There’s no doubt that Blxst is in a lane of his own. As a titan of new-school hip-hop and R&B, the LA star has curated an inimitable niche whilst touching every element of the music-making process. He’s an innovative producer and a business-savvy label-founder; an award-winning hit-maker with a keen eye for graphic design; an expert solo artist and a master collaborator. Now, on a backdrop of billions of streams and several global hits from home-grown EPs, Blxst has just released his official debut album, I’ll Always Come Find You. The star-studded 20-track album tells a deeply introspective story of his personal journey and the roads he took along the way. In I’ll Always Come Find You, Blxst has created a world that expands beyond music into the realms of storytelling and film, with the aim of immersing and connecting with each and every listener. One thing is for sure: Blxst’s legacy is expanding and this West Coast wonder shows no sign of taking his foot off the gas.
How would you describe this season of your life?
“This is the part of my career where I have both hands on the wheel. I know exactly where I’m going, I know the intentions behind my message, the sonics and the sounds. I know the role I play, not only in music, but as a man to my family and in my business – it just all finally makes sense now.”
Your career has skyrocketed over the past few years and now your official debut album, I’ll Always Come Find You is here. Congratulations! Why does it feel like now is the right time for the album?
“Thinking back to one of my previous projects, No Love Lost, I made that in my bedroom with beats on my laptop… [The success of] “Chosen” really shocked me. I couldn’t have imagined that… Now coming full circle with this new album, I have the resources I never had. I wanted to give myself the proper opportunity to create what I’ve always dreamt of making in my head, pulling from different influences and cultures, working with different producers, being able to travel the world and record – I recorded half of the album in Paris and London. This is my debut, you’re going to see every dimension of what I have to offer. I want to give you all of me.”
What do you hope that people will take away from this album?
“I want people to know that they’re not alone – we all go through similar experiences and inner problems, no matter who we are…. I go through real life experiences, I still come home to my family and experience day-to-day things as a father. In the album, I speak on the things that money can’t provide, things that people can take and use as inspiration and motivation for themselves… We have to do the self-work and embrace the journey, taking the highs and the lows whilst keeping a level head. We often get lost in where we’re trying to go instead of embracing where we’re at right now. There’s so much beauty around but you can miss out if you keep focusing on what’s next. In this album, I’m at the dead centre of my journey and embracing it entirely.”
The album has an interesting concept – can you tell us more about the story you created?
“The story of Birdie represents me in an alternate universe. If you pay attention to my previous projects, each one ties a story together and the videos align with each other. It joins together like a sentence; No Love Lost, Before You Go and now, I’ll Always Come Find You. The new album is inspired by different characters within my subconscious: you have Birdie, who is my inner child, and then there’s Big E, who is the older version of me. A lot of the skits in the album bring that to life and welcome you into that world. I’m a big fan of Disney movies and I wanted to put that into my music, so we came up with the character of Birdie. It made so much sense and it touched my heart, you know? This is an introspective journey as I try to become a wiser version of myself.”
The album has 10 very exciting featured artists, including Offset, Ty Dolla $ign, 2 Chainz to name just a few. What do you think these collaborations bring to the project?
“I like to work with artists who rock with me organically, because I know that makes the songs 10 times better. But I also wanted to bring in the concept of the ‘hero’s journey’ that you see in the movies – the hero always meets somebody who will help them get to a certain destination. There are always special characters and that’s how I looked at my featured artists, different people helping me through these experiences and representing other sides of my subconscious to help me on this journey.”
When you talk about the album in this way, we can really see how powerful the artistic vision is. What was the creative process like?
“Usually, I just create the music based on whatever I’m feeling – no concept, it just comes from the heart. But this time, knowing that I wanted to make a concept album, I wanted to build the story first. So we created the short film, wrote the script, made the character of Birdie, right down to how he walks and talks. We embodied that first and then we made a soundtrack for that vision. The worlds just tie together perfectly. When you see the short film, that will bring it to life even more.”
This album is going to make an impact. What are some of the most impactful albums in your life?
“I’ve got to say Kanye West’s Graduation and 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’. I love when artists make their projects larger than life, rather than just an audio experience. It means more, it’s a full adventure. Those are two albums which have done that for me.”
You’re proudly from LA and you were recently involved in Kendrick’s Pop Out, which was a celebration of West Coast culture and music. What do your West Coast roots mean to you?
“Man, it’s everything. My mom and dad brought me up on Snoop and Dr Dre and so many West Coast artists. My roots give me a sense of pride and home. It’s what I represent and I stand on that entirely. It’s my backbone and it gives me the confidence to move in the world. LA is a beautiful city but it’s a tough city. If you can make it in LA, you can make it anywhere.”
How does this West Coast pride balance with a desire to explore different sounds?
“My mom did a good job of making sure that my music palate was real diverse. Although we had the West Coast roots, she would also play a lot of neo-soul, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, and even things like Latin music and Reggae. So for this album, I wanted to pull together all of those inspirations and make a beautiful gumbo pot of everything that made me fall in love with music in the first place. I think my fans are going to be excited. I love throwing people off – people may not expect this from me.”
You’re involved in every aspect of the music-making process, including owning your own label, ‘EVGLE’. Have you always been so multifaceted?
“I always wanted a label. I wanted to enter the game like Pharrell; the production, the fashion, being a song-writer and signing other artists, just being hands-on with everything. I’m blessed to be in this position so I would be crazy not to create opportunities for other people now. I’m doing something that I love. It’s an indescribable feeling to be able to take care of your family with your music.”
Looking back from this vantage point, what words of wisdom would you share with your younger self?
“I would just tell him, ‘you’re not going to believe what’s to come’. I think that’s all I would need to hear to keep going. I’ve been surprising myself ever since I started making music. Every day I wake up and I’m living my dream. I remember sitting in the living room writing down the words of Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent songs just so I could learn their lyrics. Now I have a song with Snoop Dogg [“Go To War”] and to be able to bring him out at my LA show? It’s just like… there’s no limit at this point. I’ve already accomplished my childhood dreams. So I would just tell my younger self to keep going!”
And do you have any plans for the UK?
“Absolutely [Blxst says in his best British accent]! I just want to say thank you to the whole of the UK. When I came out there the first time, it was literally better than performing in LA! The love that I felt? It was like my second home. I can’t wait to come back. Thank you for rocking with me.”