Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with TheFatRat

TheFatRat has quickly emerged as one of the world’s most influential gaming music artists. Since bursting onto the scene, he’s had several Top 100 hits, been streamed over eight hundred million times on Spotify alone, and amassed millions of fans worldwide. Plus, he’s received praise from publications including Billboard, Trap Nation, and EDM Joy.

This July, he embarks on an exciting new chapter in his career as a solo artist, and he’s given us the first taste of what’s to come with his new single, “Hiding In The Blue.” off his forthcoming debut album, Parallax.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with TheFatRat about the exciting year ahead.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
TheFatRat: I grew up making music. When I was two years old, I was sitting on my mom’s lap while she played the piano. I would hit random keys. First, my mom wanted to keep me from doing that, but then she thought, “Hey, I’m doing this for my son. Why not let him do that?” After a couple of weeks, she realized that the keys that I was pressing would fit to what she was playing. So I learned music like a language. I literally grew up making music. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t making music.

PC: Who or what’s had the biggest influence either personally or professionally?
TheFatRat: The biggest personal influence has been my wife. I had been a music producer for other artists for ten years. When we got together, she said, “Chris, you’re putting so much love and effort into every song. You should be the artist.” At first, I was a little hesitant. But one day, I thought to myself, “I’ve just got to put a few tracks on SoundCloud and see how it goes.” It exploded really fast, and I went down that route.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
TheFatRat: I remember a show I played in Denver on Halloween. I put on my song “Monody” and the crowd started singing along. There were like six thousand people in the crowd. At that moment, I was like, “Is this real?” It’s more than I ever would have hoped for when I started making music in a small town.

PC: What’s one thing you know now that you wish you had known when you started your career?
TheFatRat: I wish I would have trusted my own judgment more. I listened to what a lot of other people told me was the right business move, even though I didn’t feel it was quite right. For the first ten years of my career, I followed what everybody told me I should do. Until one day, I said, “I have to trust my own tastes, my own judgment, and my own feelings.”

PC: You got a new single out now. Tell us about “Hiding In The Blue” and how that collaboration came about.
TheFatRat: The collaboration was really interesting. I have a lot of artists who reach out to me and want to work with me on their ideas. RIELL was one of them. I liked the songs, but I said, “Hey, I’m looking something in a slightly different direction.” She sent me five other songs that were in the direction I had mentioned. I went on a call with her and said, “Hey, I want something that has more electric centered. Something a little crazier and a little more unique.” She sent me forty ideas a week later. I was like, “Wow, she’s so dedicated to what she’s doing.” Because of that, I invited her to Dubai and we worked together for two weeks. “Hiding In The Blue” was one of the songs that came out of that collaboration.

PC: You’re also getting ready to release your debut album. What can fans expect from the release?
TheFatRat: The entire thing is one story. Every song has its own artwork, and the songs together with the artwork tell one story. The artwork is all pixel art. I absolutely love that style because it’s minimalistic. I love minimalism in general.

PC: With this being your debut album, did anything surprise you about the process of putting it together? What was the biggest takeaway for you?
TheFatRat: I was surprised by how much fun it was. I totally only want to do albums from now on. I’d been doing singles for the past five or six years. I thought albums were a little outdated. Today, artists only need singles. Singles are the ones that make the difference, but it’s simply so much fun to do an album because there’s so much more creative freedom.

PC: Your music has connected with listeners around the world. Is there a moment when you’re in that creative process when you know you’ve made a hit or magic in the studio?
TheFatRat: Not at all. I’m really bad at judging my own songs. They often surprise me, especially the ones that are really successful. When you have something that doesn’t fit into any category, it’s really hard to predict how people are going to react to it. I remember when I released my song “Unity.” I personally loved it, but when I put it out, I had no idea if anybody else out there was going to connect with it or if everyone was going to hate it. It performed incredibly well. I think it has over two hundred million views now. I had no idea it would ever do that well.

PC: Of all the music that you’ve released or any of the music that’s on the debut album, if you had to pick one song that best encompasses who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
TheFatRat: Good question. It has to be “Monody.” It’s over five minutes long. It has a completely crazy structure. It connects epic orchestral elements with electronic elements and includes some playful, deep stuff. People who hear it often say it takes them on a journey. That song represents me the best.

PC: Speaking of a journey, what do you want listeners to take away after they hear your debut album? What’s the message that you want to get across?
TheFatRat: The album is called Parallax. It describes the effect of seeing things differently from different perspectives. That’s the main takeaway on the album. I hope it reminds people that you can look at things in different ways and that that can change your perspective.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
TheFatRat: Maybe Blackpink? It’s very pop. I’m a huge fan of them, especially of their production. It’s the highest quality production I’ve heard in the last couple of years.

PC: First album you bought?
TheFatRat: Queen’s A Kind of Magic.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
TheFatRat: Queen’s Greatest Hits II. They produced complex and well-thought-out music and made it so everyone could understand it. I already knew a bit about music theory when I started listening to Queen. I was fascinated by how they had managed to do this.

PC: Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
TheFatRat: Max Martin. He’s the person behind so many hits in the past two decades.

To keep up with TheFatRat, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple Music. Pick up or stream “Hiding In The Blue” today.

Photo Credit: Benjamin Klingebiel