1. Your music has advanced from different hip hop right into a genre-bending fusion of pop punk, rock, and musical theatre. What drove that evolution, and the way did you land on the sound that defines MNERVA in the present day?
So I received my artistic begin in musical theatre and my declare to fame is that I wrote and organized a jukebox musical out of twenty one pilots’ catalog. As such, musical theatre’s sound and storytelling gadgets have been part of me since earlier than I began MNERVA in 2020. The undertaking’s preliminary sound was conceived after I listened to the music, Minerva, by Deftones and questioned what would occur if a rapper took the guitars and synths of shoegaze music and mixed them with entice beats. From there, I shortly realized after a couple of singles that I missed writing melodies and I began reincorporating singing into my songs for my debut EP, “Discuss Too A lot” in 2021. After touring that undertaking and seeing how efficient my music, “The Interview,” was dwell, I spotted that I had a expertise for writing anthemic refrain’ and I absolutely dedicated to being an alternate rock artist for my 2023 EP, “Invincible.” From there, I reconnected with my childhood love of Pop Punk and determined to lean in that course for my 2025 debut album, “From Starting To Finish” by answering the query, “what would occur if somebody rapped over a pop punk beat. After 5 years of artistic experimentation, I knew I wished “From Starting To Finish” to be the band’s official debut album as a result of our sonic voice has by no means been stronger and this undertaking takes each prior period of the band and elevates the sound right into a cohesive idea document.
2. From Starting to Finish is an idea album that tells the story of a relationship’s rise and fall. What impressed you to take that narrative strategy, and the way private is the story behind it?
“From Starting To Finish” is impressed by the true story of my final relationship and I got here up with the idea the morning earlier than I ended the connection. I knew that I wished to debate the nuances of changing into pals once more with a previous lover however that I wouldn’t have the ability to justify that controversial determination in a single music so as a substitute I used the idea document format to show that me and my ex are “higher off as pals.” When writing the document, I already had written the primary music, “You And Me” and the albums’ ballad, “Circles (18 Months)” so, to create a cohesive narrative, I simply needed to join the dots between every monitor to point out how the connection fell aside and the way I put the items again collectively within the aftermath.
3. Idea data like American Fool and The Black Parade are big inspirations for this album. What particular components from these tasks influenced your writing or manufacturing course of?
Everytime I take heed to American Fool, I’m amazed at how seamlessly the tracks transition between one another and I spent months sequencing every monitor off of “From Starting To Finish” and planning out easy methods to correctly make the entire circulation like a single piece of music. I additionally love how, on each of these legendary data, you possibly can pay attention to every music casually or dive deep into the lore of the total undertaking. As such, I wished to ensure that each music on my band’s undertaking might stand by itself however, if you happen to wished to take the time to actually pay attention, you may see a story play out in entrance of you and listen to repeated musical themes all through the document.
4. You’ve talked about that this album runs gapless and consists of recurring musical themes. Are you able to discuss your strategy to making a steady listening expertise—and why that mattered to you?
So when writing the document, as a substitute of simply writing songs with no harmonic plan, used the circle of fifths with the intention to make the transition between every music fully seamless and even made certain that each music began and stopped on a gradual beat to just remember to might bob your head to your complete undertaking. For me, all of my favourite data from my childhood ran gapless and I really consider it elevates an album from a group disperate songs into an auditory expertise. Particularly as a result of this undertaking is an idea document with a steady narrative, I knew that making a gapless expertise would solely improve immersion within the story and make the album’s remaining monitor, which reprises each prior music, hit a lot tougher.
5. Psychological well being and suicide prevention are clearly near your coronary heart. How does that mission present up in your music, particularly on this album?
The beginnings of MNERVA started in 2016 after I penned the primary draft of the music “The Interview” and wrote the road “it’ll get higher than this.” That lyric has been the guiding gentle for the band’s message of perseverance by adversity and jogs my memory to by no means surrender hope, regardless of how darkish life appears. If I can persuade even one particular person to maintain shifting ahead and never surrender, than I’ve achieved my job as an artist and I’ll do something to ensure I by no means lose one other buddy or fan to suicide ever once more. Relating to the album, my newest single “Ghost In The Shell,” dives deep into my lifelong battle with feeling nugatory and writing that music lastly satisfied me to take the steps I wanted to lastly love myself for me. That music helped me understand that I used to be utilizing my relationship for exterior validation and that, if I didn’t be taught to like the particular person I used to be within the mirror, I’d by no means be completely satisfied.
6. You’ve performed reveals throughout the nation, usually turning small venues into one thing that feels big. What’s your mindset going right into a dwell efficiency?
Each time me and the boys get on stage, we play as if we’re enjoying in entrance of hundreds of individuals. This mindset is how we’ve transformed ten strangers at a useless present into diehard followers and I very a lot consider within the grassroots energy of enjoying dwell reveals. There is no such thing as a higher method to join with an viewers than enjoying dwell and I do know if I absolutely open myself up and put myself on the road emotionally for all to see that listeners will probably be extra comfy opening as much as me and interesting with the band.
7. With the album dropping in November, how are you getting ready for this subsequent chapter—and what can followers anticipate from this period of MNERVA?
We’re dropping a brand new music each month for the remainder of 2025 in addition to a canopy of Vanessa Carlton’s, “A Thousand Miles” on June fifth. We’re at present planning some excursions throughout the midwest and the pacific northwest as we communicate and I can’t wait to maintain connecting with new potential followers. Plus, with every new chapter that’s launched, the story of the album turns into extra fleshed out and I can’t wait till the followers can absolutely dive into the album, “From Starting To Finish (see what I did there).”
Finish of Interview
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