All-Around Artist Awwful Lands New Single “Take Me”
“They Are an Amazing DJ, and I Just Want to Hear More of Their Music”
“[I want people to find] the ability to connect with it, to find comfort, to feel understood,” said Awwful about their new single released last month, “Take Me.”
It’s the first original music that the singer, DJ, drag performer, and producer has put out since their EP Human in 2018.
As a strong and popular presence in the queer community of Montreal, they’ve become known as a host and performer at events like the monthly Glitter Bomb dance party at the Ritz, while making their mark as a multifaceted artist.
“They really are in touch with the scene, and there for all the queers. They are an amazing DJ, and I just want to hear more of their music,” said Mx Macbeth, a prominent Montreal drag performer.
It was the scene that helped develop Awwful into who they are as an artist today.
They debuted their first EP at a Glitter Bomb and had never performed live until then. It was the beginning of a new channel for self-expression, both for sharing their music and their persona as Awwful.
“It felt kind of natural and strange at the same time,” they said about that first performance. They didn’t realize the magnitude of it all at the time.
Now, with several years and plenty more public performances since that night at Glitter Bomb, they’re focused on putting out a new project, which “Take Me” is a part of.
Awwful’s music is of a very personal, vulnerable brand. It is a therapeutic experience for them, and this latest song is no exception.
About a year ago, they began working on “Take Me” after a difficult breakup, in which they and their ex partner both stayed good friends.
Related“It gave me 80s synth vibes but at the same time recontextualized pop from a queer perspective,” said Odile Myrtil, an artist who has worked with Awwful on several occasions.
She praised the blend of “deep feels” and “light pop music” that “Take Me” offers.
It’s a song about how the artist wants “to be taken along with him even through our breakup,” Awwful explained.
“It gave me 80s synth vibes but at the same time recontextualized pop from a queer perspective.” — Odile Myrtil
It’s a deeply personal song, and, for Awwful, that’s part of what makes it good. That kind of self-expression is key to their creation process.
“Vulnerability can be scary sometimes, but I think it’s one of the most important things about the process of creating art, putting it out there and having it connect with other people,” they explained.
Awwful often turns to art for emotional understanding. They project their own experiences onto art when they’re struggling. Their hope is that by putting out more personal, vulnerable, and emotional music, they can provide that for other people as well.
RelatedThe next step after “Take Me” is to unveil the project that it’s a part of. They don’t know what form it will take, yet.
They’ve been working on plenty of new music for a soon-to-be released project. Part of how they do their work is by constantly creating and seeing what comes of it.
“When things start to piece together and I see the story in all my little creations, I’ll bring them together and be like, ‘Yes, this is a final project,’” explained Awwful.
“I don’t start out with a concept. I let things come out of me and eventually I’m like, ‘There’s a pattern here.’ These are all a part of one piece of a story.”
Add this often lengthy process to the fact that they’ve been putting energy and effort into their drag performances, event planning, and DJ work, and the reason for the gap between Human and “Take Me” becomes even more clear.
They said that those other mediums inform the music they do.
RelatedMyrtil described Awwful as “a melting pot.” They offer a lot artistically through the different influences and styles that blend together. She said that’s what makes Awwful unique.
That ability to blend also allows for a kind of crossover in Awwful’s work that their peers appreciate in them.
“It’s what makes them different from other artists. There’s elements of subverting what’s happening in the mainstream pop sphere and mixing that with what’s happening in the queer world—which I think is really interesting,” said Myrtil.
“Take Me” is available on iTunes, Spotify, and Bandcamp.
