GOLDSPACE: A New Wave
First things first, please introduce for me the members of GOLDSPACE…
The members of GOLDSPACE are Maia Quin [singer/songwriter] and Andre Samuel [producer].
Tell me your whole inception into music — When did you all first become interested in it? And, how did it all begin for GOLDSPACE?
Well, both of us have always wanted to be musicians. Andre has been producing since he was a kid, and I’ve been singing and writing songs as long as I remember. We met while attending Berklee College of Music, and while hanging out one day I top-lined a beat Andre had made. That song became “Heavy Hitter,” our first single. We put it out for fun, and it ended up being really well-received, so we thought, “Fuck it; let’s be a band and keep doing this!”
Now where exactly do y’all hail from? And growing up there, who all did / do you all consider to be your strongest influences?
I’m from San Francisco and Andre is from Seattle – so we’re both West Coast babies, but our influences are very different. Andre grew up listening to hip-hop and rap; I’m actually the first singer he’d ever produced. We bonded over our love for rap music, current legends like Kendrick and Kanye, but also our love for ’90’s underground and weirder stuff like MF Doom, J Dilla, Quasimodo, and people like that. I grew up deep in the DIY punk scene in the Bay Area; I listened to lots of punk rock, alt and grunge stuff and only really got into rap and R&B when I started playing in jazz band in high school. I think our mixture of influences makes our sound more unique.
At what particular point in time, specifically, did you all even opt to pursue entertainment on a professional basis?
I think we both fall into the category of artists who never saw themselves as anything but an artist. As long as we can both remember, we both just kinda knew music was the way.
Where does the moniker GOLDSPACE originally derive from?
Well, on the grueling search for a name, I think we wanted something that created a vibe. GOLDSPACE feels like what our music feels like; at least that’s how we interpret it. Also a little inspiration from Radiohead – the way the words fit together.
With that being said, how do you all classify your overall sound and / or style?
We have a hard time classifying our sound! We’ve fallen on the term “New Wave,” because I think it’s the most forgiving…but our music has flavors of pop, R&B, hip-hop, alt pop – all kinds of thangs.
The latest single is entitled “Drop Like Flies” — Tell me about this particular track; how did it come to fruition?
Well, this track was made after I found out a friend of mine had passed away due to an overdose. It was kind of an outlet for the frustration of the state of addiction in the U.S. right now, as well as the lack of resources and help for people struggling. I’m in recovery myself, so I receive this kind of news too often. We wanted to talk about the issue – but not in a sad way: we wanted it to be fun at the same time. Kind of a Beatles-esque happy song, but with a dark twist lyrically. Maybe that’s a reach – LOL – but that’s what we were thinking.
“Drop Like Flies” comes courtesy of your forthcoming ‘Stupid Mind’ EP — Conceptually, what does that title represent both to and for you all?
Stupid Mind talks a lot about mental health and addiction – not so much on purpose, but because that’s where I was at while writing the songs. Stupid Mind is actually the name of the final track on the EP, and it refers to the frustration of not having control of your thoughts / feelings. I think it also demonstrates the shame pretty well…as well as sounding pretty cool – ha ha!
Switching gears here, what exactly do you all want people to get from your music?
Well, we make the music we wanna hear. That’s usually how we start when we sit down to make stuff: what do we want to hear right now? Hopefully it fills in some of those blanks for our listeners. Growing up the music I listened to just got me, and it was really important for my survival, as well as Andre’s. The goal is to hopefully be able to give a bit of that back to the world, to make people feel a little less alone – as cheesy as that might sound. Also, we wanna give people some fuckin’ funnn!
If you all could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Kurt Cobain! Dude, imagine Kurt with the technology we have now; it almost hurts to think about it. We’d honestly just love to sit there and watch him write a song – or even just talk.
If you all could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?
Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California. This one’s more of a childhood dream for me; I remember seeing shows there with my folks as a kid, and thinking it was the coolest shit I’d ever seen. For Andre, he says KeyArena in Seattle because that’d be fucking insane and full-circle. He went to his first concert ever there: Eric Clapton in the 4th grade.
In terms of longevity, what do you all feel it is that will continue to sustain you in this grueling industry?
I think we have our own sound, and we’re not afraid to evolve. We’ll never put ourselves in a box; we just make what we wanna make with what inspires us that day. That…and a real, raw love for this shit.
Do you all have any other outside / additional future aspirations, maybe even completely away from entertainment?
For me; not really! Maybe this is vague – but helping people, being of service. Through music or not, I think that’s how you live a good life. Andre’s hard into graphic design, video, and stuff like that; when he’s not making music, he’s making art – so as long as it’s creative, Andre’s doing it.
To date, what has been your biggest career moment(s), at least thus far anyway?
Playing Music Midtown in Atlanta last year was fucking craaazy and changed the game for us, for sure.
Looking ahead, say five or maybe even ten years from now, where do you all see yourselves?
Touring!! The ultimate goal is to play shows, and pay the bills with ’em. Dream.
As for the immediate, what’s next for GOLDSPACE?
Well…’Stupid Mind’ comes out next month. We have (probably) another EP coming out a few months later. Just continuing to put shit out and play shows here in L.A. when this quarantine is over!!
Is there anything I left out or just plain forgot to mention?
I think you got it down 🙂 Ha ha!
Any “closing” thought(s) for our readers?
Thanks for taking the time to read about us! We’re two little rats in L.A. Ha ha! It means a lot. If you like what you see, you can check us out on Instagram, Spotify, all the spots. @goldspace_music…
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