Enfnts Terribles

We already know you, but how would you introduce yourself to someone who isn’t familiar with your music?

I would just say that I’m a singer-songwriter that tries to write songs that come from a real and honest place. If they can relate to someone in some way, then that makes me happy. But I just try to be myself 100% and would describe my style as a sort of timeless music. I don’t like to follow too many trends when it comes to production or lyrics. I’m actually mostly inspired by artists like Elvis and Marvin Gaye.

Is the artist ‘Spencer Sutherland’ different from the private person?

I’ve never written a song where I made up a story. Every time I tried, it turned out very lame, and it didn’t resonate with people, so I just try to be super honest. When a fan can make a connection to the song, that’s the biggest win as an artist.

2020 is almost over, but how would you describe the past twelve months?

The overall theme is hate because traveling and touring is my favorite thing to do in the world. I had to stand still, which was a real bummer. This year taught me that I need to pivot, adapt, and come at it from different angles. You need to reflect on how you can keep going as an artist and try to keep your audience on their toes.

It’s been great because I could explore different creative outlets like acting. I just finished filming my first movie, and that has been something that I didn’t do before. I was also able to start a podcast and do some voice-over work. I’ve been able to dive into other things while songwriting was quite difficult at the start of quarantine. I wrote a few sad songs but felt so unmotivated, so it kind of forced me to create my creative juices in other ways. Ultimately, I found my way back to music because that’s my bread and butter, that’s what I live by.

What have you learned or discovered about yourself during this quarantine?

I learned that I try to distract myself when I feel sad or stressed with a bunch of stuff. During these times, you can’t distract yourself with a lot and can’t go to Disney World or on a trip. I learned that it’s good to sometimes sit in your feelings and learn to work through them by not going to a bar or whatever. It made me a little bit more mature, which is, I guess, positive. I discovered how to deal with my inner demons.

Where would you situate yourself in the process of becoming the artist you want to become?

I’m going to evolve every year, but I’m also so happy and proud of the artist that I am now and the message that I’m portraying. The only improvement would be to have more people to be able to see it and go to a larger level.

Everybody can release music nowadays and streaming became the most used way of music consumption. Does that affect your songwriting?

I hear so many songs — and I won’t name anybody — but people try to write songs for Tik Tok and Spotify. I never want to get caught up in writing for something that isn’t truly me. I never want to write for a specific social media platform. If Tik Tok would hit me up and ask if I want to write a song for them, I definitely would, but I wouldn’t write an artistic song that would maybe be doing great on Tik Tok. I just don’t believe in that as an artist, so I try to stay true and write from the heart. I want people to listen to my music in sixty years and think that it’s still timeless.

What’s the main plan for 2021? 

I pray that I can go on tour more than once. That’s my number one thing to do, and it’s the thing I love the most. I plan to go on tour, and I’d love to release a full-length album next year. Those are my two big goals, and I’ll keep on going on the path we’re on to continue to get bigger and better. I also have a movie coming out next year, which is pretty exciting, and hopefully, I can do more acting as well.