INTRODUCING: Bobby Lies
BOBBY LIES has his father to thank for his love of music. The German-born punk singer explains how his dad took him to his first rock concert when he was three years old. “I still remember the energy in the room, the crowd, the loud guitars and everything. I was in love immediately!” He explains. He’s here to discuss his debut EP, Love Gang, how Patreon has helped his career, and the first song he ever released as an artist.
Whilst his father had introduced him to music as a child, their relationship wasn’t close. “My dad has always been a big music nerd,” Bobby explains. “We never spent a lot of time together, or had a super close relationship because he was working a lot, but music was always our way to bond when we had the time to.”
This love of music only grew as he got older, especially at school. “I started playing the guitar and joined the ‘Rock Club’ in school, because it was the only thing I was interested in and began to found my very first band. For years I have always been the songwriter, guitarist and harmony singer. We always did rock music and tried a lot of things. Later we were searching for a new lead singer, but we didn’t find a matching part. The band decided to make an inner band ‘singing contest’, where in the end the other band members decided that I should become the new lead singer. I think this was the real start for me, because as a singer, there is no way around of not feeling what you are doing. This was the birth of my first post-hardcore band. I always felt very connected to myself in it and needed this energy to get my life in balance.”
The very first song he released was with his band, APRIL UPRISING, “with the song This Is Why Our Feet Are Pointing Forward. It was my first released track as a lead singer. It’s not on Spotify anymore but you can still find the songs on YouTube,” he laughs. On a serious note, music also helped Bobby “from getting into trouble. I don’t know where I would have ended without it to be honest,” he admits.
“The funny thing is I always felt weird on stages. I mean I love it, but it feels weird that I’m standing on a stage while everyone else isn’t. So I started to play my shows in the crowd, because for me it was always more about being in the same room with other people, sharing energies, feelings, moments, issues and not me being on a stage singing a song.”
This crowd interaction is why BOBBY LIES is so beloved. It therefore seems appropriate for his debut EP to be called Love Gang. The EP mixes punk and electronic music, and is a very exciting and promising start for a rising star. However, the reasoning behind the name is a lot more simple than just being loved.
“I chose the Gang part of the name because a gang is a group of people following the same goal. I wanted to meet and connect with good people,” he explains. “As for the Love part, it’s because I truly believe that love, kindness and understanding is the key to solving our problems. Maybe not on a world or a political level, but on a personal level where we try to kill the ego and its problems and start listening to each other really see the other person, which might in the end solve problems on a much bigger scale.”
The inspiration behind the EP was simple. “For the first time in my life, I tried to just trust the process! I was always writing a lot of songs, but always ended up overthinking, trying to figure out what the perfect song might be, which one I feel the most and is the most authentic one, which is a fight you can’t win, because we are always changing individuals, reacting with our environment,” he explains. “With the Love Gang EP I killed my wrong perfectionism and trusted myself, that all I do will be perfect in exactly that moment.”
The recording process was “pretty chill” as “I came along with a chorus, a melody some lyrics and a meaning and then we just start writing around. Of course as a small artist, you can’t afford to rent a big studio for a month, take the time and write. We were sitting in a basement whenever we have the time to,” he laughs.
Love Gang is also the name of Bobby‘s Patreon page. Patreon is a subscription service used by musicians where fans pay a certain amount of money a month in return for perks, such as unreleased songs, a member’s pack or a say in the music. In the streaming age, which has been widely publicised for being unfair for the music industry due to the low fees that are paid to the musicians themselves, it is more important than ever that the artists get their money. For BOBBY LIES, it is still early days, as he admits that “five people aren’t enough to pay my bills, which is my biggest problem.” However, he’s optimistic about the future of his Patreon.
“I already have some real hardcore supporters for whom I am so thankful. Next to streaming my songs and coming to my concerts, it is the most direct way to support me and I am super happy that people choose this opportunity.”
What does the future hold for BOBBY LIES? “It would be very boring if I knew, right?” He laughs.
Love Gang is out now via Easthaven Records.
Follow BOBBY LIES on Instagram.