Spotlight: BAD CHILD 'Free Trial'

Q&ASpotlightMusic

Mar 1

☆ By Meg De Lara ☆

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MUSIC WASN’T THE CAREER PATH ISAIAH STEINBERG HAD IN MIND, but it’s the one that he would inevitably fall into – or rather the path that would inescapably find him. Though the Canadian-born artist had always been attracted to the realm of music and visual arts, the transition into musician remained dormant for years until the passing of his mother when he was only 16. “It jumpstarted something in me,” Steinberg said. “I felt like everything but art was futile in my life, so I just began pursuing a lot of mediums.”

Healing came in the form of teaching himself instruments in addition to song production, both of which led to the creation of “Bad Child,” a composition that would not only kickstart his career as a musician but would also become his namesake. Once Steinberg released the song online, the track gained traction, and BAD CHILD the musician had emerged.

At the time of the release, the young artist was debating attending the university for a career in photojournalism, but fate had a different plan. With local popularity building from BAD CHILD, Steinberg “dropped everything and decided to take the high road.” Instead of school, he decided to pack up and move to Toronto in hopes of pursuing music full-time. It was a risky yet bold move. The young newcomer didn’t know anyone in his new city, and home was now a rehearsal space which he dubbed “a box.”

“I slept on the floor of this small rehearsal space,” he remembers. “The memories and experiences I had [there] were purely out of love for music… It was a boundless creative experience only driven by the love for music. It was truly special and I’ll never forget my time there.”

For some, it takes years for a music career to be catapulted into the limelight, but for BAD CHILD, the opposite played out. The time spent in his tiny “box” was well spent and music labels began to take notice of the young musical genius almost instantly.

The album, which includes many of the tunes he first produced in his rehearsal space, is a breath of fresh in comparison to much of what is on the mainstream charts. At its core, Free Trial is a concept album that delves into the layers of “transactional relationships in love and business,” as Steinberg says.

Each song on the album is intricately placed, and when played in its entirety from beginning to end, reads like multidimensional novel, exploring ideas of self-discovery, love, defeat and reconstruction. The various emotional components match the eclectic mix of electronic sounds that create the backbone of BAD CHILD’s unique style. Adding to this exotic mix is the smooth resonance from Steinberg’s vocals, generating a truly haunting experience that echoes the likes of Trent Reznor.

Luna had a chance to attend a pres conference with 1824 to learn more about the making of the project. Read our interview with BAD CHILD below and make sure to check out his album Free Trial to get a sense of this rising artist.

LUNA: Can you tell me a little bit about BAD CHILD, a little bit about the person behind the art? Why did you choose to leave the path of photojournalism behind and instead take the musical path?

BAD CHILD: Hey thanks for doing this, I’m Isaiah but I go by BAD CHILD professionally. I’ve always really been into music & visual arts in general but after my mom passed away when I was 16 it jump started something in me. I felt like everything but art was futile in understanding life so I just began pursuing a ton of mediums. I found teaching myself to play instruments and how to produce to be so meditative it was a pure escape. I used to sneak into lectures on journalism at the local university when I was in high school. I remember one time being able to see Larry Towell and talk with him about his experiences and it was so rich. I was going to go to university for it but I put the song Bad Child out and it took off and I dropped everything and decided to take the high road.

LUNA: What was the process like going from an EP to a full-length recording? I noticed some of the songs that were released on your EP Sign Up are also on this album.

BAD CHILD: This is something rollout wise I didn’t have much control over. All of the music from Sign Up was originally intended to be on Free Trial. So Free Trial is how it was intended to be from the start but Sign Up was created as a means to extend the rollout. In a different world it would have only been Free Trial but I’m just glad people are enjoying the art!

LUNA: After listening to the album it’s clear that it’s very much a concept album, and the songs seem strategically placed - was this intentional from the very beginning?

BAD CHILD: I’m really glad you noticed! It was always intended to be a concept record. I wanted to explore the ideas of transactional relationships in love & business. It interested me how people use each other as if they are “Free Trials”.

