music and the future with joseph applegate

Joseph Applegate talks music, future aspirations, and favorites in this interview conducted by our editor, Lily. 

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L: So first off, how are things going? Anything new coming up? 

J: Being fully honest, things have been a mixture of good and bad. In the last month, I've been great. Before that, I wasn't at my best and I was really stressed because of many things like school, music, social media, etc. also, I am currently working on more stuff and I'm excited to share it with everyone!

L: That's great! Can't wait to see what you're working on. Your new single "Habitat" is out now, what is it about? Were you inspired by certain artists while creating it? How did this all come about?

J: It's about the feeling of wanting to go back to a toxic relationship after finally leaving. That song production-wise was 100% inspired by "Animal" by Troye Sivan. I asked my friend Anon if he wanted to write to this instrumental I produced that I had sitting on my laptop for a while. We did it, and it all just came together after that. We wrote most of it in a day, but it took a week to get the final writing touches. It took me about a month to record the vocals, name it, and get the cover art that my friend Jazz made as well (Love you, Miles).

L: Who are your favorite artists and why? Did they influence your sound now? Who have you been listening to recently? Favorite album of all time? Is there anyone that truly got you into music?

J: Isaac Dunbar and Troye Sivan are my all time faves right now. They didn't fully influence my sound, but they played a huge part in my music journey. At the moment, Cavetown is my main inspiration for music, maybe a little of Isaac and Troye as well. My favorite album of all time is Blue Neighborhood by Troye Sivan. It's such a beautiful and nostalgic album and it makes me feel so happy when listening to it. It was my top listened to album of 2020. For an EP, it would be Isaac's Insects by Isaac Dunbar. 

L: What's your dream collaboration? Who would you love to open for?

J: Isaac Dunbar! His take on music and making it is so interesting. I want to open up for his tour so bad but it most likely won't happen anytime soon...or ever. He actually added me to his live last night and we talked about music for five minutes. He told me he was really proud of me and it's okay to be insecure of your music, and he said he's gonna listen to habitats soon and provide feedback! I can't wait.

L: Oh wow, how exciting! Has music always been a part of your life? Where are you trying to take this in the future?

J: It always has! When I was like, five or six, I was always singing songs that I loved that were on the radio. This could range from artists like Jordin Sparks to like, Lady Gaga. I realized I wanted to do music as a career after singing at this karaoke event when I was seven or eight, it was being held at a restaurant in my town. It led me to have enough confidence to be singing at school talent shows. I had so much support from family and friends and I always wanted to make music but I didn't know how until my friend Vii (Vivian Allyse) made her own music, and she inspired me to write and produce my own stuff, which I failed in at first. But when I found Isaac Dunbar, he inspired me to keep going and learning more about making music, as he is around my age and is making such amazing music. I owe everything I have so far to the people I mentioned. 

L: If you could listen to one artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?

J: This is such a hard question, I don't think I could choose between Isaac and Troye. So I'm gonna say Emily Montes because she's funny and I want to see if she pursues a career in music when she grows up! It would be interesting to see.

L: How's the future looking for you? Any plans musically or just in life in general?

J: At this point, I just wanna keep making and releasing music. I plan to go to college while doing that, and if my music career does take off, I will focus on that. I'll do college later when I can! I wanna get married and have a family as well.

L: Can't wait to see what the future has in store for you! What's one thing you would like fans now or in the future to know?

J: All I want to say is thank you so much, it means so much to me that people are even listening to my music in general. I love you so much and just thank you for your constant support. To have a small but amazing support space like yours makes me feel so safe and at home. You guys mean a lot to me! I will be releasing new stuff soon, if I'm not lazy and actually finish what I'm working on. I can't wait for you guys to see!

★ "Habitats" out on all platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud ★

★ Follow @Josephappiegate on Instagram and Twitter for more content from him ★