Interview with Canadian musician Basqi

Interviews
Photo credit: Basqi

Finding Basqi

Forever the curious person I am, I clicked on Basqi’s profile when I saw it on my Instagram story. I saw that he’s a Toronto musician and we follow a bunch of mutual people.  I love that Basqi has music clips on his page. I point this out because it’s feedback that I give to musicians who don’t have any video clips or music samples on their page – I encourage them to add some. In the few seconds that you have someone’s attention, it could be a chance at getting a new fan.  Anyways, Basqi has another huge fan (me) because of this.

Contact

Instagram: @basqiofficial

Facebook: @basqiofficial

Music

Lost Souls – single (2021)
Myself – single (2021)
Pick Up the Pieces – single (2021)
Tell Me – single (2021)
Not Sorry – single (2020)
Control – single with Tommy O (2020)
Lies – single with Purple Mind (2020)

About

Basqi is a Toronto-based singer, songwriter, producer, photographer and videographer who enjoys collaboration work with other musicians and chillin’ outdoors with his dog.

Photo credit: Basqi

Interview

Me: On one of your posts, you wrote that Myself was inspired by how you felt during this COVID-19 pandemic.  Although my life wasn’t affected too much, I can totally relate to this song. I like the lyrics “lately feels like I’m just going through the motions to feel right. I’m just trying to find a moment to feel like myself.”  I spend a lot of time not feeling like myself and being inside my head wondering where my life is going. Pandemic-wise, lots of people have been deeply affected by the isolation and changes brought about by it, so it’s amazing how you took a life experience and spun it into a beautiful song. What are other sources of inspiration for your music?

Basqi: Thanks, I’m glad the song really resonated with you! Honestly, most of my music comes from my struggles with my mental health issues like depression and anxiety. I also tend to write a lot about personal relationships – romantic and non-romantic. I’ve been trying to find inspiration in other places, but right now during the current state of the world, it’s been hard.

Me: No kidding about the state of our world. When I reached out to you for an interview, I sent you a link to Stuck on Planet Earth’s interview as a sample. You said that you knew Al (singer/bass player) and that he is your cousin…our six degrees of separation!  I came so close to meeting you at Stuck’s concert in Brampton back in November 2021, because you told me that you were their videographer for the evening. You are truly multi-talented.  When I suggested that you share a stage with Stuck, you mentioned that you have never performed live before.  What are your upcoming plans musically?

Basqi: I do plan to perform live as soon as I possibly can. But right now, it’s proved to be hard due to lockdowns. In the meantime, I’m just working on new music and trying to build a bigger catalogue of songs. I also stream music production and performance on Twitch occasionally, but I’ve been terrible at promoting that fact lol and I should do it more often.

Me: I’m happy to hear that you plan to perform live. There’s nothing like experiencing a live show. I’ll definitely be there! How old were you when you discovered your talent for music and what’s the first instrument you picked up? Also, other than guitar, do you play any other instruments?

Basqi: My first instrument was actually the guitar. When I was in Grade 3, we had a guitar club and I was somehow able to convince my parents to buy me an acoustic guitar and let me join. Even though all the small acoustic guitars back then were still way too big for my tiny body, I still tried to play. I then moved on to drums when I was around 13. The way I remember it, my dad and I would often go to Long & McQuade because I loved to look at and play all the instruments. And he’s a great dad. So, we were there one day and I decided to play on the drum-kit and one of the salespeople walked up to my dad and said something along the lines of “he’s pretty good” (which I think they probably say to every parent there with their kid) and next thing I knew we were taking home a kit that day lol. I also played alto sax from Grades 6-12, and I say played because I haven’t touched it since graduating. Besides those, I dabble a bit with the piano for production purposes. To answer the part about when I discovered my “talent” – I don’t really know. I still don’t consider myself to be talented really. I do consider myself to be a hard worker though, and I’ve come a long way from where I started.

Me: So modest about your obvious talent and sweet that you speak highly of your dad. It’s rare that people openly say nice things about their parents! All of your tunes are catchy and relatable. I love your song Not Sorry about a toxic relationship. Lyrics go “toxic behaviour, and I ignored the warnings to deal with later, and now they’re back to haunt me… why are so toxic…I’m feeling like a target…pushing my buttons like you can control me…play games with my mind…” It sure sounds like you had a relationship gone bad. What advice do you have for others to be able walk away from those types of relationships?

Basqi: Thanks, I appreciate that! My advice would be to just know your worth, know that you are good enough and that another person can’t define you or make you feel any less than you are. Seek advice and listen to the people around you who truly love and care for you – like close friends and family. Seeing things from another perspective (especially from a perspective of somebody that deeply cares for you) can change everything.

Me: I completely agree about knowing and realizing your self-worth. I wrote a story on Instagram before with the line “No one is worth pretending for” and it’s true that you should be authentic and kind to yourself first. I see from your posts that you skateboard and spend time outdoors with your dog. As Myself was inspired by how you felt during the pandemic, what else have you been doing to destress?

Basqi: Honestly, it’s been hard recently, but I pretty much do the same things. I’ve just been making music, hanging out with friends and hitting up open mics (when that was possible, not long ago).

Me: That sounds pretty chill. Based on your posts, you’ve done some collaboration work with Purple Mind on Lies, and Control with Tommy O.  BTW – I added Lies to my music collection – great song. How would you compare the collaboration process versus producing music individually?

Basqi: I enjoy the collaborative process a lot. Tommy is a long-time friend who I’ve been collaborating with as a producer and audio engineer since before I started releasing my own music. And Purple Mind I actually met through a discord server that’s for producers and musicians. They’re actually based in Germany, so collaborating with them was an interesting process. It was all done remotely via discord and sending of recordings via email, and that was a first for me. To compare it to my solo process, I actually find that I’m more motivated when working with others and really enjoy the different energies that different minds provide to the writing and production process.

Me: I can imagine that collaboration work would be interesting with musicians coming from different backgrounds with their own ideas. It seems that you manage your own socials like many other musicians. Seeing the way I discovered your handle – do you have any advice for musicians with respect to building a social media presence?

Basqi: Honestly, lately I’ve been slacking off. I don’t think I’ve been active on any socials in over a month. But if I had advice to give it would be, post often and be your authentic self. Nothing creates a more genuine connection with your audience than just being the real you.

Me: Agreed. Your authenticity definitely shines through on your page. I can’t avoid this “get-to-know-you-better” question because I find that knowing what type of music someone listens to says a lot about them. Who are your top 3 musical influences or favourite musicians? And don’t feel obligated to say Stuck on Planet Earth lol!

Basqi: I always find this kind of question to be so difficult because my musical taste ranges so much. But right now, I guess I’d say Blink-182, Blackbear, and The Wonder Years. It’s a bit of a random list and probably not my all-time top 3, but these are some artists I’ve been listening to for a very long time and connect with, as well as draw inspiration from.

Me: Nice. And so many musicians I’ve never heard of. I’ll have to take a listen. I’m looking forward to new music and your first show.  Thanks again for your time! Everyone, check out Basqi’s music. Show him some love by giving him a follow on socials, stream/buy his music and attend a live show when the city is alive again.

Basqi, is there anything else you would like to share?

Basqi: Nothing I can think of, besides check out my music and follow me on social media lol.

—End—

Check out these wicked tunes!

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