Photo by: Rebecca Hearn
[Rence](https://www.instagram.com/rence/) is in his own lane, defying the stigma that an artist has to be bound by any one genre. The Seattle-bred, Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer works super hard to make sure his music is free of rules, filling people’s lives and helping them create meaningful moments.
Growing up in a household with two amazing parents who always supported him, he was always told “you can be anything you want to be, but you have to make it happen for yourself.” Since the age of 14, he worked many part-time jobs to fund and build his own studio — in turn meeting other artists, musicians, and producers. Eventually getting his foot in the door, he hasn’t looked back since.
Last year, the 22-year-old exploded onto the scene with the release of “Expensive,” featuring Noah Cyrus. Fast forward to 2020, the Epic Records signee has not let his foot off the gas pedal in the slightest. Most recently, he unleashed his new single titled “Strawberry Blonde,” following the success of singles [“Sometimes Things Just Fall Apart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8CAyHSP-Ow),” "hate u btw", “Type 2,” and “Tears In December.”
Flaunt caught up with Rence via Zoom to discuss his biggest influences, why he chose to move to LA,
**Biggest influences growing up?**
I grew up in the democratization of music. Was still buying physical copies certainly, but really grew up through Limewire and all sorts of sites online. I was grabbing as much as possible and couldn’t get enough of it. My taste is really wide. My big favorites are John Mayer, Sade, T-Pain. T-Pain’s #1, always been my favorite. From the production standpoint, I’m a huge fan of Kanye’s production. Smaller favorites have been Dominic Fike, Still Woozy, Remi Wolf. I span a wide width. I love different types of music across the spectrum from country to classical to electronic dance music, you name it. Anything that’s done well.
**How would you describe your lane?**
Good question, I think about it all the time. Before, I was like “if it sounds good, I’m going to do it.” Now I think of it as “okay, who am I?” Not that I need to be exactly what other people want me to be, but it’s helpful if people know what they’re getting when they come to the Rence page, the Rence show, or the Rence universe. I’m in the genre of pop, but only as far as pop has been broadening. Pop is now what's popular, right? Post Malone is pop music. In some ways, Travis Scott is pop music. Jeremy Zucker is pop music. I see myself making pop music with the influence of all things I love, which these days is a lot of hip-hop and alternative rock.
**When did you come to Los Angeles?**
I moved here officially nine months ago. I’d been bouncing back and forth a lot. I was in New York the last three years before this.
**How’d you like New York?**
I loved it! For where I was in my life, it was exactly what I needed. It’s a place where you can’t sit still or else you get swallowed, so it really kicked me into gear. I went to attend NYU. I didn’t get into the program I wanted, which actually was another kick in my ass. “If you’re not getting exactly what you need from this school, then the city is where you’re getting it from.” That meant working as much as I could to support myself, but also running around to different studios and meeting new people. Midtown in studios, or SoHo or Brooklyn. Making the city mine, that really fueled a lot of the music I was making at the time. A lot of “I can do this” energy.
**So what made you want to move to LA?**
It’s hard to beat LA. I’m a West Coast boy. I’m from Seattle so I grew up with sunshine and West Coast weather. I’m a big fan of driving, I love having a car and being able to not bring everything I need for the day with me like in New York. I needed the space, this is my studio I’m in right now. I needed the geographical location to support me really being loud and having my own space and energy, so I live with another musician who I love dearly. Being in LA lets me express my music, be loud and more creative than I was able to find in an apartment in New York.
**“Sometimes Things Just Fall Apart“ is doing great, bring us back to when you created that song.**
I started that song 3.5 years ago in the living room of my uncle’s house in Rhode Island. None of this was going on. I was really frustrated, things I was putting so much work into wasn’t getting me the results, or even close to the results I was hoping for. Working so hard on a song, releasing it, basically dropping the bucket and nobody really notices. People who do notice it don’t really care that much. I wrote to myself saying “Sometimes no matter how hard you try, things aren’t gonna go your way — but that’s not what defines you. What defines you is how you move on from that.” I started that song 3 years ago, a completely different energy and vibe but the chorus was the same. A year later, I started working on it with some friends. I didn’t like where that was going so I pulled back. Eventually, I found the right people here to really compliment that. We came together and finished it.
