Korean-Canadian singer-songwriter baron. has arrived, and he is now ready to take on the music industry.
The young artist has recently released his new single, “Diamond Spoon,” a slowed hip-hop song that has all the hallmarks of a potential hit (raw but good vocals, good melody, good beats) perfect to listen to according to your persuasion–an apt jam on a long road trip or even when one is about to unwind at night.
But don’t be fooled.
Despite the song’s relaxed vibe, “Diamond Spoon,” actually has a dark undertone as it explores the “superficial nature of society,” a concept that has resonated with baron. at the time of writing. “I was hungry and desperate for success, which I still am, but during that time, I fed myself into the superficial nature of society,” baron. explained in an exclusive interview with POP!.
“I wanted to express the anger, disappointment, and greed I felt in myself for not having more and resented the world for the idea that ‘money makes the world go round,’” he added. The young artist did mention that in hindsight, “Diamond Spoon” was a “really immature song.”
The concept of “Diamond Spoon” has been evident in the accompanying visualizer, which shows a person in pursuit of monetary gains while being surrounded by floating hands attached to Greek columns that try to reach over a spoon.
Despite its dark undertone, baron. shared that he hopes his listeners can enjoy the song and take away something important from it. “I hope this song helps people understand that the world can be really shallow and superficial, and sometimes you gotta get your hands dirty and fight for what you want within the system.”
The singer added, “I hope this song motivates people to hustle for what they want, whether it’s as meaningful as keeping family happy, or something as superficial as drinking cocktails on a yacht.”(baron./POP!)
baron. had written “Diamond Spoon” in the middle of the global pandemic where he worked with RIKII and ALVIN RYZE. And it appears that making the song was no easy task as it underwent many processes.
baron. revealed that the first time he wrote the song’s demo, he didn’t originally plan to release it as he wasn’t satisfied. But his mind changed after months of working on it. “After several months of production tweaks and re-recording the vocals over and over again, it came to a point where I felt that the song was ready to show,” he recalled. “From the vocal tone [and] energy, [to] music production, it was definitely a journey that I can say I learned a lot from.”
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He continued that “Diamond Spoon” reminded him that “sometimes we need to do what we don’t like to do to get what we want.”
“I hope this song helps people understand that the world can be really shallow and superficial, and sometimes you gotta get your hands dirty and fight for what you want within the system.” – baron.
Aside from the challenges faced from writing the song itself, baron. also recalled some difficult situations throughout his pursuit of a music career. One of those setbacks is the direct health effects of the pandemic–they had to be very careful to avoid getting infected. baron. noted, “I remember me and the producers [sic], RIKII and ALVIN RYZE, [were] all being very careful when meeting up and taking precautionary measures to keep each other safe when making music. It was quite weird and awkward to wear masks, but we did what we needed to do to keep each other safe and continue making music.”
baron. admits the pandemic may have been a “blessing in disguise” for him as he had now the time to analyze and discover new music. “As an artist, however, [the pandemic] gave me some open time to hone my craft and take my time to explore new sounds.”
On the other hand, baron. had also been sacrificing his lifestyle where he admitted to working 14 hours a day and missing out on social outings and sleep. “I spent one year isolated in my house studying, analyzing, writing, producing over and over again,” baron. revealed. “It was quite unhealthy and mentally stressful. I’m still constantly making sacrifices for social outings, friends/family, and sleep, but I[’m] still try[ing] my absolute best to live a balanced lifestyle.”
baron. first made his appearance in the music scene in 2020 with his track “Love No More,” a song that’s part of his EP, “No Tears.” Ever since debuting, he already released five songs: “Anymore,” the second track in his EP, “We in Love,” “Where You At,” “Love is a Lie,” and his latest track, “Diamond Spoon.”
baron. has always been surrounded by music his entire life. Aside from his mother being a pianist and his sister an ardent lover of 90s music, baron. performed in his church choir where most of his music knowledge and interest in vocal harmonies stemmed from. From there, baron. expanded his knowledge of different genres to include alternative rock and hip-hop.
“My taste in music is definitely a random blend from EDM, R&B, Hip-hop, etc., and feels like it’s just a build of elements I like within each genre,” baron. shared. “I’m always trying to figure out how to blend the certain characteristics that I like from each genre together to make music that is unique and slightly unusual.”
In terms of his songwriting process, baron. described it as “flexible and ever-changing.” “I generally start with the concept of the song, such as what type of emotion I’m trying to invoke and what idea I will talk about,” he started. “Then I write melodies based on my standard of catchiness and how my vocal tone [will] sound. As I listen to the melody that I wrote (oftentimes just the hook), I will start to hear the music in my head—starting with the chords, the sonics, and the drums. [From there] slowly, but surely, the song will be made.”
Ever since entering the music scene in 2020, baron. had learned and realized that the pursuit of his dreams in the industry is “going to be a process.” “I learn[ed] that it was going to take a lot more as an artist for me to have a presence in the community and bring something really special and inspiring,” he started. “We’re blessed to have so many artists these days that are inspiring each other to be different, fresh, and bring their personalized taste.”
He also believed that it’s crucial for an independent artist to be different. Thus, he has been putting a lot of effort into his music and keeps his songs exciting by incorporating changes “in various sections throughout [his] song[s].” “I particularly enjoy a tasteful change of pace and groove. I think it allows songs to feel more like a journey,” baron. said.
When asked about baron.’s future plans, it appears that he has a lot of things in store for his listeners. The artist disclosed, “I have lots of ideas, concepts, and, of course, songs that I will release throughout the year! I sometimes have trouble sleeping at night in excitement to show you what I’ve been working on.”
He then expressed his desire to collaborate with a lot of artists, including South Korean rapper PENOMECO and Ghanian singer Amaarae.
“I’m really excited for the future because I’m constantly developing as an artist and I really think I’ll be able to create something special for the world to experience,” he said.
/VT
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