Music Choice: Congratulations on poems of the past coming out! When did these songs first start to take shape?
Powfu: I’m constantly writing new songs and always have more in the bank. A few of the EP’s tracks are fresh and some a few months old. I always want my releases to have songs hit all the genres I create in. I want each one to be someone’s favorite song.

MC: When do you know a release is finished and each song can be someone’s favorite?
P: Before I signed with Columbia, I would release EPs quickly so now it’s nice to have time to organize. It’s easier with more time to pick the songs I really want.

MC: Do you like that organization as opposed to being able to drop something whenever you want?
P: There are pros and cons. It’s nice to have the backing of the label but was cool to freestyle a bit with how I’d put things out there.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_y5ul8g5rp/

MC: Do you feel that having these new perks of being on a label may change your sound? The term “lo-fi” gets attached to your music often.
P: Not really. They want me to make music the way I’ve been making it. I’ve always made music in my bedroom and that’s what I’m doing now.

MC: Tell me how the collaboration with Blink-182 came about (“death bed remix”)?
P: Columbia asked who I’d want to work with and I said Blink-182 and they said “well, they’re signed to the label.” Apparently, they had heard the song and were into it. I was like, “sick!”

MC: Do you remember what you were doing or what you thought when you got the message saying they were down?
P: I was hyped! I wasn’t sure they’d be into working with some kid coming up. They were so, respect to them!

MC: A long time ago when I was even younger than you, they were coming up too!
P: They’ve been around.

MC: You don’t have to remind me! Social media has been such a large part of your career do you remember the first time you saw a song of yours being used and were like “whoa, this could be a thing?”
P: I remember seeing on TikTok “death bed” was at around 70k and I couldn’t believe. My friend then sent me a meme from Instagram, and it was from a huge page. After that it kept growing and growing.

MC: As your influence keeps growing on social media do you get concerned your music is just for social media or made for it?
P: I already had a decent size fan base before it took off on socials. People are proud to say they were fans way back. I’ll see comments that say “like if you were here before TikTok!”

MC: You got the real heads in the comments. What do you think it is about your music that lends itself to working so well on different social platforms?
P: I don’t even know to be honest. Take “death bed,” it’s a sad song but has a happy sounding beat. You could put it to anything.

MC: Since you’ve always been making music in your bedroom have you been cooking anything up during quarantine?
P: I’m trying to! It’s kind of weird. Even though I’m always in my room, this time it feels demotivating and I feel like there’s more pressure to make music. One new thing I’ve been doing is practicing guitar more. My dad has an electric one.

MC: Have you been watching tutorial videos or learning to cover songs? How’s your learning going?
P: My dad taught me some basics and I’ve watched some videos. Mostly I like to fool around by myself.

MC: Besides the music what else have you been occupying your time with?
P: I started skateboarding and it’s been really fun. I’ve tried a few times but always give up. It’s definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever tried. This time I’m going all in.

MC: Where are your skill levels at? Can you ollie?
P: I can ollie. I’m not amazing but I just learned how to do a pop shuvit.

MC: I could only ever ollie on the grass. Good on you.
P: It’s hard!

MC: What do you miss the most that you haven’t been able to do during quarantine?
P: I used to be able to see my girlfriend all the time. The rules are starting to get easier around here so hopefully, we will spend time together soon.