A telling concept that speaks volumes about the current state of modern music is discreetly defining what one stands for, portrays themselves as, or simply what their title represents as a singular entity — a singular artist. These things not only display what an act’s role is within whatever landscape they find themselves in, but as one delves deeper and deeper into how the nuance of these concepts, the more and more is revealed regarding exactly how their status reflects the type of music they make, and in the medium(s) they make it in.
To say that a now-incredibly influential figure in contemporary underground music like Glasear has quite a lot to exemplify as far as his own status is concerned would be an understatement unlike any single one heard before. On the outset, he is simply an 18-year-old producer out of Atlanta that has come to pave ways for a rising new world of production over the last few years, right alongside his numerous contemporaries in the equally influential Neliaworld collective.
Seeing him from this particular spectacle has become enough on its own for people to recognize his weight over the grander underground music scene that he has sincerely been at the forefront of for such a long time now. But seeing him in this light is accomplishing nothing else other than a necessary, yet face-value peer into a figure that encompasses far more than the average producer working in his particular lane today.
Rather, Glasear should be seen as a purveying force in this light unlike any other, and the only way for that notion to arise as clearly as it can is by acknowledging what makes up his artistry as it stands first hand — a status that is practically unreplicable, unmatched, and certainly underappreciated.
You name has been through many circles in the underground landscape over the years, but how did you get your start, and what things helped you hone your craft early on?
So I just graduated high school recently, and I think the first time I ever even touched FL Studio was in my freshman year. My friend wanted to be a rapper, and I tried making stuff in FL and it was like, way too hard for me then. I didn’t have the attention span to learn anything at that time. But in that year I moved from North Carolina to Atlanta, and I really just had no friends and I only had underground music to turn to. I started wanting to get more and more into production, and then I started watching this YouTuber named Busy Works Beats who had this “Lil Yachty production” video that kinda showed me how easy this stuff really was. So I just started making beats every single day, like over and over again, really just until things stuck and I started working with actual artists.
Can you pinpoint the moment where you really started to get introduced to the actual “underground” as it were?
I feel like the moment that changed everything for me was when I produced for Tommy Ice. A few of his songs, not even on purpose or anything, like pretty much put me onto the entire underground. Tommy Ice is still my bro to this day, and my early stuff with him really got me so many connections and put me on so hard. Like the same week I started producing for him, we linked in real life and that’s when I met FBK (FadedBlackid) and I joined Neilaworld. I wanted to join Neila so bad at that time, and for him to connect me with him… it literally changed my life.
The scene has progressed so much since you first joined Neila, but its overall presence is still so huge in so many ways. What can you say about that come up?
Oh yeah, things have definitely changed so much. I feel like a lot of people really think that Nelia fell off, but honestly, it never did. What’s cool in the underground always changes, and Nelia was really new and fresh back around 2018-2019, and the focus now has just shifted to what’s new and fresh right at this moment. But we’re seriously bigger than ever in a sense, like all of our producers are going crazy and getting wild placements in the higher music world. We really went from SoundCloud to the industry, so it makes sense that the “underground” scene wouldn’t consider us as present as we used to be with them.
That’s something that maybe people fail to realize about the heights Nelia has reached. But one thing that you can seriously attest to is having a presence at that level, while still really being tapped in and active within the underground as it stands today. Why has that been the case for you?
I feel like I’m the only Neila producer that produces for the new kids. And I just love it, I love all the shit they do. I really believe in all of the new acts coming out right now, so that’s exactly why I work with them so much. But honestly, it’s nothing past that; I don’t feel anything beyond that just because I feel like this is just me being independent and working with the people that I really want to work with, and that’s it. Which really is the cool thing about Nelia as a whole, because all of us get to do whatever we want in that way, and it’s so amazing.
Has anyone that’s come up recently influenced you or even taught you anything from an artistic standpoint?
Oh yeah for sure. Definitely Blackwinterwells, she’s just a fucking goat and everyone knows it. Kuru has been a huge influence too. Everytime I feel like a boomer, I always go to Kuru and be like “yo, what should I be hip to?” — and that can be for literally anything, like not just artists but even like VSTs and plugins and all that. He’s always the one I go to first. I feel like I wouldn’t be where I am in the scene without him getting me hip like that, it’s crazy to think about.
