Written by: David Williams
Former Nuance Cover Artist Peter $un knows the burden of trying to accomplish something bigger than himself when creating music. His art has a profoundly personal meaning through his trademark jazz-style instrumentation coupled with his hypnotic melodies. His new project, EP Phone Calls Gimme Anxiety, was created in the space of despair after Peter lost his older brother, which led to him abusing alcohol to cope. Sunny, as he is also known, treated this record as his therapist, tieing vulnerable autobiographical lyrics while sending an uplifting message of inspiration and empowerment.
Perseverance is Sunny's calling card, displaying a stunning ability to push through a terrible moment by fighting, digging deep within himself, to strive for his true potential as an artist. The steady progression of his career with each release of new music is evident that his dreams will become a reality sooner rather than later.
With the new EP, Sunny appears to be more comfortable in his skin, having fun and being more open on the promotional side of the project. You can catch him online doing his version of the infamous late 90s psychic Miss Cleo, trading tarot cards for those of the Uno variety, even giving out a Mike Jones-style phone number online (818) 751–8263 to open up a dialogue with his fans. In addition, he created a skit chock-full of humor that makes you want to continue to root for him and come back to his music over and over again.
The first song of his EP, "Metamorphosis," should be a prime example of Sunny's talent as an artist. He equips smooth head-bobbing production with his introspective lyrics on his life about not fearing death anymore, transforming dirt into art, and troubles within his family, which is essentially his mission statement for the entire record.
Nuance Writer David Williams got a chance to catch up with Peter $un, one of Nuance's first ever covers in 2018, over zoom recently about his new EP, his career, and much more.
Photo Credit: Clayton Kasich
David: Do you have any particular type of music that helped inspire your cadences and melodies for the new EP?
Peter $un: The music I grew up on was D" Angelo, Erica Badu, Sade, and Lauryn Hill-type vibes that really inspire a lot of the music I make cause I was mainly raised on R&B and Jazz music. I am always thinking about the instrumentation of the song and how it sounds and feels. That the lyrics mean something, the ways I can play with melodies or play with my vocals, and something people can actually feel and have a good experience with.
David: Can you take me through your creative process of creating a song?
Peter $un: I try to draw from life experiences from my personal life and what I go through every day or going through at the moment in writing something. That is what this project is inspired by the period after Scumbaby when I lost my brother when my family was going through some things, I was drinking a lot, and I didn't have a lot of money at the time. I was inspired by what I was going through and felt like me talking about what I was going through and humanizing myself through the music could help people relate.
David: You had a very vulnerable post on Instagram where you talked about almost quitting music entirely and feeling drained. What helped you get out of that dark moment in your life?
Photo Credit: Clayton Kasich
Peter $un: I think it's just understanding me, digging deeper, and understanding who I am as a person. I had to do some inner searching. I had to write down what hobbies I like to do and just took the time to learn a little more about myself and spend time with myself like you would like a friend or a partner. Changing my habits, what I listen to, and what I surrounded myself with. I had to take that time for me to learn myself more, and that gave me the ability to love myself more and respect what I have to bring to the world without comparison or without looking at other things. You should be; further, you should have this, and kind of looking at it for what it is and just enjoying the journey and present.
I feel like a lot of people go through almost quitting when they are doing something bigger than themselves. Pushing through that is the most important part. And understanding and respecting your own lane and myself and knowing and doing what and promoting what I stand for and what I care about, I can do it forever; it's just a matter of getting in my own head.
David: Do you have any goals for the rest of this year?
Peter $un: I am hoping my project is heard and received the right way, and people can take away from it what they feel and what they will. I just hope the world can hear it and understand what I'm about.
David: What main takeaways do you want listeners to have from Phone Calls Give Me Anxiety?
Peter $un: I want people to enjoy time with their friends and their families. The main reason behind the title is that I missed the last couple of phone calls with my brother before I couldn't talk to him again. Phone calls give me anxiety because it's hearing bad news I expected him to say he needed something, some money, or wanted something. You never know what people are going through, and after that, I didn't have a chance to again. Phone call still gives me anxiety about the threat of hearing bad news and not being there the way I should. I want people to feel inspired to do what they want to do in life. Inspired to hit up the people they want to talk to in this lifetime and respect and love each other.