Los Angeles Musician HEFF in the musicto spotlight
HEFF is a current student at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, guitarist, composer, songwriter, and producer. He has performed widely in the Southern California area, including some of the most well-known venues such as Pauley Pavilion UCLA, Hotel Cafe, the Mint, and the Peppermint Club.
This week in the spotlight, we’re featuring this talented musician and his track, “I Still Love You”.
In the Spotlight at musicto
So HEFF’s promoter reaches out with a lovely personalized message and makes the case that I should listen to his new track “I Still Love You” I confess that – had it not been for Julia’s well put together email I would probably have skipped this one – I mean – do we really need another love song?
Yes.
Yes we do.
We need lots and lots of new love songs – particularly if they’re as good as this one.
It had me thinking of this quote “Why do furniture designers keep designing new chairs? We know it’s not to solve the problem of “sitting.” The chair is simply the medium. The true goal is something bigger: to inspire, to broaden our understanding of what’s possible, or express something unique about what it means to be alive today.“
Clearly love songs are like chairs ;-p But it’s true that each generation needs their own versions of things with a whole new set of artists to create them – now it’s HEFF’s turn to send one of his creations out to the world.
HEFF can sing! HEFF can play – like – really well! HEFF has taste – check out the guitar solo. HEFF knows that classic love songs are simple and straightforward and don’t need to be overwritten and overwrought. There’s a John Mayer feel to this track – you could put it on Continuum and it would fit in beautifully.
So yes – if you’re up for another love song – one that you’ve never heard before but that feels really familiar – take this one out for spin, it’s great.
We asked HEFF if he wouldn’t mind answering some of our groovier questions – he was happy to help:
Tell us about I Still Love You, what inspired it, and what is the meaning behind the song?
This song is meant to capture what people think a perfect relationship should feel like. When they daydream about that special someone, or when they imagine talking to someone that they are really into. All of the strife is gone and it is one good vibe.
What are your upcoming plans and how can people support you?
I plan to prioritize releasing new music and playing more shows in the coming months. Since I am about to graduate from USC, I will have more time to write, record, and perform music and establish a meaningful and genuine following. People can best support me by following me on Instagram, Spotify, and TikTok, and coming to my live shows when they are happening. They are always so much fun and people will definitely have a great time!
What are you curious about at the moment? Why?
I’m always curious about what direction music is going to go in our society, what kinds of songs are going to be made, and what will be interesting and relevant to people. Are we going to create music that resembles past decade’s music or develop something completely new? I always want to be on top of what everyone is listening to now and also utilize the older music that still inspires me.
If you had $2,500 to spend on music marketing – where would you spend it – why?
If I had that kind of money to use towards marketing, I would spend it on getting music placed in playlists for my next release. Getting songs on playlists as soon as it was released is one of the best ways to get music in front of the right people. This is exactly what I want to do with my next releases.
If you could summon one musician back from the dead to collaborate with, who would it be? Why? What do you think you would create?
If I could work with a late-musician, I would want to write and produce an album with George Harrison. All of the songs he created with The Beatles and his album “All Things Must Pass” are legendary. More importantly, I appreciate his ability to craft music that has the flexibility to be performed anywhere in any kind of arrangement and that’s the music that I strive to make. I would love to combine our musicality and creativity to make amazing music. I think together we could make songs that sound great as a ballad and songs that would capture the energy of a big band.
What is a piece of music that has changed you?
“Everlong” by Foo Fighters is one of my favorites growing up that I can always listen to. With that song, it captures the beauty of songwriting and the raw energy of rock and roll. It sounds great played acoustic or with a full-blown band. That level of likeness and versatility is what I try to have my songs be like.
Why are you even attempting to get music out into the world when the chances of people hearing it are insanely small?
I am recording and releasing music because I genuinely love to do so! I love writing, recording, producing, and performing music, and I will continue to do so for as long as I can. It is definitely a challenge to get my music in front of people, especially when new songs are being released by the thousands every day. But I don’t want that fear of not being heard to enter my mindset when focusing on the creative process of making art. When I create genuine and meaningful music that is authentic to my experience or who I am as a person, people will come around to hearing it, and even more will stick around when marketed properly.
If you were granted a short audience with the omnipotent being and could play them one track of yours – so that they would know who you are (in that moment) – what track would that be?
I would like to play my song “I Still Love You” for them. Modestly speaking, this is such a beautiful song that I feel like people would be able to get behind and make their own. I dove deep into how I created these lyrics and I think that people will be able to appreciate it.
