Interview with Herobust After Hometown Tour Stop [Exclusive Interview]

Interview with Herobust After Hometown Tour Stop

2/12/2019

We caught up with Herobust after his tour stop in his hometown of Atlanta at the Variety Playhouse. Keep an eye out for our full show recap on Respect My Region. Special thanks to Listen Up for giving us the opportunity to cover the event!

How does it feel to be performing in Atlanta again?
It's awesome. I'm from here; I grew up here. So it's just always really nice to come back and play one of the venues that I grew up going to.

What's the last show you remember seeing here at the Variety Playhouse?
I think it was Animal Collective.

We noticed you played a million really sick mashups: Fall Out Boy, Weezer, 21 Pilots, and even some Rage Against the Machine at the end. Is alternative music an influence for you or was the track selection more about solid crowd-pleasers?
I mainly listen to hip hop, really, in my free time but I've never really thought about it like that. I mean they certainly are crowd-pleasers. But I think because that's what my mom listened to when I was super young, that's really where I got my sense of tonality - from alternative music. Just because those were the first melodies, harmonies, everything that I was exposed to.

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Have you yelled WTF at me?

A post shared by Herobust (@herobust) on Feb 6, 2019 at 4:22pm PST

Are there any local artists you follow?
Yeah, every rapper in the world is from Atlanta! Mainly hip hop artists, but there are a ton of talented producers from here also.

What do you like to do when you come back home? What are some of your favorite spots in the city?
I live in nearby Inman Park - that area is awesome. Little Five and East Atlanta I like a lot. When I'm home I try to play basketball; spend time with my dog.

Just normal-guy stuff?
Pretty much. I don't really have that much free time. When I'm home I really need to be in the studio.

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A post shared by Herobust (@herobust) on Feb 4, 2019 at 5:54pm PST

What's the day-to-day schedule like for you?
Some years we'll do long, drawn-out bus tours where I'm gone for three or four months at a time. Then I'll be home for two or three weeks. This year I've decided not to do bus tours, and only be out of town for instance Wednesday through Saturday. So every week I fly home on Sunday and get at least one or two studio days. It gives me more of a routine. You can have more of a real life that way.

Have you noticed any positive change in your mental state since changing how you tour?
Sure. It was never something I struggled with too much, but being home regularly definitely helps me maintain relationships that are important to me. I can be a better friend, a better boyfriend, a better son. I'll fly home on Sunday pretty late and usually don't really do much that day. Mondays I'll be in my studio at my house, so I probably don't even really get dressed - I'm just in my underwear making music. Cause I only leave the house to go to the gym, play basketball, walk my dog.

All things that can be done in your underwear?
[Laughs] Ish, yeah. Maybe.

What about local festivals like Imagine and Shaky Beats? Do you have any festival dates this summer?
I've played Imagine before. But we don't really do too many festivals in Atlanta just because this is a market that's really important to me and I'd rather throw my own show so it can be more intimate.

A huge thank you to Herobust for taking the time to answer our questions and to Listen Up for connecting us! Be sure to follow him on social media below and watch for our full show recap on Respect My Region.