ALTERNATIVE, Interview, Music Reviews, New Fire Music, POP
10 Questions With Pio Bartilo (New Project ‘The Last Teenager, Development As An Artist, Influences, & More)
Feb
Stream ‘The Last Teenager’ Out Now!
Pio Bartilo is a truly unique artist from North Carolina. His most recent project titled ‘The Last Teenager’ tells the story of his last year as a teenager, with all songs written at the age of 19. Presented as a ‘Pop’ album, you are going to get a lot of sounds you wouldn’t expect from this project (hope you’re ready!). Bartilo blends alternative R&B, rock, hip-hop, and traditional R&B in a manner I can’t say I’ve ever heard.
First listen, we were definitely caught off guard. We were naturally inclined to try to put the artist in a box of one genre, but it really isn’t possible. You have to listen to ‘The Last Teenager’ with an open mind. On the second and third listen, songs start to stick out and you may even find yourself singing along (listen to river, not competing, and rome). You begin to appreciate Pio Bartilo’s heartfelt lyrics and song making ability. Many of Pio’s offerings have the structure of something you would hear on pop radio or see on the billboard charts! We were getting big Jason Derulo vibes early on listening to the project, which is a huge complement.
Pio has the potential to be the kind of artist record labels dream of. Pop artists tend to have a higher ceiling than say a trap hip-hop artist, because the ‘Pop’ sound is more translatable and marketable across the globe (we can’t spin the block with AKs everyday! ). In addition, everyone can relate to the common themes of ‘love’ and ‘heartbreak’ which Pio approaches with a fresh perspective. We were really impressed with the versatility that Pio showcased. Addicted to love literally sounds like it could’ve been on a Fall Out Boy project, while neptune and moon makes you feel like you’re at Kanye West’s Wyoming ranch in the year 2040. If Pio Bartilo continues to improve his singing ability and becomes more comfortable with audio effects, the sky’s the limit. We got the chance to ask Pio about the new project and his career thus far, and here’s what he had to say:
Who is Pio Bartilo?
Pio Bartilo is more fun and fearless than I am in my personal life yet he’s still able to be emotional, and that’s my favorite part about this whole experience. When I’m Pio I get to be more open with the world versus when I’m Khashi, my actual name, I have to keep things all wrapped up and pretty.
Your style is a blend of many genres. How did you develop your sound?
Going into this project my inspiration for it came from Beyoncé’s 2016 album “Lemonade”. I like how she incorporated multiple genres and I wanted to take that and apply it to my career. I think as an independent artist and just a creator, challenging your talents and showing diversity is important. Always keep them guessing who you really are!
On Beyoncé’s Lemonade, there aren’t really two songs that sound alike. This is apparent with her beat selection and range of features including Kendrick Lamar, James Blake, and The Weeknd. Pio definietly brought a similar vibe with his approach to The Last Teenager. Beyoncé included traditional R&B, alternative, pop, and even threw in a country-style song brining her back to her southern roots in Houston, Texas.
Which artists influenced you the most growing up?
Growing up my biggest inspiration was Michael Jackson; his style, creativity, and diversity always had me obsessed. Being able to tackle the predominately white environment of Pop and become the King of it as a black man is truly inspiring.
First coming on to the scene about 50 years ago, Michael Jackson is still influencing artists to this day.
Tell us about ‘The Last Teenager’. How did the concept come about?
The title actually tells it all. This project is about all the good times and bad times of my last year as a Teenager. I wrote this project at 19 and every song is about a moment I experienced during my last year as a teen. Some songs may be a little exaggerated. I may have not been sipping cognac with gold diggers in Paris, but there were definitely days when that felt like a reality. Anyways there’s a lot of songs that people can relate to on this project and I’m just happy I don’t have to carry these feelings into my adult life being 20 now. Time for new experiences.
The range of beat selection is really dope. What kind of beats usually catch your ear?
This has been the most frustrating part about making music for me, if I can not feel the beat or have a hook just spill out of me then I can’t use it, I always end up with a custom made beat because it has to be something that connects to me personally.
We saw this project posted in the ‘Pop’ genre. Why do you consider this a ‘Pop’ album?
Although you get a taste of different genres on this project I wanted to stay true to who I am as an artist and person, keeping that happy, bubbly, feel good sound to all the music. Two of the saddest songs to me on the Project “Last Teenager” and “River” have such a happy vibe that you don’t realize I’m going through it until you listen to the lyrics.
We actually couldn’t agree more. Both songs Pio mentioned make you feel like you’re riding a bike on the boardwalk in to the sunset, or chilling at the beach! But if you listen closely, Bartilo croons about feelings of life not having meaning without a mystery woman at his side.
How do you think your music has developed over the past year?
I see my writing style now is way more darker and mature then anything you’ve heard on The Last Teenager, which I expected to happen now that I’m no longer writing from a teenager’s perspective. I’m ready to share the older Pio Bartilo with you guys pretty soon. It’s going to be really interesting seeing how quickly I’ve changed as an artist and a person in general.
How could you improve going forward?
I’m always looking for ways to better myself. I really want to improve my skills as an artist and I would like to learn to produce my own music, making my music 100% me.
What else do you want new fans to know about you?
The main thing I want fans to know about me is that I do this because it genuinely makes me happy, I don’t care if I never make a dime off my music. I’ll never stop, it feeds my soul.
Where can people follow you to keep up with the latest?
Definitely follow me on Instagram @piobartilo it’s where I’m the most active and where you can get sneak peeks of upcoming projects and events!