The Lonely Avocado x Vanity Teen online exclusive Interview with Reiley @reiley, @atlanticrecords. Check out part 2 of this interview over at thelonelyavocado.com
Q) At what age did you realize you had to set out and create a life revolving around music?
A) I don’t know that my life revolves purely around music; it revolves around creative output sonically and visually. I have always been driven to create at the intersection between music and visuals and to me they are married. The right song for me always stimulates my visual creativity. In many ways I listen with my mind’s eye and they take shape together. I think I wanted to create a life where I made people not just listen to music but to make people “see” music, like I do and communicate with people through visual music. I don’t know if that makes sense or even answers the question.. but I was around 14! Sorry.
Q) When you are not in your more creative mindset making content for your fans, what do you like to do for fun to pass the time and have that release?
A) I don’t really have much free time. I work every day for hours per day and spend most of the time that I am not actively working in creative meetings coming up with more ideas and things to do. If I really need a timeout, I like to go for walks or watch a documentary/listen to a podcast about astronomy. Or Joe Rogan. Don’t judge me for that last one, please.
Q) If you had to name a few things you loved the most about the fashion world what would they be and what do you think inspires your fashion in the biggest way?
A) I love that fashion enables people to express their individuality. Fashion for me isn’t about how expensive something is or whose name is on it, but rather it’s a way for everyone to define who they are without saying a word. I love seeing people take the clothes on their backs and turn them into something completely different through creative genius and a pair of scissors, basically haha. My personal fashion is mainly inspired by the union of the feminine and masculine energies that we all possess and my desire to portray them on myself, both in harmony and at war. By that I mean, I love to make them seem both softly balanced in a smooth blend or pieced together in opposites.
Q) Your new single “LET IT RING” was recently released! Amazing work and it is so catchy! You took something more painful and personal and put a much more optimistic, moving forward type spin on it. – Do you find this pain was difficult to channel into something more positive so you could move forward?
A) No, it was truly an enjoyable and cathartic process. Let It Ring was one of the easiest songs to get completed. Everyone loved it from the go and it just brought us a lot of excitement.
Q) The world has been in a strange state lately. It can be so easy to pull from the negativity some days and many feel like we won’t ever see the light again. We personally feel that we are all headed towards one of the most open minded futures the world has ever seen; just a bit of growing pains right now… What would you say was one of the hardest things for you personally/work wise during this global shut down of the world and maybe one positive piece of advice for all your fans?
A) I truly do not feel comfortable complaining. I have been so incredibly blessed to not lose anyone during this time and have been able to continue my work. It would be inappropriate for me to voice my minor grievances when so many others have suffered so much.
The hardest thing about my work currently is that I am experiencing a lot of online negativity from people and I want to draw on that to tell my fans: Please remember that no one else can dictate who you are. Do not listen to people who don’t wish you well. And please always be kind to each other.
Q) Off topic… What would you name as your top TV show to binge or your favorite movie that you cannot live without right now?
A) It will have to be my all-time favorite movie: Bridesmaids. If you don’t like this movie, I don’t know what to tell you.
Q) Anything fun and upcoming in the near future that you have not announced yet that you could possibly share with all your fans?
A) I will be on the next season of Dancing With The Stars.
