Q&A: Chris LaRocca Regnites His Creative Fire On His New EP perhaps!
AFTER A TRIP TO LA — Chris Larocca found his way out of a creative slump. The Toronto-based producer and singer-songwriter released his new EP, perhaps!, after a recent collaborative session and signing with WondaGurl. “She kind of came in and picked me up when I was low and helped me get to the finish line,” he says about the experience.
As a producer, LaRocca has gone through the unpredictable ebbs and flows of the industry. Feeling inspired after his travels to California, the timing of becoming part of the Reb Bull Records/Wonderchild label fell perfectly into place. He began penning his initial track, “life of the party,” an energy-filled tune that highlights his range of musical elasticity. Its dance-inducing beat builds as the lyrics work through that universal social awkwardness felt post-pandemic. Then the edgy, pop-punk-esque anthem “left out” shortly followed.
While there was a time he felt like an underdog, the EP soon became a catalyst for pushing himself as an artist. Now, there’s an opportunity to move these creative concepts forward. In four tracks, the project follows the themes of struggle and triumph that fill the pages of an artist's story. But it’s also a reminder that, with timing, things can always change.
After perhaps!, LaRocca is gearing up to drop another EP this summer, and more music to be released later this fall. But for now, read below as he tells us more about perhaps!, the visual for “life of the party,” and how he worked through the pressures of the music industry.
LUNA: You’ve just released your first EP, perhaps!. It got the seal of approval from WondaGurl. What was it like hearing that?
LAROCCA: It was kind of crazy because we met through Instagram. At that point, I was kind of tapped out. I put a bunch of projects out already; it felt like I didn't have as many resources to make the music I wanted to make.
She brought me to LA and we worked on some stuff. I came home super inspired. I wrote two songs off the project, “life of the party” and “left out.” A couple of months later, I found out she wanted to sign me as an artist. She kind of came in and picked me up when I was low and helped me get to the finish line.
LUNA: I want to mention “life of the party.” You’ve just unveiled the music video, which is so quirky and fun. What inspired the visual?
LAROCCA: I used to work in a retirement home for a long time, like 10 years. I always notice that anytime they [the residents] were given a multimedia outlet — when they watch[ed] live concerts, listen to music, sing-alongs, or [are given] percussion instruments, it seemed like they came out of themselves and enjoyed it.
So the concept of this was taking a spin on that, like me providing them music or some type of escape from the home. In this case, it would be the song. The idea was like the dose of medicine. I'm giving them VR headsets to escape reality and live their best lives outside the home.
LUNA: “Life of the party” came along after you had to quarantine due to your visit to LA. Would you say that correlates with the visual, people having to stay in the same place?
LAROCCA: “Life of the party” was more about super COVID lockdown times. When I went to LA to meet WondaGurl, I felt like I hadn't really been around people in a long time. I hadn't interacted musically or anything with anyone else.
This takes on the idea that when I came home, I realized the song was going to be the opposite of that. I felt like I was awkward the whole time and trying to get back into my bearings of being social. It’s this weird juxtaposition between the two, a kind of self-deprecating spin on the fact that I was trying to adjust.
LUNA: Do you feel the quarantine period affected the overall EP or your creative vision?
LAROCCA: I got introspective at that time and was able to look at myself as an artist and a person. There’s this EP, then ultimately an album at the end of the year. I established the theme of the struggle and sacrifice at that moment. Putting yourself outside the box and all the things that artists go through to chase their dreams, and how it comes with it.
LUNA: How did creating this EP help you unpack the process people go through as an artist trying to keep up in the industry?
LAROCCA: The EP came from the story called The Chinese Farmer. He faced all these situations that, on the surface, are good and bad. People came to him like, “Oh my god, it's so good, it's so bad.” He keeps saying, “Maybe.”
When I started this project, I felt really down and out. I was on the side of the producer, and all these things on the surface seemed good or bad, especially in the music industry.
What will happen in the end will reveal itself, and you can never get too hung up on a situation or an outcome. I think that's something that we all have to remember about being creative and being in the music industry. It is so easy to get in your head about daily things that can pop up here and there.
LUNA: As a producer, you spotlight this melting pot of genres. What was it like piecing together what you wanted the project to sound like?
LAROCCA: I was trying to find my sound up until now. I was doing a lot of R&B, like really pop-y stuff. But when I had the time to sit with myself, I was able to go back to stuff that I love, like jazz records and a lot of pop-punk stuff. I was listening to Say Anything at the time. There was a certain rawness in all this music that I wanted to bring to the table. Ultimately, taking time on this project allowed me to dial in on a very unique sound.
LUNA: You hope that when people listen to your music, it creates a sense of community. How do you see your EP resonating with listeners?
LAROCCA: I have felt like an underdog in my musical community for so long. I felt like, coming up, I was on the outside looking in. With this music, I tried to push myself as hard as I can and be the best person I could be in the process, creating an environment in the music-making process that was special.
I don't want there ever to be a wall between the listener and myself. I want people to feel like they can relate. I always say my music is like a big ship, and everybody's welcome. I want everyone to feel like they can relate and take some inspiration from this, feel like they can do whatever they have to do to get to where they want to be in life.
LUNA: It is just the beginning. You already mentioned that you plan on releasing another collection of songs after this EP, which will most likely be an album. Where would you say your music is going next?
LAROCCA: Well, I made all this music at the same time. It's all following the theme. It intensifies as we keep going.
There's a song called “I Cry Eyes Out” that summarizes this in the sense that everybody … cries for many reasons: out of pain, out of happiness, out of any emotion. By the end, it summarizes the themes I'm talking about of struggle, sacrifice, and building a sense of community within music.
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