A creative icon with an incredible following of over 5.6 million subscribers on YouTube and a string of popular songs like ‘Unity’, ‘Monody’, and ‘Fly Away’, TheFatRat has become the ‘go to artist’ for gaming music. Known for having his music sync-to-screen for many widely popular video games such as ‘Dota 2’ and ‘Rocket League’, the German producer is the flagship musician for video games, tech and gaming culture. Armed with a sound, which Billboard Magazine has coined as “wildly energetic and genre-bending electro,” TheFatRat has earned him a massive legion of highly interactive online fans, and over 2.2 billion streams on YouTube and Spotify.
Most recently, TheFatRat shared his highly anticipated debut album, ‘PARALLAX’, a stunning release where every song is free to use on social media for creators and source material. True to TheFatRat’s ongoing tradition of freely dispensing his songs, he’s inspired many dedicated content creators, which in turn has led to him having been featured in over twenty-five million YouTube videos so far. A leader in the independent music community, he was kind enough to sit down and talk to us about his music, inspirations, and what’s still to come.
It's so fantastic to speak with you, and thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions. Let’s take things right back to the beginning, where did you love of music begin?
“It began when I was two years old, sitting on my Mum’s lap when she was playing piano and I was hitting random keys. We were doing this almost daily and after a while my Mum discovered that the notes, I played started fitting to her songs. Those are some of my very first memories, so I can't remember a time before I was making music.
How would you describe your sound?
“I'd describe it as ‘Gaming Music’. Which means it's music that is based on the gaming culture.”
Your album has become something of a sensation online, and for good reason. Can you tell us a little more about the record?
“My latest release is my album ‘PARALLAX’. Each song has its own artwork. Both the songs and the artworks are connected to each other, telling a story. It was my first album and creating it was a lot of fun because an album offers a lot more space to express ideas and stories than singles.”
You’ve been making music for a long time now, and you’ve covered such an expansive mix of sounds. What influences do you tend to draw from?
“Woah, so many. Classical music had a big influence on me because I grew up listening to it a lot and before I decided I wanted to become a music producer, I had planned to become a conductor. But I listen to a ton of different music and a lot of what I hear inspires me. From the creativity of Queen to Avicii's melodies to the artistry of Lil Nas X.”
What is your songwriting process? How does that classic ‘gaming’ sound come together?”
“The most important thing for me at the start is to create a lot of different ideas. Ninety-five percent of the ideas that I start never get finished, maybe even more. But for me it's key that the initial idea really clicks. Because when I decide to finish a song, it often takes a couple of weeks, sometimes several months and I have to be totally in love with the track, otherwise I'm gonna give up halfway because I get bored.”
Is it that ‘click’ that matters the most when you’re writing a song?
“The songs have to connect emotionally. In the end that's all I care about. Whenever an idea clicks with me. So, I want to finish it, it's because there is a strong emotion in that idea. Bringing out that emotion and then turning it into an emotional journey through the song structure is the next step. This can be very time consuming because sometimes I have a great chorus, but it takes ten or twenty verses until I have the right one that complements that chorus.”
Through everything, what has been your greatest moment as an artist so far?
“I had a lot of amazing moments, but what always amazes me is when I meet new people, who don't know that I'm a musician, we get to know each other and suddenly we find out that they have been listening to my music for years. This has happened to me all over the world and it still blows my mind each time it happens.”
What’s next for you as an artist?
“Right now, I'm completely focused on creating new music. No shows, brand collaborations or other fancy side projects. Some of the new songs are almost finished and I'm currently talking to some great artists about featuring on them.”
Finally, is there anything you would like to say to our audience?
“Yeah, I want to thank them for their patience while they're waiting for new music. I'm working hard to make sure it will be worth the wait.”
You can listen to ‘PARALLAX’ above via Spotify or on your preferred platform, and don’t forget to create your own musical magic with whichever track inspires you the most! For more, you can also join TheFatRat’s legions of fans on YouTube and social media by checking out his links below.
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