INTERVIEW: Rhett Repko discusses his origins and influences alongside new single ‘Somewhat Famous’

Over these last few years, fast-rising artist and producer Rhett Repko has established himself as one of the more innovative names on the rise. And with his recent outing ‘Every Night’ continuing that dynamic reputation once again, he returns to the fold to deliver his wondrous new single ‘Somewhat Famous’.

So with the new single out now, we joined him to find out more about his origins and influences over the years.

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What was the first rock song or artist that made an impact on you?

The Beatles were the first artist to make an impression on me. Especially their earlier work. I collected their albums in the order that they released them so I got to experience their music in the timeline that they recorded them.  I loved the energy of their recordings and how you could hear the studio/room in the recording. You really feel like you’re right there as they’re singing to you. I strive to have some of that element in my own music now.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences within the rock genre?

Within the rock genre, it’s countless artists. I love Nirvana the most but I like artists from every decade of music. I think there’s great stuff to pull from even from the beginning of rock n roll in the 1950’s.  The 80’s is where mixes started to sound really full and great to me.  And then now there’s some cool sounding stuff I try to pull from as well. But I try to be careful and not overuse too many modern techniques. I want a blend between old school sounding recordings and modern recordings.  I basically want it to have the spirit of being a raw performance, but enhanced slightly and captured in a very high quality way.  

Are there any non-rock musicians or genres that have also influenced your music?

Of course, I love pop music from every decade as well.  Some big ones currently are Michael Jackson, Madonna, Phil Collins, WHAM!, Sza, and Chappell Roan.  

What is your main inspiration when looking to write new music?

I want to write something that feels exciting and fresh.  It can be a genre or sound that’s been done before but I want it to be something that’s new in my catalog.  Even if it sounds 90% like other music I’ve done as long as it has that 10% something different in it. It could be a slightly different guitar tone, a new synth sound, a unique lyric line, or of course a different kind of melody/chord progression.  Anything that makes the new song memorable in some sort of way is what I’m looking for. 

What do you enjoy most about performing live and do you have any memorable live performance experiences you’d like to share?

What I like about performing live is it’s the opposite of a recording studio. In a recording studio it’s all about capturing a specific moment perfectly, tweaking it, re-doing it.  Live it doesn’t matter if it’s perfect. Whatever you do IS that moment.  Time feels like it’s slowed down and sped up at the same time when I’m on stage.  I try to put myself out there and not hold back at all.  I sing with all of my heart, I move and dance with my guitar, and I put my passion on the stage.  Recently I performed in LA and was overcoming a cold.  I had low energy and trouble breathing between all of my lyrics, but I didn’t allow myself to take a break or miss lines. I pushed through and sang as hard as I could. I wasn’t sure if people enjoyed the set or if it was too rough but I knew that it didn’t lack energy and excitement at least.  Afterwards people came up to me and told me that I was their favorite band that night and they can’t wait to see more shows.  

What has been a particularly rewarding moment in your musical journey so far?

Any milestone feels rewarding.  Putting out new songs is always exciting.  Recording at a label’s studio for the first time felt very rewarding.  Having access to all of their state of the art gear with no limitations allowed me to record the best version of the song I can.  That’s my latest song “Somewhat Famous” that I recorded at Red Bull Studios in Santa Monica. 

How would you define success as a musician?

I don’t know yet. It changes every year. There’s different degrees of success. I’d like more income from it to be able to record more music and tour properly. So once I’m at that threshold where I can comfortably record and tour I’d say that’s pretty successful. For now, any little win is success.  Putting out new music, getting new press, getting new radio stations to pick up the song, new fans messaging me saying they love my music.  Anytime the song is heard by new people I consider that a success. 

What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are just starting out?

You just have to begin.  Start doing some key things.  Write your own songs, record them, and release them even if it’s just 1 and you build from there. Play shows where possible, record some videos to promote your content either a full music video or short form videos for social media.  You have to start building your catalog and world.  It takes time but the more you do it the bigger it grows. 

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Listen to Rhett Repko’s new single ‘Somewhat Famous’ below.