The Soul of an Artist (with Human Barbie and veronicavon — Chris Hackman and Xuan Nguyen)
Love Music More · hosted by Luke F. Walton
Guest: Chris Hackman
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Topics discussed
Host note
Two artists who make records in very different ways, in one conversation. Chris Hackman records as Human Barbie, lo-fi pop built at home; Xuan Nguyen records as veronicavon, rock tracked on analog gear. We talk about how each of them gets a song from an idea to a finished recording, what changes when they work with other people, and what the day-to-day of being an independent artist looks like right now.
Selected moments
- The contrast of music styles 1:34 Chris compares their two projects, Human Barbie's analog sound and veronicavon's upbeat lo-fi pop.
- Recording on tape vs. digital 2:55 The duo discusses the decision-making process when working with tape versus digital production.
- The essence of vocal performance 9:19 Xuan emphasizes the emotional nuances that can be captured in vocal performances.
- Creating music with intention 32:41 Chris reflects on the importance of intention in artistic creation.
- Unexpected vocal transformation 12:10 Chris experiments with voice transformation technology in new vocal projects.
- The importance of collaboration 20:20 Chris and Xuan offer insights into how their different writing styles complement each other.
Selected excerpts
I met Xuan and we started kind of like... sister brother cousin project Human Cool.
There's no room to edit and there's no comping, so when you're done, it's just done.
We have a record coming out and I'm curious if people will be able to tell which songs were written solo.
I'm trying to do it more musically, we're like going deeper and being a little more recursive.
Just remember that you really rock and you kick major butt.
FAQ
What is Chris Hackman's musical background?
Chris Hackman is the creator behind Human Barbie and has a strong foundation in analog recording techniques, integrating lo-fi aesthetics into his music.
How did Xuan Nguyen develop her vocal techniques?
Xuan Nguyen emphasizes capturing emotions in her singing, learning to balance technical accuracy with the expression of feeling.
What themes do Chris and Xuan focus on in their songwriting?
Their songwriting often explores themes of emotional vulnerability, artistic identity, and the serendipity of collaboration.
These pages are host notes, not a full transcript. An automatic transcript is on the Spotify episode.