scott is okay
Scott is okay hates his face. He says it in his Spotify bio and shows it by cropping out every face in every picture featured on every single one of his album covers. It’s this unique and oddly personable quality to him that makes his music so special. He began releasing music all the way back in 2019, debuting with “better.” Every chord, every lyric, and every beat brings something new to the audience’s ears and feels like a window into the artist’s soul. His talent and passion have been validated by his immense success, having been featured on Spotify’s featured playlists like Lorem and Bloom, as well as amassing a considerably large following of loyal listeners. More recent hits like “Nervous” and “Patience” have hundreds of thousands of streams. The most impressive part? He’s done all of this without ever showing his face. Don’t be surprised if you see this faceless star a lot more in the near future.
How did you get started making music?
I started producing music using this free programme (I think it’s meant to be used for radio or something) and apps on my iPod touch. They couldn’t do much but I learned a lot of the language – I end up using it all the time when producing stuff now.
There are a bunch of elements to your aesthetic that we have to talk about! First, what is the backstory behind the name scott is okay?
Honesty I was just trying to find something I liked that sounded cool. I like that it had a sort’ve ironic thing going for it when the songs are sad and it’s boring/literal when they’re less sad.
And the decision to not reveal your face (very cool, by the way). Can you tell us about that?
My face is out there if you look for it, I wasn’t trying to go full Daft Punk. But I’ve been thinking more about privacy, digital footprints, and stuff like that and decided that way. Also helps that I don’t have to care what my face looks like when I post haha.
With that said, will we ever get scott is okay face reveal?
Maybe. My opinions might change on the whole thing, or maybe I’ll get comfortable with the way I look. I don’t know yet.
Your style is super unique in the sense of production – who are some of the artists that have shaped this sound?
Thanks :) I owe a lot to a bunch of artists. St Vincent, Janelle Monaé, Childish Gambino. I don’t know how much my music sounds like theirs, but I think it’s the production choices, world-building, and songwriting that I think of. Been listening to a lot of Prince, Pavement, and Phoebe Bridgers recently though so who knows what the next stuff is going to sound like. Lotta P’s.
What is a typical day in the studio like for you? Or, how does a scott is okay song usually come together?
Well, my studio is my bedroom so I wake up and I’m there. Lockdown 3’s been rough on motivation but on a good day I just get up and crack on.
Songs usually come together either really quick, all in one go. Or they end up being these Frankenstein songs, made up of a bunch of different ideas, cut and pasted together.
You released “Money” last month and it was fantastic. Can you walk us through the inspiration for the track?
I had the first verse with the organ and I was trying to get a chorus but every idea was a bit shit. I accidentally played a chord in the wrong octave and the idea for this slow-motion groovy bit happened, the rest of the track fell into the right spaces.
Do you ever find yourself with writer’s block? And if so, what are some of the ways that you push through?
Whenever I get in writer’s block now I just try something completely new. I usually go through > I like this but it doesn’t sound like my stuff > me listening to it loads because I like it > realizing I like it and let’s keep heading in this exciting direction because what I was doing before probably wasn’t working.
You’ve been releasing your songs since 2019. Which is the best piece of advice that you’ve ever received in this time?
‘‘My music is organic, not deliberate. If I try to make something deliberate, I fail, so I have no choice!!’’
How would you describe your music to a new listener?
I’d describe the stuff I’m working on at the moment as warbley, crunchy and jittery.
How do you typically spend your time outside of the studio? What can we expect from you in 2021?
I don’t really do anything anymore because of lockdown so I’m mostly just playing games. Currently tackling Kingdom Hearts 2, Dying Light (and fornite lol)
When scott is okay makes it to LA., ___________.
He will need a lot of sunscreen.