Focus: Boo

Who are you and where are you from?
I’m Boo, I’m from Teesside.

What is it you do?
I’m building a world in sound and visuals. That includes making 100% of my own music – writing, recording, singing and producing. I write poems, I use my voice and DJ at the moment, but I’m figuring out a live set. I also run Ghetec (@gh3tec), which is i guess my home, it’s my own record label, community and party series. 

What inspires you?
The way I am feeling. Fleeting moments. Eye contact. Churches and religious iconography. The ocean, the stars, trees. Winter – everything satisfying I’ve ever created has been made in winter.

Tell us about your music.
I don’t actually hear music in my head. It’s only happened a handful of times, which is irritating. So I will open Ableton and try to catch what I’m feeling on a midi keyboard. Once I get goosebumps, I know that it’s resonating. Then everything becomes very vivid – the rest is really more like painting. I see shapes which guide my melodies and colours help me figure out chord progressions. I use lots of layers of vocals, i use my voice for most synths and sometimes if I have something on my mind that will spill out too. Then I guess I pepper sounds around – it’s kind of what looks and feels right. It’s not the most fluid way to work, but that’s how I understand music. I’m teaching myself how to play piano and getting vocal training, which should help make my process more fluid.

I’m always spilling my heart into my notes app on a daily basis. This is important or I feel unsettled. I need consistent release. I’m too sensitive to keep things in.

What have you got coming up in the future?
I am creating my next EP. I’m very much in sketching mode at the moment, so lots of ideas floating around. Once this music is made, I will be working with a musical director to figure out how I’ll be translating that into a live format. I am extremely excited – I’ve wanted to perform live more than anything in the world and having the AOTY support means I am able to do that soon.