Country/Interview Malachi Gagnon - Stay
Emerging pop-country singer-songwriter Malachi Gagnon is a small town all-American 17-year-old who found his love for singing and songwriting where many of music’s biggest stars first discovered their inner artist: the church worship band. Born and raised in a small town of New Hampshire, Malachi was raised on small town values and credits his family and their encouragement for giving him the confidence to believe in himself before he ever played his first chord.
Listen: https://orcd.co/mg-stay
Hello Malachi Gagnon. "Stay" blends country-folk and pop effortlessly. What inspired you to combine these genres in your latest track?
While writing and producing “Stay,” I was listening to a lot of Bon Iver’s second record, “Bon Iver, Bon Iver”. That album blends similar styles and really inspired the production behind my song. Folk, Country, Alternative, and Pop are all genres I appreciate very much, and being able to implement them all was cool.
The chorus in "Stay" is incredibly powerful. Can you talk about the creative process behind writing such a memorable hook?
The idea of having all these big plans with someone and seeing forever with them all for fate to have other plans interested me deeply and I knew that writing a powerful, emotionally driven chorus, I had to make the production powerful. After spending hours in the studio creating the first draft of the song, me and my producer, Spencer, decided to scrap it and restart. It was a dangerous move but felt necessary as I had a greater vision of what the song could be. We spent even more time crafting the song that is releasing on November 1st.
The lyrics in "Stay" are emotionally charged. What personal experiences or stories influenced the themes of heartbreak and longing in this song?
The fondness I have for memories is evident through many of my recent songs. I wrote this song while dwelling in my admiration for someone and their memory. But paying attention to the lyrics you can feel the tone change as I develop a bitterness towards this person until eventually resolving in a peaceful moment, replaying the memory and asking her to stay.
How does "Stay" reflect your evolution as an artist, especially in terms of your sound and lyrical style?
I think “Stay” represents where I'm at as an artist very well. I’ve come to a point in my journey where I'm the happiest that I've ever been with the music I'm releasing. This song shows my writing style as more raw than some of my songs, using more imagery and metaphors to get my point across.
Can you walk us through the production process of "Stay"? What elements did you focus on to create the song's unique blend of genres?
While creating “Stay” I wanted to focus on the feeling more than anything. I think the production of the song tells the story just as well as the lyrics. It starts off with a peaceful introduction to the story, builds up to a bitter, anthem-like second half, and resolves in a mellow ending to take the feeling.
You've mentioned "gut-wrenching" lyrics in this track. What do you hope listeners feel or take away from the song after hearing it for the first time?
I hope that people don’t feel completely ruined by it. I just hope that the listeners can feel something through the song even if they’ve never felt the feeling.
Country-folk and pop are quite different stylistically. How do you balance the storytelling elements of country with the catchy, mainstream appeal of pop?
I try to base my music around storytelling. It’s my favorite part and the most important part to me. I base the feeling and style of the song on the story its telling. I feel like as long as I keep making my music for me I’ll make the best music I can.
As "Stay" releases on November 1st, what kind of impact do you hope the track will have on your fans and new listeners?
It’s my favorite song that I’ve made to date and I feel like it represents who I am as an artist the best so far. I put a ton of work into creating this song and I hope that people would recognize it and enjoy it.
Looking forward, do you see yourself continuing to experiment with genre-blending, or are there other musical directions you're excited to explore?
I’m beyond excited to continue exploring the Alt-Folk/Pop genre and plan to keep making songs like “Stay”. But who knows what genre I do next!
Lastly, if you could describe "Stay" in just one word, what would it be and why?
It’s impossible to express the emotions this song portrays in just one word. Chaotic might work, but I don't think it does justice. I think “Bittersweet” is the best word to describe it, as it represents the rapid change in emotions from love, to resentment, then to resolution.