Singer/Songwriter Louie Short On His Forthcoming Album, The First Song He Ever Wrote & More
Louie Short is a Toronto, Canada-based singer/songwriter and producer who has worked with the likes of Jaunt, Eliza Miemi, Wes Allen, and Young Clancy. On the heels of releasing his debut full-length album, I had the pleasure of doing Q&A with him on behalf of The Hype Magazine about all facets of his career. In the meantime, more on Louie Short can be found online via his Bandcamp page.
When did you first know that you wanted to pursue a career as a performer? Was it because of a particular person, song or concert?
Louie Short: Nothing super-pivotal comes to mind, but I wrote this NSYNC-esque song on the toilet when I was a kid, and I remember the weird feeling of having my own song get stuck in my head.
How long did you spend making Cherry, Cherry? Were all the songs written before you went into the studio?
Louie Short: My process for this album was super-inefficient. I’ve never made a project of this scope before so I couldn’t really imagine it. I bounced between composing, arranging, and mixing sporadically, working on multiple songs simultaneously until I had a bunch of material that was finished enough for me to call it an album. Some of the songs have parts that were recorded 2 years ago and parts that were recorded a few weeks ago. All in it took 2 years.
Louie Short: Like I said, they were written simultaneously. It’s sort of like making a really big dinner – the dishes need to be cooked and served at the same time. I think “Beautality” was the first to start and last to finish though. I couldn’t get the piano right. I pitched the whole song up a quarter tone and that fixed it.
Did you ever consider doing the “band name” like a Dashboard Confessional rather than putting an album out as yourself?
Louie Short: My government name is Louis Short, so Louie Short is my band name. (laughs) I’m considering changing my name legally to Louie Short though.
What do the next few months look like for you?
Louie Short: Cool! I’m organizing a bunch of stuff for my album release party on July 20th at the Northern Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto. My big dog Young Clancy just told me he’s good to play it and I’ve got some smooth ideas to get people dosed up and feeling nice.
When not busy with writing or performing, how do you like to spend your free time?
Louie Short: Lately I’ve been playing a lot of squash and Sekiro. They are pretty translatable skills, I find. I hope to one day have Hidetaka Miyazaki design my bedroom.
What was the last concert you attended for fun?
Louie Short: That’s a funny question, I guess, the idea being that I would attend some concerts not for fun? It’s true sometimes I get pressured into seeing concerts I don’t want to see. I went to Broken Social Scene with my friend and had a pretty bad time. I made a joke about him that he still hasn’t forgiven me for.
Finally, Louie, any last words for the kids?
Louie Short: Welcome to the big leagues.
