Happy Like RHODES

RHODES has been captivating audiences with his heartfelt music since his early EP releases. His 2015 debut album "Wishes" under Sony Music made a resounding impact, with the hit single 'Let It All Go' (a duet with Birdy) amassing an impressive 212 million Spotify streams. RHODES' career has since soared, enchanting crowds on headline shows, tours, and performances alongside renowned artists like Sam Smith, London Grammar, and Hozier.

Now, RHODES embarks on a new chapter in his creative journey with the release of 'Happy.' This poignant single delves into the essence of happiness, love, fear, and the human experience, demonstrating RHODES' ability to open up and explore the depths of emotion through his music. Join us as we dive deeper into RHODES' artistry and the meaningful themes that shape his music.

© Daniel Knight Harris

Your new single "Happy" delves into the idea of finding happiness within life's complexities. What inspired you to write this introspective track?

I had a lot going on in my life at the time of writing ‘Happy’. I had been feeling quite lost and maybe a little defeated. I think I was trying too hard to be the person I thought everyone else wanted me to be and was losing a sense of self. Since I was a kid, I had sought acceptance and a sense of belonging but every corner I was turning seemed to present a new obstacle in both my personal and professional life. I started to think maybe I was chasing the wrong things and started question the notion of happiness and owing it to ourselves.

"Happy" addresses the notion of being more present and mindful in today's fast-paced world. How do you navigate the constant changes and societal pressures while staying true to yourself?

I think I’m getting better at this by surrounding myself with the people I love and learning to be present in the moments we share together. I’m careful with how I spend my time and energy, especially with my work. I do feel the societal pressure and I do struggle with the constant change, but I think acknowledging that and talking about it openly was probably one of the most profound things to me because I realised everyone I spoke to also struggled with it in some way. Social media is one of the biggest challenges to overcome in today’s world, there are so many good things about it all but as we all know, this is often massively outweighed by the toxicity and the addiction to it. It’s hard to define success and it’s hard to feel like you’ve achieved anything. Writing ‘Happy’ and the rest of the new album was a process that allowed me to rediscover myself and remember why I started making music.

Your album "Friends Like These" shares deeply personal stories of love, loss, and hope. Could you tell us about your creative process in crafting these heartfelt tracks during lockdown?

All of my songs come from personal experiences. Writing has always been my escape and my way of dealing with pain and my mental health. Lock down gave us all a chance to sit and reflect on a lot of things and for me it was a perfect time to immerse myself in finishing and recording ‘friends like these’. There were no interruptions and the world outside the studio felt silent. It was a strange time to be making music, but it was one of the few positives to draw from the pandemic.

The Pool Sessions EP offered fans a unique live experience of your songs from "Friends Like These." How does performing your music live differ from the studio recording process, and do you have a favourite aspect of performing live?

I love the small nuances of live recordings that are difficult to capture in a studio recording where it’s easy to get sucked into over editing and you can end up diluting the beauty of imperfections. I find when performing live it’s easier for me to get completely lost in the moment and I love that feeling so much. There is a thrill on knowing you only have one chance to get the take and the dream is to make a full live record one day, 

Your debut album "Wishes" was well-received and included the hit single "Let It All Go." How has your musical journey evolved since then, and what have been some defining moments in your career?

The whole ‘Wishes’ era was a whirlwind and some of the best days of my life so far. Touring the world and experiencing that kind of travel and culture was absolutely life changing for me and it reaffirmed my drive and my ambition. There was a period in-between Wishes and Friends Like These where I got a little lost and started to experience some of the toxicity in our industry. There is a huge kind of pressure on artists and there’s this feeling that it can all be snatched away from you at any given moment, and I found that very hard to deal with. Over the past couple of years, and since releasing FLT, I’ve found a place where I feel at my very best and I haven’t felt that in a long time. There was a tour of South East Asia in 2018 where I got to play headline shows in some of the most beautiful cities on earth and that feeling of being on the other side of the world playing to packed out rooms with people singing back the lyrics was very symbolic for me in knowing I was on the right path.

You've had the opportunity to tour with impressive artists like Sam Smith, London Grammar, and Hozier. How have these experiences influenced your own approach to performing and connecting with your audience during your headline shows?

I learned so much from all these artists on the road. Supporting Sam was the first proper tour I did, and I just couldn’t get over the scale of it all. Listening to Sam warming up their voice before every show is something I still think about now and before I sing or play a show I always go through my warm up routine and rituals. I remember Hozier’s absolute raw genius; he was just very graceful and kind and he showed me that you can stay true to yourself and stay unaffected by the chaos of the music industry.

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