We are in the second part of our interview with Gowe, fresh off the release of his comeback project ‘Nostalgia Forever.’ For this part of the discussion, Gowe dives into what fueled his return to music and some behind the scenes information on the project. For the first part of the interview go here.
TZ: So you’ve gotten this wave of creativity and started dropping singles. How did you connect with Game Chops for “Old Friend?” And what has the response been like to the single?
GO: I’m a big retro VG guy. I grew up on SNES, N64 and NES.
Composer Koji Kondo (Legend of Zelda) always had super dope compositions.
I came across Gamechops, reached out, connected and partnered together for that track. Response has been dope! Definitely a new audience base there.
TZ: Then you dropped “Worth The Wait” and “Loving Again.” Talk about the process of making those songs and the love they’ve received.
GO: I saw both of these singles as my ‘return singles’. With “Loving Again” i wanted to write a metaphorical song about loving music again. And with WTW, it was a sequel to a very popular song of mine called “Wait For You”.
TZ: Now you’ve just released a project that is literally unlike anything your fans have heard from you. What made you take this route sonically?
GO: Honestly, i need it from a creative standpoint. It’s really hard for me to create the same type of sound over and over. I feel stagnant most of the time i try that. So for me to stay fresh creatively, i have to venture out and try something new. At the same time, I have to FEEL what I’m trying new. I’m not just going to mash genres together for the sake of it – but I find a lot of joy in re-inventing myself over and over.
TZ: For this project you teamed up with Sam Ock! How did you know he was the right person to work with on this project? He’s known mostly for R&B and he drops bars from time to time, but why him?
GO: Sam is my dude. He’s a very talented, creative producer, but more importantly, our vision for using music as a Kingdom vehicle is completely aligned. I know his heart/reasoning for doing music. And that comes first. There’s a level of trust and understanding in our relationship that has formed over the past decade.
TZ: Now ‘Nostalgia Forever’ is finally out. What are some of thoughts about being “back” with a full length project? And what is some of the feedback you’ve been receiving?
GO: The album just dropped – but I’ve heard nothing but overwhelmingly positive feedback so far. It’s encouraging to know that people understand by brand and associate a level of quality to my work. Regardless of how i choose to reinvent my own sound.
That’s all for the second part of the interview! We’ll be back with the third and final part next week.
