For many artists, music is a way to process strong emotions such as sadness, anger and heartbreak. And for upcoming artist Zeke Finn, heartbreak is the bread and butter of his career.
“Heartbreak is a recurring theme for me, and the concept of pursuit of happiness, I don’t know, music is just a path to joy for me,” he said.
As such, his latest single, a collaboration with German singer/songwriter & producer NoMBe, “Coulda Been a Phone Call” is no different. Combining a happy melody with sad lyrics about moving on, the two manage to create a breakup song that’s equal parts fun and thought-provoking.
“I got two texts from a girl I was seeing. She said “we need to talk” and “maybe you should come over”. I went over and she told me she was getting back with her ex. I put my wine glass down and said “This coulda been a phone call”. I turned to leave but then one thing led to another and I ended up spending the night. The next day I wrote the hook to this song,” he said.
“Zeke came up to me at a festival in LA and he told me the story of the song,” NoMBe recalled, “And for half a year, probably even longer, he just sent me a bunch of songs, and I really enjoyed what I was hearing,”
Being both people who find inspiration in being in a room with people, the two artists really pushed to find time to be together in the same studio, though they still did some virtual aspects.
“We found a date despite our time and schedule differences. I love the song, I love the instrumentals, I love the hook,” said NoMBe, “I think it made me open to more long-distance collaboration, and maybe creatively, you can work on smaller parts and send them back and forth,”
“For this song, we were in the room together but there was still some virtual aspect to it like Noah did a lot of production back in his studio in Hawaii, but we kinda sent some stuff back and forth,” said Zeke.
With Zeke coming from a folk music background thanks to his father, and NoMBe’s hip-hop background, the pair were able to craft “warm-colored music” with poetic lyrics that are guaranteed to worm their way into anyone’s brains.
“I listened to a lot of folk music as a kid, and learning poetry in songs was an important part of my upbringing, and I focus a lot on lyrics when writing. I really value good lyrics and I listen to every word of the songs that I hear,” explained Zeke.
“My dad listened to a lot of 60s and 70s music, so I have a love for warm-colored music and distortions,” recalled NoMBe, “I’ve always loved gritty sounds, fat drums, and that was really it in the early days, and at this stage, I really do listen to everything as long as there’s heart,”
“Coulda Been a Phone Call” is now available on all major streaming platforms.