Below, you can read our interview with Pablo Cuneo of Nanoblu and listen to his album Hero of the World. Check out our full music review of Hero of the World here.
Q: Great to be speaking with you, Pablo! We last interviewed you quite a few years ago – 2017 to be exact. What new developments have occurred in your music career since then?
A: Nanoblu made an EP called Magical Memories which was really fun to make because we explored love songs instead of fast beat style songs only. Nanoblu played shows and had fun. I also did some singles called Cherish The Day and City Sessions giving an enchanted beach feeling. I live by the beach, so positivity reigns. For a full scale album I wanted the best production so I was patient. Also, I did a side project using my favorite electronic metal White Zombie style for an EP called One MindStep. The group was called Loyal FT and the songs Billy and Hey Hey were wild to do because I explored trippy thoughts in my head.
Q: You’ve told us that your album “Hero of the World” will be your last for a long time. Why are you stepping away from music production?
A: I’m not stepping away from making music, but my new album took so much time with the best production I’ve ever had. I want to explore all options with it using my full energy. I want to play shows and wanted to promote hard. I want to fully push this album. It’s my best work ever. Some musical artists live in studios and never push the music. I want to avoid that and express my musical vision to the world. This musical journey is done via me. That’s fine, I like to push hard.
Q: You talk about blending pop, EDM, metal, and rap influences on this album. Do you find it challenging to mix so many musical styles together at once?
A: I’m a weird person when it comes to music because I don’t have one specific favorite music genre. 1. My rap example is I love Lil Wayne’s sharp and strong vocals. 2. My Metal example is I love how White Zombie just didn’t do any regular album. They put the groove with their electronics and smooth guitar sounds. 3. I love how Kylie Minogue, Perfume (J Pop), and Pet Shop Boys utilize great rhythm vocal patterns with sharp, strong, and calm vocals over hard and driven beats. All these groups give purpose to music when hearing it, that’s my purpose for every listener to have fun.
Q: What was the recording process like for “Hero of the World”, and how long did it take?
A: The recording process was quite fun. We got the beat, but we just didn’t put any keyboards down. Every keyboard note had to have some type of significant feeling when you heard it. A perfect example is the sharp and heavy keyboard sounds for the choruses on With My Girlfriend, We’re On It and Limitless. They’re impactful and easy to remember. To me, keyboard sounds that you remember hearing matter because that means they sound good. I think artists sometimes put any keyboard sound thinking it’s OK. It’s not okay because you want your listener to be dazed and amazed by your keyboard sounds. We also created little stops in the music building up to powerful crescendos making the music more powerful. I also sang in different vocal styles, so the music was interesting to hear. These are all things I learned from listening to my favorite musical artists. There’s a science in mixing art and entertainment together making a good album. This album took about three years to make.
Q: You’ve told us that love, happiness, and positivity were driving themes behind the creation of this album. What made you decide on those themes? What was the experience like writing about such uplifting topics compared to other projects?
A: For the positivity theme, I felt like I could do more, but wasn’t doing it financially better pay and everything. I pushed myself and now I’m making good money and not feeling sorry for myself. That’s why the songs Limitless and We’re On It were so fun and inspiring to do. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and did something about it. I also got divorced from someone making me sad which made me question everything, it was time to move on with positivity. My positivity theme songs are meant for people to hear and be motivated being motivated. The love and happiness theme songs show how I’ve grown mentally. We all wish life can be perfect, but it’s not. Take the good and the bad, while getting the best situation out of it. That’s life.
Q: Perhaps in some unspecified amount of time, your musical career explodes in the best of ways. What does that look like for you?
A: I feel like my music can explode because it resonates with people. The thing is, it’s not my main goal. Of course I want my music to succeed, but life is bigger than just being a pop star. Being grounded is what makes you the best person you can be. From what I’ve been told, my music is more European sounding. We’re in the process of putting the music on European playlists. American playlists too. Our music is semi-pop and underground. You can hear the music at Reverbnation.com/Nanoblu and all music streaming sites. Europe is the goal, but the overall goal is the world’s fans.
Q: Who did you collaborate with on this album?
A: Karl Force helped produce the album. Vince DJ Darius did the remix songs, he restored, mixed, and mastered the original score for Peanuts (Charlie Brown). These guys truly know how to make music spectacular using keyboards, breakdowns, hooks, and wonderful effects.
Q: Your favorite album of all time? (Yup, you gotta choose one.)
A: White Zombie’s Astrocreep 2000 because it was revolutionary in guitar, keyboard, and overall production. After hearing that album I wanted to make a revolutionary yet fun dance, electronica, and pop album. There’s a lot of passion here, but if you have no passion for making music, it’s not worth it.
Q: Your favorite song of all time? (Again, only one!)
A: Kylie Minogue’s song called Things We Do For Love (Extended Mix). I love that song because it sounds so driven.
Q: What would you like fans to know about you that they’re most likely unaware of?
A: Hero of the World is coming August 1st, 2024 everywhere.
Q: Any shout-outs you wanna make?
A: Thank you for the interview and for giving me the chance to tell the world about my album. Thank you to the fans out there who have supported Nanoblu, that matters. You matter to me. Kindness matters.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: If you’re looking for an album with drive, musical hooks and passion. Hero of the World is the album for you.
(Want to be interviewed by The Ark of Music? Click HERE.)
<< Go to our full music review of Hero of the World by Nanoblu
Listen to HERO OF THE WORLD by NANOBLU
“Hero of the World” premiers on 08/01/2024