and I had to make sure that I did myself justice. Everything that I do has to be Trevor Douglas.

PC: With the EP out, what does the rest of the year hold for you? What does 2019 look like?
Trevor: I’m on tour right now with Stand 4 Kind. It’s an anti-bully organization, but a step above that because simply not bullying is the bare minimum of what you can do. It’s about being kind to people and helping them. It’s a really cool message that I truly believe in. I’ve been doing school tours around Dallas Fort Worth every day in October and into November. I’m finishing up that tour and there are a few other potential tours in the mix, but I’m not sure how they’ll pan out. In November, I’m heading out to Los Angeles. I’m fortunate to have a friend out there, Seth Lee, who’s going to let me stay with him for a while. He’s an actor and director and actually shot a YouTube video that I did! I really appreciate him. I’ll probably spend most of that time writing songs and meeting other producers, collaborating with other writers, and getting ready for the next project. I’ll have a lot of free time out there and I feel really creative when I’m in that environment. When I’m at home, I have tons to do, but I can really focus on myself in Los Angeles.

Make sure to follow Trevor on Twitter and Instagram, and pick up Four in the Morning on iTunes or Amazon Music.

Photo Credit: Alexandria Bryant