Fresh off the release of nostalgic coming-of-age track Still A Kid, we sat down with Brisbane-based singer-songwriter Christos for a rundown of his forthcoming projects, tales from youth, and the playlists he spun when he was a kid.
Brisbane singer-songwriter Christos upped the ante with his most recent release Still A Kid. Arriving late last month, the aughties-inspired track about young love followed on from a string of already successful releases from Christos, whose latest EP project TRUTH HURTS arrived in 2022. Now armed with a sonic palette and musical theme around coming-of-age, getting into trouble and shaping oneself in their youth, Christos shows no signs of slowing down. The artist said Still A Kid is “really just a taste of what’s to come this year,” and if that project teaser is anything to go by, we’re in for a treat. In anticipation of what’s to come, we caught up with Christo for a chat about his childhood playlists, heartbreak anthems, and finding the “things that stand out and speak to you.”
HAPPY: Which artists have inspired you to make the music you have made today? What was their impact on you as a person?
CHRISTOS: I’d say the inspiration to make this style of music comes from what I used to listen to growing up. I listened to heaps of Blink-182, Good Charlotte, Fall Out Boy and Paramore as a kid and recently that’s been showing in a lot of the songs I’m working on. I really like how these guys went against the grain with their sounds and that’s also what I’m trying to do.
HAPPY: Tell us about what your first love was like, what were the things about it that made it feel real?
CHRISTOS: Love is one of those things where you may be fully aware of the feeling, or maybe you don’t realise what it is until it’s gone. For me it can be a confusing thing sometimes because every love is different. In this song I talk about experiencing love as a kid, but I do feel like a lot of maturing is needed before you can experience a proper “first love”. For me, it’s like having this whole other being in your life that becomes your person and despite having your own personal lives, you’re constantly building something greater together. You get to go to them for anything and everything and you experience all the highs and lows that life brings together and I think that’s what makes it real.
HAPPY: Tell us about your first heartbreak. What were the songs you were drawn to during this time?
CHRISTOS: Heartbreak more often than not is tied in with breakups in relationships, but it can come from a lot of other things too. I’ve had my heart broken a bunch of times in my life, from things I’ve had to experience as a kid would be the first. When you have to deal with heartbreak at a young age it really matures you a lot quicker. It’s one of those feelings that is hard to describe because it can be different for everybody, but it’s a really sh*tty thing to deal with. I use music as a way to vent and get things off my chest and this can be through writing my own songs or listening to music from other artists. I’ll always be drawn to artists like XXXTentacion or Lil Peep in these times as they are so good at making music for the broken people.
HAPPY: What was the writing and recording process like for Still A Kid?
CHRISTOS: Boss Beats sent me a beat pack and I think this was one of the very last beats in the folder. The pack was predominantly hip hop / trap influenced but this one beat stood out because it was so different. As soon as I heard the electric guitar I felt the nostalgia come over me and started thinking back to when I was a kid. The inspiration was really flowing at this point and it made the song super easy to write to, I just started talking about my life experiences while growing up and kept going from there. The song is about growing up in the early 2000’s and with this style of music I feel like it represents that very well and gives people who also grew up in that time and even different times something to jam along to.
HAPPY: What grabbed you to do your music video at the beach?
CHRISTOS: I wanted something simple for this video as the pure focus was on the song itself and the lyrics. The beach we filmed at was nice and quiet which was perfect and it brought a nice element to the video with the waves, rocks and trees. I’m really big on keeping it solo in my videos, the reason behind this is because I started this dream all on my own with no major backing and no big team around me, and that’s still how it is. I like to stay true to that always, just a kid on his own with a big dream.
HAPPY: What did you read last that opened your eyes and mind to a new perspective?
CHRISTOS: There’s a whole lot of negativity out there in the world these days, but every so often you find things that stand out and speak to you. I don’t read a lot of books anymore but I did read ‘The Alchemist’ not so long ago and that really spoke to me. I relate to this book a lot as the primary theme is never giving up in pursuit of your dreams. I’ll always live by this and think it’s so important to strive for whatever it is you dream of achieving. No matter how unlikely it may seem, anything is possible if you stay on track, give it your all and remain disciplined.
HAPPY: What’s something someone has said about your music that you hold close to you?
CHRISTOS: I’ve had people from all around the world message me telling me that my music has impacted them or made them feel a certain way, and for me that’s the best thing I can hear as an artist. Knowing that people out there can relate to the songs you make is a big reason why us artists do what we do. Messages like these along with people saying something simple like “keep going”, “never give up” or “you’re going to make it big one day” keeps me going and shows I’m doing something right
Photos supplied.