No stranger to success & with a strong international fanbase; revered artist MOUNT returns hot off the back of his last collaboration & hit remake of ‘Venus’. This time, teaming up with talented song writer/vocalist JUSTN X and the result is another dope tune, entitled – ‘Closer’. We caught up with them both to find out a little more about their journeys so far, leading to this collaboration and plans for the near future:
GDE: First off, thanks for joining us MOUNT & JUSTN X & welcome to GDE! Where do we find you in the world right now & with the unusual year we’ve had so far, what’s been your main focus?
MOUNT: For us the whole year was a chance to be creative. There have been so many changes in our daily routines, that it has a huge impact on our lives. There are so many things you just can’t change and I think the best way to deal with it is to be creative and to start thinking in a whole new way.
GDE:Congrats on your latest release, ‘Closer’ – can you take us inside your creative process, from initial inspiration through to final production?
MOUNT: I guess we were lucky, because we both had the same vibe when we wrote the song. Our interest in deep house, catchy melodies and sexy lyrics brought us together. To be honest in the beginning we had a whole different chorus, which we changed afterwards.
JUSTN X: Sometimes I tend to want too much when I write a track. Fortunately, MOUNT asked me to change the chorus into something more low-key. So, we took the first idea that came up, as it felt so intuitive to us.
GDE: MOUNT, how did you end up working with JUSTN X on the single?
We’re signed at the same publishing company and they connected us.
GDE: How would you each describe your individual sounds?
MOUNT: I always try to mix mainstream and underground elements together and to get the best out of it. I’m open for every kind of music as long as it’s fun to listen and makes people dance.
JUSTN X: This is quite a journey for me. I think my sound continually changes. As an artist I like to go with the flow and I don’t like to think in boxes or styles. I keep learning from so many different people in every genre and I’m deeply inspired by all their stories. Whatever feels natural is right to me. Life is so beautiful and colourful. So, I try to bring every emotion and every person into a song. I’d rather tear down walls between people and for me this starts with music.
GDE: MOUNT, does the name hold any special meaning? How long have you been producing under this alias & what are some goals that you have for yourself with the project over the next year?
MOUNT: I come from the west side of Austria; so, my roots are in the alps.
My former manager had the idea with the name when I started with my project MOUNT. I’ve been using this name since 2014 and I still like it.
I will try to do my best to be successful, keep being creative and having fun with making fresh new music.
GDE: JUSTN X, can you tell us a little about your own journey in the industry to date?
JUSTN X: The last few years went by very fast, during which time I had several band projects that always changed. Then I started writing songs for other artists, which went really well. In 2017 I co-wrote a platinum single and co-wrote a #1 album in Germany. So, I kept writing and got signed to Sony/ATV and wrote a lot of dance music, which I really love. So, I decided to create my own project and give JUSTN X a go. ‘Closer’ has been the perfect start for this.
GDE: Looking back, can you both share 3 moments that stand out for you & have been most influential in building your careers?
MOUNT: One of the best moments was in 2015 when I uploaded ‘Something Good’ on Soundcloud and the track went viral. Another great moment was in 2016 when I played my first DJ set in front of so many people in Egypt. And I also remember my North America tour with Filous as an exciting experience for my career.
JUSTN X: To be honest there have been several small decisions you normally wouldn’t even notice that lead to the big events. His album went number 1 in Germany. Once I ran into a guy who saw me performing live on stage and asked me if I wanted to join him busking. Normally I would have said no but this time I had a feeling I should do it. One of the buskers connected me with the Ironix and together we had our first label release. Another time, I wanted to leave a party earlier, but someone took me to a bar where there was an acoustic session. When I joined the session there was a manager who connected me with German rapper Cro.
GDE: And finally, across the remainder of 2020 & beyond, what else is in the pipeline for MOUNT & JUSTN X that we can look forward to hearing?
You can expect a lot of new music from us both, we’re working on several projects together as well as with other artists. Plus, of course… I hope it will be possible to play in front of a crowd again.
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