LUNA: Still going off of my last question, I liked how the whole album told a story and took the listener through the ups and downs of a relationship. Where did you pull your inspiration for these ideas?

BAD CHILD: I think my immediate life and experiences I have had with people really inspired it. In a lot of ways this record was me beginning to work out my traumas & make sense of my life. I felt very jaded at a young age I feel like I had to grow up very fast so I didn’t necessarily get along with everyone. I took myself really seriously and it wasn’t good for me. I started to feel like I was a mannequin and just glossed over. Floating through relationships and business until I really settled and worked on this record. It helped me find myself again.

LUNA: As for inspirations when it comes to your sound itself, where does that stem from? How would you describe your sound without sticking yourself under a “genre”?

BAD CHILD: I mean it’s hard because I think my sound is an extension of myself and where I’m at in life on that particular day it’s very difficult for me to fake something it never sounds right. I’ve described my sound to friends as a pop up on a porn site before. I want it to be jarring and strange. There are so many things I hide in my music that are personal to me. There’s a sample of “Alcoholics Anonymous handbook” on “Pretty Girls”. My sound is just an extension of myself and my experiences I’m not sure how else to describe it.

LUNA: In a past interview, I read that you rented a rehearsal space you called a box and made it into a makeshift home where you’d spend all day writing songs. Did you ever imagine that road would lead to where you are now? How did that experience influence your work on Free Trial?

BAD CHILD: I constantly miss this experience. It was an exciting time I moved to Toronto not knowing anyone and slept on the floor of this small rehearsal space. The memories and experiences I had were purely out of love for music. In the first few months there I wrote “Desert Island Lover”, “Blood”, “$1,000,000”, & “Pretty Girls” with Ryan Chambers. It was a boundless creative experience only driven by the love for music it was truly special and I’ll never forget my time there.

LUNA: When it comes to your full-length, where was it recorded? Did your creative process behind recording change after being signed to 21 Entertainment/Universal?

BAD CHILD: I recorded the full length all over. It mostly played and recorded in my home studio. When I came to a point where I wanted to elevate the tracks more I worked in Giant studio in Toronto. It was a tremendous experience. My creative process has remained relatively the same. It’s something I don’t like a lot of people to fuck with. The only people I was very keen on trusting were Ryan Chambers, Casey Marshall, Max Pankiw (Austin Ghost), & Nolan Marshall.

LUNA: How are you getting along with Covid-19 and the pandemic in general?

BAD CHILD: It has been a fresh hell. I was very early in reading about the virus and being horrified of what it was going to do. It was December when I started seeing things about the mystery pneumonia and I knew after Chinese New Year it would be everywhere. It uprooted my whole life and put me back years. It was a blessing in disguise as well though because it gave me time to pursue therapy and work on myself a lot and I needed that so badly. I stopped running from myself and my problems.

LUNA: What’s in the future for BAD CHILD? What do you hope fans are able to take away from it?

BAD CHILD: I have a bright outlook on the future. Free Trial taught me a lot about what I like to create and what I want to put into the world. Like with any art, I hope people take what they will from it I never want to tell anyone how to feel - just observe and feel how they do. I feel like my confidence as a musician has skyrocketed I’m ready to create something truly powerful after Free Trial. I started it when I was 18 and I’m turning 24 this year. I literally turned into a man while I made this. I think my sound has matured drastically behind the scenes and I can’t wait to reveal the person I’ve become.

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“I want to set the mood for younger emerging artists in Toronto, to be like, ‘Hey, you could, like, fucking work with literally anyone who has a kind soul.’ I do want to uplift the artist community. I do think collaboration is important, because if you wanna be in the community, you're gonna have to collaborate one way or another." - Cruz ⭐️ 🎞Allowing themself to take a more vulnerable & meaningful approach with their work, photographer Cruz is combining her creative talent with her passion for mental health advocacy. Read more about this incredible artist & how quarantine shifted her work + about the work they are doing for the community in our feature on the site now 💞