We get to know Mani Blü, a fresh new artist out of Melbourne who’s just dropped his second ever single ‘Frankenstein’.
With Halloween coming up at the end of the month, it could very well be that he’s chosen the perfect time to drop the new single. There’s also the promise of a music video landing next week.
But if you’re curious to find out more about the man behind the incredible imagery above, best you check out our latest feature.
01. Name : My name is Mani Blü.
02. Where are you based? I am a 22-year-old singer/songwriter from Melbourne.
03. How did you get your start in music? I got my start in music at an early age, I was around six years old, I always remember having such a deep connection to music. I started singing and dancing lessons in second grade, I had a massive urge to perform as a child and it translated into my teen years to now. I also spent a lot of my time as teenager doing musical theatre.
04. Give us five words to best describe you as an artist. Theatrical, Determined, Introspective, Perceptive and Unapologetic.
05. Tell us a little bit about your sound and how it developed. I did classical vocal training when I was younger, and it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I discovered a lot music from the ’70s and ’80s like Bowie, Queen and Culture Club that I started to find my voice.
I did a lot of musical theatre and was in love with drama and fantasy so I think that steered me into the direction of thematic and darker styles of writing. Currently my music is very influenced by hyper pop and ’80s synth-pop, but I still incorporate my theatrical elements into everything I do, I can’t help it.
06. What’s your earliest musical memory? My earliest musical memory would probably be watching MTV while my older sisters watched music videos on the weekend, I have clear memory of ‘Dreams’ by The Cranberries playing.
07. Who have been your musical influences? I have a lot of musical influences. I discovered my style of music as a teenager and most of the music I was listening to the was top 40 pop music but I was, and still am, super influenced by Bowie, Gaga, ABBA, Marilyn Manson, Marina and the Diamonds, Culture Club, The Eurythmics, Dead Or Alive etc. A lot of these musical acts introduced me to new worlds of music.
08. What are your favourite songs of all time? I always find myself going to back to ’70s and ’80s rock music, so I guess everything from that time.
09. Where’s your favourite place to listen to music? I like to listen to music on the train, I find it calming.
10. What was the first album you ever bought? It was Avril Lavigne’s first album ‘Let Go’.
11. Give us a little fun fact about yourself that people might not know. I was banned from my school’s art shows every year for being too controversial, but I guess that’s a fun fact, I like to direct and perform in video art.
12. What would your chosen career be if music wasn’t an option? I honestly couldn’t answer that if I tried!
13. What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career? I think just to be yourself and to never give up, and as clichéd as that sounds. It is so important to hear those words, because a lot of people can try and tear you down and make you feel like you’re not enough of a star or like you’re not good enough, so those words can be uplifting. Kindness is everything.
14. If you could trade places with any artist in the world right now, who would it be? I don’t know if I would want to trade with anyone in particular to be honest, but I mean there are artists who I would love to be as successful as.
15. Tell us about your latest release. My sophomore single ‘Frankenstein’ is something I had brewing for a while. It’s a pretty long pop song at 5:15, but it’s a self-exploratory journey.
It describes my angst with feeling like an outcast in society and love, but also how I deal with that, and how I turn it into art and fashion. I used Frankenstein as a metaphor to tell that story.
Sonically it super influenced by ’80s and ’90s pop music, as well as influences from experimental pop too. It also comes with a music video that will be released soon!
16. What do your future plans involve? I am working on making more music at the moment with some really cool people who love the same music that I do which is super exciting. I plan to release an EP early next year. The songs are very pop, but they have a theatrical twist to them. I am also going to play a lot of shows with my band and just continue to make art.
17. Where can our audience catch you live? I have a show coming up on October 10 at The Workers Club in Melbourne. I’m playing with my good friends KAIAR and Joju who are incredibly talented musicians who make electronic music from synth wave to dream pop. I will be performing a lot of my unheard material for the first time, and I have been working super hard with my band to put on an electric show full of fashion, art and electronic pop music. I will also be premiering my music video! You can get your tickets HERE!
FACEBOOK : https://facebook.com/maniblumusic
INSTAGRAM : https://instagram.com/maniblumusic
TWITTER : https://twitter.com/maniblumusic
SOUNDCLOUD : https://soundcloud.com/maniblu
YOUTUBE : https://youtube.com/maniblu
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