Printz Board Mountains Interview

Printz Board Mountains Interview

Grammy Award winning artist Printz Board is set to release his second single, Mountains, from his debut EP, Pre Games.

After years of writing and producing with artists such as Michael Jackson, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown and The Black Eyed Peas, Printz Board is aiming to make his mark on the global music charts with his creative Hip-Hop, R&B, Pop, Rock and Soul blend of indie music.

Printz's music career was cemented from the age of 10 when he picked up his first musical instrument, the trumpet. As a trumpeter he explored the vast parameters of Jazz and relocated to LA where he became the keyboard player for a band that would later evolve into the now worldwide phenomenon, The Black Eyed Peas.

The award winning artist worked on the extremely successful The Black Eyed Peas album, -The E.N.D.' which features Grammy award winning tracks, -My Humps' and -Where is the Love' and won a prestigious BMI Songwriter of the year award for his work on the tracks. Besides co-writing with The Black Eyed Peas, Board was also the musical director in charge of the bands live stadium shows.

After featuring on MTV's -Buzzworthy', Printz Board has finally got the World's attention and has since performed in sold out venues including the ROXY in Hollywood, where he brought out surprise guest Natasha Bedingfield for an exclusive duet of Mountains, as well as renowned US music festival SXSW held in Texas.

Interview with Printz Board

Question: How would you describe Mountains?

Printz Board: "Mountains" is a very powerful song, and one that really just hits home for a lot of people " probably because they relate to the struggle. The song is about overcoming obstacles and not backing down. The little boy in the first verse is me, and the woman in the second verse is my mom. My mom was quite young when she had me, and we lived together with my grandparents. It was a struggle, but my mom just never gave up and she instilled that kind of drive in me.


Question: How does Mountains fit with the other songs on the EP, Pre Games?

Printz Board: Well, the EP is more like a preview for the forthcoming album. So I wanted to include a few different styles on there to represent the full Printz Board sound. While 'Mountains" is powerful and uplifting, songs like 'Hey You" and 'Turn The Party Up" are about getting the party started. Then the song 'Rockstar Moments" features Slash on guitar, and that's a little bit of glimpse into life on tour! 'Love, Love, Love" is a song about a past relationship. So the EP is definitely a cool mix of sounds and styles.


Question: After years of writing and producing with artists what has made you decide to release your own EP?

Printz Board: Well I've always been an artist, just like I've always been a songwriter, producer and musician. I've been extremely fortunate to work with everyone from Michael Jackson to Katy Perry to The Black Eyed Peas to Macy Gray. When you're in the studio with these big artists, you naturally flow from project to project. But when we took a break from the Peas' stuff, I went over to New Zealand and Australia to work on a few albums. I was demoing everything myself and putting down all of these ideas, that I kind of looked up at one point and realized I had this new body of work. I thought, "OK, I'm gonna go ahead on my project now. It's time. It's time to tell my story."

Question: What's your inspiration when writing?

Printz Board: I gather inspiration all around me. I'm always traveling, so I'm always finding myself in new places, with new people. I find that extremely inspiring. That also allows you to really take in the music of different cultures, and in a way, it allows you to constantly expand upon your musical vocabulary. There might be something I hear in Sydney that is really cool and different, and that's exciting. Or inspiration could come from a movie, or a conversation, or a photograph. Inspiration is everywhere.


Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

Printz Board: New artists would be Moosh & Twist, Bad Rabbits, Snarky Puppy, Printz Board, and Lindsey Jenningz. I'm currently playing in CeeLo's band, so of course I listen to a lot of CeeLo!


Question: What's next? Tour/Album/Single?

Printz Board: All of it! Look out for a whole lot of Printz Board this fall. The debut album (Board Games) will be released – and there will also be a tour and new single.


Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?

Printz Board: Every kind of artist has doubts for sure, but the ones who succeed are also the ones who know that throwing in the towel can't be an option. I never really had a back-up plan, you know? When things kicked into gear, it was just all or nothing. I've been blessed with a very diverse career too. Thankfully, a lot of the opportunities along the way kept me looking ahead and allowed me to continue moving forward with the certainty that I was doing what I was meant to do.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?
Printz Board: I love being creative in the studio and recording. It's amazing to develop an idea and bring it to the point of being a record. I also am constantly recording from the road. But performing is something entirely different. I'm not sure how to describe the thrill of playing to thousands of people. With the Black Eyed Peas, we'd play massive venues and the shows were just electric. With my own Printz Board shows, I just leave everything out there on stage. So though they are definitely very different, I'd say performing. The energy is unlike anything else.


Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Printz Board: I started messing around on my grandparents' organ when I was really little, and the trumpet was my first instrument. I fell in love with it, and I started off studying jazz and then studied at San Diego State. From there, I went to LA. I was pretty much in it before I had a chance to think of it like a career. I had a band called Gravy, and there other bands that came up with us. One of those bands was Black Eyed Peas. There was an incredible community of musicians and we all mixed it up together. Everything really stemmed from just a pure love and enjoyment from playing live with other musicians.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Printz Board: The biggest challenge has been answering one question -"Where's Fergie?" People know me from the Peas and still want that to be part of it. Thing is, it will always be a part of me, but this is a project that I started so I can do something a little different. I LOVE my Bros and sis from the Peas, and we will never stop, but enjoy this for what it is, not what you expect it to be.


Question: What's a typical day like for you?

Printz Board: Right now I am touring with CeeLo, playing in his band, so it changes constantly. Yesterday, we were in Raleigh, North Carolina. I played my single 'Hey You" live on My Carolina Today, a morning news TV show based in Raleigh. That was a lot of fun. Then I did a few interviews from the road. After that, I spent the afternoon working on material for other artists. I am also finishing up my album, so I had my mobile set-up ready to go from the tour bus. Before you know it, it's time to head to the venue. I had a few more in-person interviews lined up there, and then played with CeeLo. Never a dull moment!


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Printz Board: Connecting with people. Every aspect of being a musician ultimately comes down to wanting to connect with people. For me, it's knowing that a lyric or a melody can affect somebody – whether it be because it's something they relate to or because it simply makes them feel happy. Or maybe they're going through something and it helps to know someone else has also gone through it. And performing live and sharing that experience with people is incredible. At the end of the day, we all live our lives along to soundtracks. Those of us who can be soundtracks to people's lives are extremely lucky.

Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Printz Board: Bad Rabbits, Lenny Kravitz or Imagine Dragons.


Interview by Brooke Hunter