ragtop ~ new music & life

Up and coming musician Ragtop discusses his recent singles "Planetary Love Song" and "Pupiless Innocence" in an interview with our interviewer and political columnist, Allie.

ALLIE: So first and foremost, how are you? Anything exciting and new coming up in the near future?

RAGTOP: I'm great, thank you so much. I have a lot of plans for the future regarding my music. I'll hopefully be releasing a single next month, and another EP!

ALLIE: Great to hear! So you recently released two singles called "Planetary Love Song" and "Pupiless Innocence"! What are the songs about, and what is the inspiration behind them?

RAGTOP: Both of these songs are about love. It's probably harder to tell that in Pupiless Innocence, but I wrote both of these using the feelings and memories I got from someone who was really close to me.

ALLIE: Since "Pupiless Innocence" and "Planetary Love Song" were released two days apart, is there any connection between them? 

RAGTOP: Hmm, yes. I believe there's a connection among all my music, but especially there. I like to imagine little worlds where my music is almost a narration of that story. "Pupiless Innocence" is almost a direct contrast to "Planetary Love Song"'s happy nature. I didn't actually plan for "Pupiless Innocence" to be as dark as it turned out, but I'm glad it did. I think it shows that for me personally, even though there might be happiness, there will be an underlying feeling of darkness. 

ALLIE: Who are your favorite musical artists? What songs have you been listening to on repeat lately? How have they influenced you and your sound?

RAGTOP: My favorite musical artists right now are Cavetown, Neutral Milk Hotel, Bears In Trees, and Alvvays! Bears In Trees and Cavetown have inspired me to branch out in my style with ukulele. Neutral Milk Hotel has inspired me to not be afraid to get weird with my lyrics! The song that I've been listening to on repeat right now is Adult Diversions by Alvvays. After my friend recommended them to me, this was the first song I listened to. It gave me some sort of of nostalgia I don't experience often, I definitely recommend listening to it.

ALLIE: I saw that you make art as well! How did you get into drawing? What inspired your art style?

RAGTOP: Yeah, I love drawing weird things! My art is what some may describe as "vent art". Much like my writing music, I draw whatever I'm feeling. I don't try to focus on small details but rather how an entire picture makes me feel.

ALLIE: That's so cool! Moving on, how has COVID impacted your creative process?

RAGTOP: COVID has given me some sort of outlet for music. Through all the horribleness it has entailed, it allowed me to find more of myself. I've always played music, I used to act in musicals all the time. So I guess when COVID squashed the chances of doing that, I turned to writing my own music.

ALLIE: Out of all the songs you released, which song has been your favorite so far, and why?

RAGTOP: My favorite song I've released so far has to be "A Mark in Time". All my other songs have some depth and meaning inscribed into them, but "A Mark in Time" was my first time making an original. I still love all my other songs though, the one I'm working on currently is making its way to my favorite!

ALLIE: To end this interview off on a happy note, what are you looking forward to most in 2021?

RAGTOP: I'm looking forward to more experiences. I hope to have more chances to explore myself! Overall, I'm looking forward to a period of better mental health.

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