Knowing the type of music that you make, and how far it stretches as far as your sound and style goes, where do your main influences lie beyond just the scene you’re with today?
A lot of different stuff has helped me expand my sound growing up. Like I used to be way into Minecraft YouTube and shit, and like all of the intros to those videos had like EDM and shit and that made me explore that genre, but then I had this emo phase in middle school which also opened me up to all kinds of shit. And honestly, it all goes back to anime music for me, because that was the first type of music I really ever got into and obsessed over. But I think it all came together in high school during my rap music phase, and I began to realize that these things can be combined to make some really genre-bending shit, and I feel like that’s where good music comes from. People like Kanye, who bridge together so many different aspects of music together to make some new and insane stuff, I feel like having that ideology is the best thing to do to make incredible music in the end.
In your eyes, how do you specifically manifest that approach?
Basically, whenever I wanna learn a new style or even an entire new genre, I wanna do it right. I want to be as authentic as I possibly can. I really nerd out when it comes to that stuff, like I seriously work so hard at understanding what makes a genre click, or what makes just one sound seem so cool. A perfect example of this was with Ericdoa and Glaive’s “It’s All a Waste” — because I listened to so many songs for reference and just tried to apply it to make that indie-type of sound. I am such a huge fan of that type of music, and I feel like when some producers try to cross genres, sometimes it really sounds like they’re not a fan of the music they’re trying to make. And with me, I really always want to be as realistic and as authentic as I can, no matter what I’m making. Because I really love a lot of different music, and if I’m gonna make that shit, I want it to come off like that.
You certainly have such a passion for your craft in knowing that, and anyone you work with would easily say the same thing. But you’ve really made a living off of being a behind the scenes type of figure in the community, so how do you feel about having that type of status? Is it a place you hold consciously?
The thing is, I really do have a lot of anxiety when it comes to that stuff and I really hate being animated like some of my best friends are. It’s not like I don’t like going on Instagram Live and messing around or even like joking on Twitter all the time, but honestly, I love to be known… but I hate to be “known about.” I just don’t really like people knowing so much shit about me on a super personal level. I guess in a sense I kinda do like having a distinct personality and being somewhat animated, but definitely not in the same way as some of my best friends like Sebii and Eric are.
Does that mindstate apply to your status as a musician?
For sure, that’s another thing too. I really do want to be “out there” or whatever as a producer because I have bigger artistic goals and shit with all of this. I want to be present in a way that works for me, and I’m just trying to figure all of that out still. I honestly think presentation is so important, and I really want to be comfy in the aspect I guess.
Speaking on presentation, what else besides your music would you like to be known for? Or even beyond that, what other factors play into who you are as a person and how you’d like to be perceived?
My biggest thing probably is clothing. Like I really love clothes, and honestly I have this scheme I want to play out where I become this like “lowkey stylist” in the music world. And the other is skating, that is so huge for me. Skating culture put me on to such amazing music, and also I met so many friends and made so many connections because of it too. When I was like 15, I used to make skate edits to songs from all of my favorite rappers, and some of them even started fucking with me because of it. And then that literally goes hand in hand with clothes too, because a lot of artists and producers really fuck with fashion and shit, and that’s always been a cool talking point with plenty of people I’ve come to know and work with.
To really bring that all together, what does the idea of having these types of relationships – and also your own prescription of yourself and how you come off – play into the music once it’s all said and done?
I really try to have as much fun as I possibly can with all of this, and having these commonalities really affects the experience in a positive way so much. Or even just building friendships in general, like I whenever I go out with my friends and have an amazing time, it literally always makes me more excited to make music once I get home. I think the same goes for them too knowing how close I am with them. Honestly, Eric and my girlfriend are the closest people to me in my entire life. Eric is seriously so important to me because we both lift each other up when we’re down, especially with music too. Like if either of us are down about some music shit, we’ll just do something else and get our minds off of it all. And for my girlfriend, really I just want her to think I’m cooler any chance I get, so that literally makes me go so much harder on my music stuff. She’s like my own personal A&R too, she puts me onto so much shit in the scene. I’m one of those people who needs to be in a really good mindset to make music, and these two are the best ones who are always making sure that I’m doing as well as I can.