Q&A: Love Spells Creates Dreamy Soundscapes Alongside Deb Never in New Single “Dope Sick”
MASTERING THE ART OF MAKING DREAMS COME TO LIFE — is 19-year-old singer-songwriter Sir Taegen Harris, better known as Love Spells. New to the whirlwind that is Los Angeles, Harris has already made his mark in the indie music scene with songs like “Come Over And Love Me” and “Obsessed With Your Mind.” Now, he’s made his return, this time alongside Deb Never to create their new single, “Dope Sick,” for See You Next Year 2.
See You Next Year is a compilation album from Pigeons and Planes to highlight some of their favorite emerging artists, and it’s no wonder why Love Spells was chosen to participate.
“There has to be a feeling of intimacy there or it’s not me,” Harris says, which is the perfect slogan to describe his music. Effortlessly blending dreamy soundscapes with melancholic lyrics about love, intimacy, and heartbreak, Harris has created an environment that is warm and welcoming, open for anyone to join.
Luna had the privilege of speaking with Harris to discuss who Love Spells is, the process of creating “Dope Sick,” and future goals for 2024. Read the interview below.”
LUNA: I have to ask, what inspired your artist name, Love Spells?
HARRIS: I romanticize life, which I feel like everyone should be doing. You should be in love with your life. I’m so big on intimacy in almost everything I do, as well. So because of that, my friends used to make fun of me and say that I was under deep love spells with girls. After hearing that I was like, “Okay, that kind of goes hard” (laughs).
LUNA: How would you describe your musical style and the different themes that you explore in your music?
HARRIS: I would describe it as something very intimate. I use that word in everything I speak about because intimacy is something very important to me. Love has so many different shades to it. Generally, it’s very dream-like. Love Spells goes hand in hand with who I am and what I represent. My music should feel dreamy, intimate, and loving. No matter what I talk about in my music, there has to be a feeling of intimacy there or it’s not me.
LUNA: That’s a beautiful way to put it, I love that. So what was your initial reaction after discovering that you were going to be a part of See You Next Year 2?
HARRIS: That was honestly something so surreal because there hasn’t been a lot of big things that have happened to me yet, so I feel like that moment made me go, “Is this real? Is this actually happening?” I didn’t know how to respond.
LUNA: This experience was also your first time using an official studio space. How was the adjustment from bedroom to Shangri-La studio?
HARRIS: Oh my gosh. I still think about it to this day even though it was kind of a while ago now. That studio itself is so open, and it’s so easy to create there. I didn’t feel weird at all — the music was something that naturally came together whenever the time called for it. It felt like such a safe space, like I could create anything there.
LUNA: A lot of extremely talented people came together for this album. What was it like to be in the room with creative brains like Deb Never and Paris Texas?
HARRIS: Everyone was there together constantly, the entire week. Everything was done together music wise, so I would just walk into random sessions and do stuff. Nobody felt pressured to make music at all, it was just something that naturally happened. One person would kind of start snapping or humming and then someone else would add to that, and then they’d just go make something.
LUNA: You and Deb Never came together to make “Dope Sick.” Can you walk me through what that looked like?
HARRIS: My friend Jack Laboz produced the song with Teenage Priest. I asked Jack if he wanted to come to the studio and make something. The energy was raw; we connected. That was my first time meeting Deb, but it was so easy to snap things into place, no delay, something always happening.
LUNA: What inspired “Dope Sick”?
HARRIS: I showed Jack “Forever” by Night Tapes and wanted to make something with a dreamy vibe and he was immediately down. He’s so quick with it and so good at what he does. After I showed him the song, he grabbed the guitar and started immediately playing the riff we used. It was amazing.
LUNA: Such a fun process for everyone involved, I’m sure. From your first single to now, what ways have you witnessed your own growth within music?
HARRIS: I used to make hyperpop and emo rap, and I was going through it at the time, but because of that, it made me recognize my emotions a lot more and become more in touch with them. After doing that, I realized how good it felt just to feel things, it was a whole new world. It let me know what emotions I wanted in my music going forward.
LUNA: What are some of your 2024 goals that you hope to achieve?
HARRIS: Right now, I’m looking to drop as much music as I can. I haven’t dropped anything in a bit, but now I want a consistent schedule of dropping, dropping, dropping. I’m also planning on touring as well, definitely more towards the end of the year though. I’m really passionate about making bodies of work, so if it makes sense for it, I’ll drop one sometime soon. I love curating everything that goes into it, album cover, album name, song titles. I’m just waiting to pull the trigger.
