Why rising pop artist Vaultboy believes people ‘need sad songs’
For singer-songwriter Vaultboy, listening to sad songs is a “weird phenomenon.” Give them to people, and curiously, they “start feeling a lot better.”
This is one of the reasons that drew him to writing and performing them. “I love sad songs more than I like happy songs… I like writing them more. And at the end of the day if I could only make sad songs, I wouldn’t be upset about it! It’s not something that bothers me,” he told the Inquirer in a one-on-one Zoom interview arranged by Secret Signals.
“People need sad songs,” said the American pop artist, who’s known for his melodic and somber compositions disguised as breezy, fun pop bops.
Case in point: Vaultboy’s breakout 2021 hit, “Everything Sucks,” talks about getting over “bad days” and hoping to “be OK.” But it’s presented in a playful package, which, in the end, inspires a touch of hopefulness.
The song gained steam on TikTok, earning about 320 million views from creators who used the song for their content. Its success spilled over to streaming sites like Spotify, where it has so far amassed over 224 million streams. It debuted at No. 1 on the Spotify Global Chart and stayed there for two weeks.
It also entered Spotify’s Viral Charts in 37 countries. Vaultboy is especially popular in Southeast Asia, which he will be visiting as part of his ongoing tour. He’s set to visit the Philippines—one of his top 10 biggest streaming markets—for a concert on June 13 at the Podium Hall in Pasig City.
“The one thing I can never take for granted is that the song put Vaultboy out there. If it weren’t for its vitality and airplay, people wouldn’t know who I am. That would have been OK. But now I have more name recognition. That’s the best thing the song did for me,” said Vaultboy, whose other hits include “Rocket Science” and “Aftermath.”
The success he has earned from wearing his heart on his sleeve had Rolling Stone magazine dubbing Vaultboy as the “King of Sad Songs.” “It’s a lot to live up to,” he admitted. “I was just gassed, taken aback when I first saw it. And I appreciate the kind words.”
“But at the end of the day, I’m not the king of anything,” he stressed. “I’m just trying to make good music.”
Despite his affinity for music that allows him to bare his vulnerable side, his coming debut album, “Everything and Nothing,” does have some inspirational ones—like his latest single, “You’re My Moon”—to balance things out.
Tell us about your new single, “You’re My Moon.” It’s a somber love song. It’s about when you’re in love with that person who’s there for you in the dark times. We hear a lot of people say, “You’re the light of my life… the sun.” But here, you’re my moon. You light up my dark times and you’re there for me, sticking by my side, when other people aren’t.
You said that it’s probably the best song you have ever written. I don’t know what it is about the song. I just think it’s different from a lot of songs I have made. I think it’s just a great pop song with a good concept. I don’t hear a lot of people using that phrase. It’s also just beautiful and takes you to a different world, sonically.
I like that your songs have such melodic choruses. I’m very melody-driven when I’m writing. It’s cool because it’s kind of a ballad, but has a lot of energy. It feels like a pop song. The base of the song is just the piano, but it builds into a cinematic song, almost. Everything is important about the process, but melody is important.
Does the song reflect the sound of your upcoming album? No one song sounds like the other in the album. It’s a nice palette of music that’s authentic to me. I think people are going to really enjoy listening to it and not get bored. It has a nice range to it.
Most artists these days are content putting out singles. How important is an album, still? I have always been an album guy. There are a lot of albums I love from start to finish, like Lauv’s “How I’m Feeling.” I think making a great album is a testament to being a great artist. And I went ahead and tried my best to put together a great album. It took a lot of time and work. I’m very proud of it.
You write a lot of songs. How do you decide which goes on the album? It’s like a mixture of what I really like and what people I trust like—my creative team, producers, my friends. I gauge everyone’s reaction to everything and see what feels right. By the time last summer rolled around, I was really locked into the concept of the album, so I was writing songs that I felt would fit the album. It was easier at that point because I already knew the direction I was going for.
What were your inspirations? This time, more than any point in my career, I tried not to think too much about other music, or what other people are doing. I just tried writing songs that I loved and felt good about. I tried to find as much inspiration as I could from within. I feel like the only way I’m going to come up with a good album is by getting in my own head and “torturing” myself a little bit to get out the best art.
Is it hard not to get too caught up in the numbers? I definitely try to remember that regardless of how well something does, regardless of how viral a post goes, or how many million streams a song gets, the most important thing is that you can be proud of what you make. I feel really proud of my album, songs and the content I make. At the end of the day, if something doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But I can still be proud of it.
Do you feel pressure that you have to live up to the success of “Everything Sucks”? I’m grateful that the song did that well. For any artist, big or small, it’s rare to have a song that goes out and becomes a global trend on the internet. It’s a rare and difficult thing for labels to try and get that to happen. I’m fortunate. I certainly didn’t expect that to always happen. The only expectation I can have from myself is to make good music and hopefully the fans like them.
I saw that you announced the Manila stop of your Asian tour with some Jollibee. I had to go [get some]. There’s a Jollibee very close to my home in Florida. I’m excited for the real thing!
What does it feel like playing shows in places you have never been to? It feels crazy. It’s an unreal feeling. I make music here in my house and bedroom studio, and people listen to it all around the world. And for the first time ever, I’m going to those countries to perform them. It doesn’t feel real until I’m doing it. So I’m very excited to go out there. It’s going to be fun.
Have you had interactions with your Filipino fans? I have done Zoom sessions with fans and a bunch of them are from the Philippines. One of my Discord moderators is from the Philippines and she’s great. And in Jacksonville, where I’m from, there’s a pretty large population of Filipinos.
Were you surprised that Southeast Asia became a big market for you? Originally, for sure. It has been a few years since “Everything Sucks” and now I know that there are a lot of fans out there. It’s always a surprise when I realize that people not from my hometown knows my music. What more in Southeast Asia? It’s awesome.
What can the fans expect from the show? I’m building my setlist. I will say that, more than anything else, I’ve been mentally preparing to hang out with everyone. I find myself personable at shows, so I just want to be myself and connect with the people in a room.
