You won’t ever know until you try, and Hologramme welcomes the unknown by doing. Montreal’s emerging electronic producer encourages artists to find their edge because that’s when growth begins. Taking a leap of faith helped Hologramme jumpstart his career, and instead of paying attention to what might not happen, he’s focused his energy on the positive momentum to help him keep going. Expanding his team has been one of the important stepping stones in establishing himself as a more serious artist. He shares why it’s important to find a good core group of people to help you stay your course and how social media has opened creative doors.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with 6AM to dive deeper into its ArtistMap, a program dedicated to supporting artists on their journey to go pro. Tell us a little bit about yourself. What first got you into music, how long have you been DJing and producing music–what came first?
Hi, thank you for having me! I always knew I would do something artistic, I started playing classical piano at age five, but I also knew I wanted to create. I’ve always been fascinated by the creative process. I had my mom buy me a really bad DJ software called EZ DJ and that made me discover house music. I then installed Fruity Loops Studio and started to produce. I have some HD with 500 or more really bad beats hahaha.
Is there a specific moment that made you realize you wanted to pursue music more than just a hobby?
It was my goal but I think after University I felt this was the choice I had to make. I was working in a music store selling instruments and had just finished studying jazz. I had to do something [because] I was feeling trapped. I just decided to jump and quit my day job and go play in small venues for $7 and a pint of cider. That’s where everything starts.
To make real change in your life and your career, you need friction and that friction is created by making drastic changes. “I’m not good enough” is the classic sentence your brain will tell you when you fail, but you have to understand that it’s only fear talking. It’s actually telling you to work harder and to stay focused on your creative process.
You start growing at the edge of your comfort zone, Hologramme jumpstarts his career by finding his edge.
What’s behind your artist name? Was it carefully thought out or did the name just kind of come to you?
I was looking for a name that would work both in French and English. Hologramme came up, and I liked the fact that a hologram is a real-world recording of an interference pattern. It sounds a lot like how I do music!
What’s one thing you’ve most struggled with as an artist, and what’s helped you manage that challenge?
I think the biggest challenge was to commit to who I truly am and to find a way in the industry. To make real change in your life and your career, you need friction and that friction is created by making drastic changes. “I’m not good enough” is the classic sentence your brain will tell you when you fail, but you have to understand that it’s only fear talking. It’s actually telling you to work harder and to stay focused on your creative process.
By [setting] aside the anxiety of “what is not” and focusing on “what is” you’ll find the key. By doing that, you unfold who you really are as an artist and you just go forward, letting aside bad vibes and fear.
I’ve also decided to start my own label, so I would be in control of every aspect of my career and not give control to people who don’t really care. Now everyone in the team believes in me and I think that’s the key to a good career.
Surrounding yourself by good vibes in order to succeed
At what point in your career did you start thinking about expanding your team seriously investing in growing as an artist?
During the first lockdown actually. I was poorly distributed. All [of] my hard work and energy spent on tracks I was proud of was falling flat when distributed. You are always as weak as your weakest link in the chain, so I negotiated a deal with The Orchard for months until they finally let me in. I decided to work with my best friend as my manager because she knew me so well and loved my music more than I actually do.
I’ve also decided to start my own label, so I would be in control of every aspect of my career and not give control to people who don’t really care. Now everyone in the team believes in me and I think that’s the key to a good career. As we speak, I’m starting 2021 feeling super confident and surrounded by good vibes!
Many artists focus on budgeting for the bells and whistles of music (gear, software, plug-ins, etc.) and often overlook saving money to help promote their music. Any tips that have worked for you that might help others approach this or shift their mindset on why it’s important?
Since 2018, I haven’t bought new instruments because I was only focused on [getting] my music heard. That’s another one of those challenges, you have to find a way to get your music heard and also listen to the feedback. So in order of priorities, once your music is ready and you have a few singles lined up in your head, you’ll need:
You need to promote all the good work you’ve done. Save some money for Facebook and Instagram ads, if you can put some money and monitor how your dollars are spent.
After that, go buy a new inspiring piece of gear. If you’re broke, find a way to counter that challenge haha…That’s how I think.
In a time where people are so digitally connected, how do you balance social media in your workflow?
Before last year, I always saw social media as something time-consuming and heavy. I just wanted to put my energy into my music and make genuine art. But as I said earlier, you have to listen to the feedback to connect with your audience, because that’s a bit for them we create right? So when you spend time on your promotion, you’ll have enough assets to make it easy and quick to post and keep a good flow. Social media is also a really powerful collaboration tool. I’m finding so many good artists and that sometimes creates features, remixes, or collabs.
If you could name one thing, what’s something you’re particularly proud of since starting this journey?
Buying a plane ticket for one month in Berlin. Result: My first album Felicity.
What’s something you’d like to accomplish in 2021?
A tour….haha. For real, I’m working on a new EP and a new album, so I have many things to accomplish. I would also want to collaborate with more talented artists around the world.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Thank you for all these good questions! That makes me remember how much the creative process is important as an artist. Also, surround yourself with good film directors and photographers. If you haven’t seen my last music video “DREAM”, go check it out, it’s amazing! Namaste.