**You say “spent your whole life writing songs just to get on stage and sing them wrong.” Did you have a bad experience performing?**
No, that’s more of a metaphor of “am I wasting my time?” Singing them wrong as in the message being received wrong. Am I spending all my time working so hard to make these songs for it not to connect with people? For it to be unnecessary? The last thing I want to be is unnecessary. I want to add value to the lives of people who listen to my music. If I’m not doing that, what am I doing?
**Do you miss performing?**
Absolutely. I had an interesting path which is emblematic of the music industry right now, but not the history of the music industry. For a long time, you’d play shows and clubs, somebody would come see you and they’d start talking to you. You’d sign to that person if you’re lucky. For me, I’m part of the new class of artists that release music through a distribution service. Got it on all of these places, then somehow it found its way into playlists. I signed really before I had performed, I just love music. I love producing, singing, and writing music. It wasn’t until I went on my first tour a year ago that I realized how much I love performing. That became my driving force for doing music.
**Especially during the pandemic, how do you stay positive during these times?**
Perspective is huge for me. Not to say that sadness isn’t sadness, but I’m trying to remember that I feel very fortunate to have food on the table, to be able to still do my job. I feel very grateful a lot of the time. I purposefully go out of my way to try and be helpful to the less fortunate, that’s always a good reminder of what I have going.
**If you can get lost anywhere, where would you go?**
Japan for sure, my favorite place in the world. I speak a little Japanese, not as much as I’d like to. I’m learning some more right now. Eventually I want to do an album there. I feel like I’m going to disappear there for a while.
**How’d you learn Japanese?**
I only know a little bit. I learned it in college freshman year but it’s since worn off, so I’m back on my language apps.
**3 things you need in the studio?**
A good attitude, a microphone, and a whiteboard. I’m a big whiteboard person.
**How was linking with Noah Cyrus on “Expensive”?**
Absolutely fantastic. I made that song with friends in New York a long time before it ever came out. As an artist these days, I make so many songs. Constantly making songs. I finished it, put it away, forgot about it. When I was working on it, I was showing it to people because I was excited. People kept asking me about it, I’m like “it’s physically finished, but it doesn’t feel complete.” I realized it was missing the other perspective. I wasn’t telling the whole story by just having me on the record. I wanted a strong female lead to accompany me. I said “I’ma get Noah Cyrus on this song.” This is before I had signed, everyone kind of laughed. I thought it’s totally doable so we sent it to her managers, her publishers, her A&R, some of her friends that I knew. She’s an amazing collaborator and amazing person. She killed the record, but then did so much more for me. Showed me around LA, introduced me to people, did the music video. She’s just a sweetheart for that, I’m very grateful.
**How would you describe your fashion sense?**
I definitely treat my clothes as an expression of who I am. Whether you’re leaving the house or not, you have an opportunity to be artistic in what you’re wearing. Even if that’s very simple and minimal, that doesn’t mean it’s over the top. It’s an expression, I’m always trying to do the same thing with my clothes as my music. I’d classify it as streetwear but hold back a little bit, like DIY streetwear. A streetwear sense, but maybe the clothes come from a thrift store.
**What do you want fans to get from “Strawberry Blonde”?**
I made this song purely to be something you could move and dance to, that could pump some energy into your ears and put a smile on your face. With the music video and the lyric video, I tried to tell a different story. I’m saying what you think I’m saying, I’m talking to someone and saying they shouldn’t worry so much. I realize after the fact I’m talking to myself. I’m the one who worries too much, needs to chill out and let things be. With my blonde hair, we’re trying to show that I’m the “Strawberry Blonde” I’m talking about in the song — not pushing it off on someone else. In the music video, the girl doesn’t even exist. It’s just me.
**Anything else you want to let us know?**
Go out and vote! Super important.
**Who’s your vote?**
Biden! Has to be, no question. I wasn’t the biggest fan of him but given the circumstances, he gives this country a really good opportunity to breathe and reset. Fix some of the things that need fixing in the short-term, then set up for more drastic change. That could be a good path forward.
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