We interviewed band OAKMAN, to discuss their latest single “Murder” and dive deep into their ideas of both music and life – getting as real as possible.
BTS: How did you meet/ start working together?
OAKMAN: Actually, Geremia and Jessie are brothers, so they have known each other for a very long time (obviously). Geremia and Marine met in high school. After we both moved to where Jessie was living at the time during his college years, we started the band with some rehearsals, ideas, and then released our first EP in the fall of 2016. We had always wanted to start a band since we were very young. So when we finally met, it was natural for us to start this adventure together!
BTS: What does your name mean? How’d you come up with it?
OAKMAN: Our name comes from the relationship between man and nature – the link we have with it. It is part of every individual and we wanted to symbolize that connection. We’ve always really liked a Japanese band called Acidman and at that time we wanted to find a name with a similar sound. It’s a band that talks a lot about man’s relationship with nature. It has always touched us a lot and we are very sensitive to what is around us, so we wanted a name that represents all of that.
BTS: What was the process like for your latest single “Murder”?
OAKMAN: It’s always Marine who comes up with an idea and we finalize it together. She’s too spontaneous to have like a “secret process” that she could reproduce on every song, ahah. Every time it’s a different approach. For “Murder”, it all started with this deep synth bass. Marine found that bass line and started singing a melody on it. It was really cool so we decided to turn it into a real song. The first lines of the lyrics were instantly, “Deep in my thoughts, I have one shot, I murder you for once”. Marine knew at that moment, she was going to talk about sexual abuse.
BTS: What was it like filming the music video?
OAKMAN: It was really cold, ahah. We shot all night, in February. We were really tired because there was a lot of organization, preparation and it was just the four of us (the band and the music video’s director). But it was a lot of fun. And it’s always a little bit scary to be in the forest in the middle of the night, so yeah… it was very fun! Our mate Aurélien Mariat who directed the MV did an amazing job and we are very proud of this MV because we were able to represent what we had in mind for this song and that’s not always easy for a video. For the record, we wore heat patches all over our bodies to keep us warm and it completely saved our a**es!
BTS: What do you hope listeners take away from the single?
OAKMAN: How difficult it is to live with a traumatic situation and how it can imprison us and prevent us from moving forward. We are making progress, we are talking about it, but it is still not enough to realize that any act can have an inconsiderable impact on a person and destroy his/ her daily life. Sexual harassment and abuse, for any human being, should not be trivialized or ignored. It is a very serious act – it is important to know that it will unconsciously have a real impact on the future of the person.
BTS: How would you describe your overall sound?
OAKMAN: You take a salad bowl and put in some 80’s synth vibes, powerful drums, melancholic and energetic vocals, soft bass and a pop-punk riff. Then you spice it up with rage and strong melodies.
BTS: How have your childhoods/ personal lives impacted your music?
OAKMAN: Everything is created during childhood and it is clear that the music we started listening to, and especially the ones we wanted to listen to, influenced us. What we experienced gave us the desire to express something that would be different if our life had been different. I think we are still very far from everything that life has given us to express. There are many aspects of us that have not yet been explored because it can take time to face them.
BTS: What can we expect from you next?
OAKMAN: New songs, new videos, new shows. But more importantly, to continue to develop what’s bubbling up inside us. We are constantly full of ideas and we just want to make them happen.
BTS: What are you most excited for in the future?
OAKMAN: We want to write an album. And we want to write it without holding back. As we said before, it’s hard to face some parts of ourselves, but we are ready and excited for it.
BTS: What final message do you want to send to fans and listeners?
OAKMAN: Don’t let people get to you by changing your perception of yourself. No matter how much it hurts, over time people forget. It’s very hard to convince yourself of this, but we need that shell to stay strong. So let’s not take too seriously all the negative things people want us to feel, because you want to live this life and nothing is worse than death.
OAKMAN’s honesty and value shine through, and we can’t wait to experience more music with them!
Stream “Murder” now!
Follow OAKMAN here!
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