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Hi Jerome, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Hello and thank you for having me! I’m really well. Happy the world is beginning to open up again and back to some sense of normality. Seeing so many musicians releasing what they’ve been working on whilst we were locked away and being able to show that live is really exciting. It’s definitely an exciting time for music.
From all the songs out there, what made you want to reimagine Rihanna’s smashing hit “Disturbia”?
Well Disturbia is one of those songs that you listen to and it takes you back to that era of your life because it was such a big record. I think I was in my mid teens when it came out which is a pivotal time for anyone. But emotional attachment aside, with the catchy hook that I’m sure everyone knows and recognises, it’s just a really great pop song that always wanted to put my spin on. The sentiment of the lyrics match my more dark and moody productions. It’s obviously a bit of a daunting task taking on such an iconic song and a lot of the time these remakes are never allowed to see the light of day, so I’m so happy to be able to officially release it!
What was the approach you went with this song?
Coming from a remixing background I work a little bit backwards. So my process usually involves having a vocal or acapella first and then building a track around it. This was no different. The Rihanna vocal already had so much energy and I wanted to create something that would translate that energy to the clubs in 2021. Then when I received the new re-sung vocals from Shaylen it was the icing on the cake.
How did you go on balancing the original with your own take?
From the offset I wanted to encapsulate the dark and spooky feel of the original. The lyrics and the visuals. So I tried to bring that out here. If you listen closely, some of the sounds I’ve used in the track, like the dark 80s horror movie style synths, church bells (’m pretty sure I even stuck a werewolf roar in there somewhere) all help me maintain that vibe from the original.
Also picking and choosing parts of the vocal that really captured me and stuck in my head was key. So with modern day songs being almost half the length of pop songs in 2007 I could afford to be extra picky with which bits of the lyrics I kept in.
How was the recording and re-writing process?
Lockdown made the process a little more challenging. I wasn’t able to access my studio at this point, so the whole track was made in my parent’s spare bedroom on my laptop with some tiny speakers! But of course the internet! It’s pretty normal now for artists that are thousands of miles apart to collaborate across the internet. So Shaylen was able to record the vocals in the states and send me the parts to my parent’s spare bedroom!
What was it like to work with Shaylen and how did that relationship develop?
So when we were looking for a singer to redo the vocals, one of Shaylen’s tracks actually came up on my Spotify and instantly knew she was the one to do the Rihanna vocal justice. So we reached out and luckily she really liked the idea and wanted to do it. She killed it! Again, it was sending parts back and forth from the UK to the states. It was so easy because the vocals were so good I didn’t have to do too much on my end.
How much did she get to influence the song?
I would say she influenced the song more indirectly. Where I’d receive her vocals and be inspired to change and tweak certain aspects of the song to suit her amazing voice. Also bringing her own style and flavour rather than trying to replicate Rihanna took the track a whole different direction.
Does this new rendition mean we can expect new material – how’s that coming along?
I’m always working on new material! It does feel a little bit harder at the moment now we are out of lockdown and there are so many other things going on. But I managed to bank a bunch of ideas in lockdown and hopefully with this new context of freedom and normality I can develop and finish them to fit where I’m (and the world) is at now.
Any tentative release date or title in mind?
Nothing confirmed just yet. I’m weighing up a few options. But I’m sure there will be some more details on this soon!
What else is happening next in Jerome Price’s world?
Of course I’ll be working on the next potential singles. Enjoying a bit of freedom after the 2 years we’ve had. Hopefully some live shows! I can’t imagine a better feeling than finally playing the “parent’s spare bedroom bangers of lockdown” to a live audience. Also since releasing Disturbia, my own label ‘BABYLON’ has been on the back burner. That has been an outlet from me to release some of my more underground/club orientated music. But with no clubs up to now it hasn’t made sense. I definitely want to get the ball rolling again there. Plus sign other artists/producers and throw some BABYLON parties!
Stream/Download: Jerome Price & Shaylen – Disturbia
