Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Grant Knoche

Grant Knoche discovered his love for music through dance, and it’s become the foundation he’s built upon as he embarks on his journey as an artist. For the last few years, Grant has put in the time and work to discover who he is and what he hopes to say through his craft. The result is a confident debut from the rising pop artist and one of the year’s best releases. Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Grant about the transition from dance to music, his new EP, COLOR ME BLUE, and bringing visuals into everything he does.

PC: You discovered your passion for music through dance. What was that transition like? What did you learn from dance that you’ve been able to apply to your music career?
Grant: I started dancing when I was seven years old. I did jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop, lyrical, contemporary—everything. I competed around Dallas, Texas. Transitioning from that into music or being an artist, music is the sole root of it all, whether that’s producing, songwriting, dancing—any of that. It all comes back to my passion for music.

It’s really cool. Even for me competing, I learned a lot from being on stage that way. There’s so much hard work that goes into dance. That really helped me, even with performing my songs on stage and learning how to interact with the audience and stuff. That’s helped a lot.

PC: You got started in this industry at a really young age and grew up in the limelight. How were you able to remain grounded? How has that prepared you for this next chapter in your career?
Grant: Honestly, it’s been my family and friends. That’s what’s kept me grounded. It’s funny. My dad is really hard on me, but he also lets me know and tells me, like, “Hey, this is really good. Good job on this.”

But then also, when I was in Kidz Bop, we did like a hundred and sixty-two shows in forty-eight states. I got a lot of good experience on stage and stuff. He’d be like, “That was an amazing job, but don’t forget to look up at the balcony” or things like that.

My family has been really good with giving me praise but also letting me know certain things. I’m really picky about who I surround myself with. I like to surround myself with genuine people and people who share similar likes and everything like that.

PC: When you look at your career as a whole, who or what’s had the biggest influence, either personally or professionally?
Grant: When it comes to music, my biggest inspiration for music is Adele. From day one, I’ve always loved her voice and her music. I taught myself how to play the piano off YouTube, and all of the songs I played were all Adele songs. I really think she’s changed my life. She’s who got me into music and got me to love music and everything like that.

PC: You’re an artist who does it all, from writing to producing to recording. Is it ever a challenge to manage all those different facets? When did you realize you wanted to have a hand in it all?
Grant: It can totally be a lot, but it can also be very frustrating at times. I’ll see other artists and they’ll have their producer doing it. They’ll go in and write ten different songs with all different producers. Each producer can knock out the song and get it out and have everything bundled together to put out really quick.

I’m like, “Oh my gosh. This takes so much time.” I’m super picky with my stuff. But at the same time, I wouldn’t change anything about it. It’s the reason why I wanted to get into it and start putting my hands on the projects and doing it myself.

When I was younger, maybe like thirteen, I started going into sessions with songwriters and producers. I felt like I would always come out and be like, “It’s a good song. I really like it, but I don’t feel like I’m a hundred percent connected to it.” Or different things like that, especially as a kid. When you’re in the studio with an adult, who’s the producer and songwriter, as a kid, you almost feel like, “Can I say I like this? Or can I say I don’t like this?”

You feel awkward at times. But again, I wouldn’t change anything about that because it’s taught me how to talk to other producers or songwriters. I can be like, “I really like this thing about it, but can we switch this part here?”

That’s why I started getting more into writing and producing my own stuff, because I would go home and be like, “Oh, I want to try this idea out. I want to build this out, production-wise.” Things like that. It just evolved to what it is now.

PC: You’re also an artist who incorporates a lot of visuals into your craft from various music and lyric videos. As you’re working on a new song, are ideas already flying in your head about what visual components you’re going to add to it?
Grant: Totally. Visuals are a huge thing for me. I’m a huge fan of visuals. It’s always funny. I do really well at night when I’m producing. I’ll be up until 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning producing. It’s always funny because the first time that I lay the whole track out and get the idea in Logic and everything, I’ll replay it ten times over. I’ll stand up and dance in the room. I’ll think of different ideas and visuals and stuff like that. The visuals definitely help when it comes to producing and thinking about that.

PC: You’ve dropped a couple of singles already in 2020. If you had to pick one that best encompasses who you are as an artist, what would it be and why?
Grant: That’s a hard question. I’ve dropped a few. It’s hard because they’re all your babies. You’re trying to figure out which one. I’m really proud of the production on “18” that I just released. It’s cool because it has the upbeat side to it but also has a dark pop side to it, which is what I’ve always loved.

But then again, there’s one like “AS IT SHOULD” that goes back to my roots, sitting down at a piano, playing a ballad. It shows the emotions of my voice and has a good message throughout it. So I don’t know.

I think it would be a new song coming out on the EP called “COLOR ME BLUE.” In the beginning, it has the ballad side and softness to it, but then in the chorus, it hits hard and has that dark pop. It brings it all together in one.

PC: Speaking of the EP, what can fans expect? What do you hope to say with this body of work?
Grant: I’m so, so, so excited for it to come out. It’s been something that I’ve been working on for the last two, three years. I’ve been trying to find my sound and what exactly I want to say, the visuals, my brand—all that kind of stuff. I’m so excited for it to come out.

There are nine songs on the EP, which isn’t typical. It’s more like an album, but I’m calling it an EP because I feel like all those songs really fit together. They wrap into one perfect bow and everything.

There’s going to be two new songs off the EP called “COLOR ME BLUE” and “EVERY LITTLE THING.” Each song is really different. “AS IT SHOULD” is about letting things be. If it’s meant to be, it’ll be. Then there’s one like “SORRY FOR THE HONESTY,” which is like a middle finger to the other person in a way. It really ranges.

But I think for the EP, it’s about the experiences that I’ve gone through or watched my friends or family [go through]. Relationships can sometimes be hard, but you can get through them and find the positivity in that.

I mean, another really, really cool thing about messages for albums or projects and things like that is I’ve noticed that I’ll get DMs from fans and stuff and they’ll be like, “This song really inspired me to go audition for this play at my school.” I’ll be like, “Really?” But everybody has their own interpretation of what the song means and that’s a super-cool thing.

PC: Speaking of experiences, having been a part of this industry for a couple of years now, what’s one thing you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
Grant: That’s a really good question. It’s really hard because I wouldn’t change anything in a way because it’s your path. You learn a lot of different things, even with failures and stuff. I could be like, “Oh, I wish I didn’t make that failure there.” But if I didn’t make that failure there, I wouldn’t learn what I know today. I wouldn’t really change anything, because I’ve learned so much along the road, and there’s still a lot more to learn.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Grant: I’ll say Adele to that one. It’s very funny because a lot of people don’t think that I would be inspired by Adele and stuff because all my stuff is more pop and all that stuff. Yeah. So I’d say Adele.

PC: First album you bought?
Grant: Adele’s 25. Gosh. People are going to be like, “Dang, he really like Adele.” [laughs]

PC: First concert you attended?
Grant: It was Taylor Swift’s Red tour at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Grant: [laughs] Everyone knows what I’m going to say. Adele’s 25. Like I said earlier, she’s the person who got me to really love music and fall in love with music. Her voice and emotions come out of the speaker and right into you. It really inspired me.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Grant: Red Rocks would be really, really cool. Like I said earlier, I toured and did a hundred and sixty-two shows and everything, but we never got to perform at Red Rocks. I was like, “That would be a really cool place.” Or Coachella! That’d be really cool.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Grant: Definitely my laptop and a mic. I definitely need a mic on the road and my laptop to produce and kind of lay down some ideas and stuff.

To keep up with Grant, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify. Pick up or stream COLOR ME BLUE today.

Photo Credit: Devin Dygert