Midnight Red
Last summer, I had the chance to talk with Anthony from Midnight Red when their song played a large role in So You Think You Can Dance’s Dance Day. With a new music video out and more new music on the way, the guys are back in full force this summer. Anthony and I got to speak again and here is what he had to say.
Arin: What has happened for you guys over the past year?
Anthony: The last time we talked, I believe we were on tour with the Backstreet Boys and New Kids On The Block, opening up for them and pretty much what’s happened since [is]: we flew to Paris, France with Red One to finish our album; and, in that process, we recorded a song, ‘Hell Yeah,’ which is now our new single; and we have a music video out for it now. So we’re focusing on getting the album done, promoting the single ‘Hell Yeah,’ getting it out there, [and] letting people know who Midnight Red really is. Now people have a visual to see what Midnight Red is about with the video.
A: Do you have a favorite lyric in ‘Hell Yeah?’
A: We kind of have this thing, it’s called ‘hit it like a leader’ and it doesn’t really mean anything. It’s kind of a swedish thing because the writers we were working with were from Sweden, so ‘like a leader’ is kind of like what ‘like a boss’ is here in the US. So it’s kind of just like a motto; like, just be yourself and do you, and that’s pretty much boss.
A: Why do you guys think it’s so important to keep the fans involved in what you guys are doing as a band?
A: Well for us, Midnight Red, the five of us, we’re so different from each other. We come from all different walks of life, we enjoy different activities; but at the same time we all love music and that’s what kind of brings us together. So, we wanted to let the public know that that’s what Midnight Red is about. We’re so different; but we’re able to put our differences aside and accomplish a goal and still get along and basically have one love for each other, and that’s what we’re all about. The fact that we can show the people out there that we are five different people, but we can come together; I think that’s a cool message that we’re trying to get across.
A: Since ‘boy bands’ are kind of the thing right now, do you have a favorite song from one of the other bands?
A: Yeah actually as a band we covered One Direction’s’ ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ and I know all of us love that song. It’s a great song, so you can actually watch that on YouTube right now.
A: What has it been like to watch the growth in fans at live performances?
A: It’s been crazy. We recently did a show at Universal City Walk here in LA with Carly Rae Jepsen; and, to see when we would do little live performances with like sixty people to over a few thousand, it’s pretty insane. Also, to see the growth on twitter… When we left tour, we had about five thousand followers and now we have a quarter of a million. I mean, that’s crazy growth in that nine months that it’s been.
A: What can people expect to see from you guys throughout the rest of this year?
A: Definitely more performances. We’re going to be traveling the US [and] traveling the world, just performing our single ‘Hell Yeah’ and getting that out there. Also more singles. Our album is pretty much done, and we have a couple other things that we’re working on, trying to decide which ones to release; but definitely expect more music, a lot of performances, [and] a lot of energy from us.
A: What’s it like knowing that the people working with you also work with some of the biggest names in the industry at the moment?
A: It’s kind of funny you ask because we just left a meeting with our agent Mark over at Creative Artists Agency and he’s actually Justin Bieber’s agent and Chris Brown’s agent and Selena Gomez’s agent. So, the fact that we were sitting in the same room with this guy who believes in us as much as he believes in those big name artists; it’s pretty humbling. And a cool thing to think about is that we’re kind of — not nobody — but a new act, and the fact that we have the same people supporting us that are supporting these huge artists; it’s really special.
A: Have you worked with a songwriter or producer that you never would have expected to work with?
A: I would have to say, I mean, a lot of people know that we work with a producer RedOne, but that’s probably the biggest one that we wouldn’t expect. We came into this music business thing not expecting right off the bat to be working with producers that are putting out number one hits on the Billboard charts. So the fact that we get to work with RedOne who has worked with Nicki Minaj, and CeeLo, and Pitbull, and all these different names that I could list for days; it’s awesome to know that he believes in us. We believe in him and, together, we’re gonna make some magic in the studio.
A: What is your biggest goal for the band?
A: I think my biggest goal for the band is to be able to travel the world doing what we love, which is sharing our love of music with the world. I think that would, honestly, be a dream come true to be able to give back to the community through my music. I think that would be amazing.
A: Are there any charities, non profits, or causes that, either you individually or the band as a whole, are involved with?
A: Yeah, it’s actually a big thing for us. We are starting a charity. It’s called Midnight Red & Friends, and the basis of the charity is every ticket we sell or every t-shirt, merchandise, whatever we sell, a dollar of that sale is gonna go to the Midnight Red & Friends charity. Not sure on the exact cause that we’re gonna be donating to. We’re still deciding on that because we are five different guys, so we might do five different charities; but that’s a big thing. We actually were at the special olympics this past weekend, going to support the kids, and it’s just a really inspirational thing for us.
