Singer-songwriter Ren Martinez chatted about her new music, songwriting inspirations, and the digital age.
Song selection approach for the CD
On the song selection process of her debut album, she said, “After I released my first two EPs, I knew that I wanted to make an album next—it’s always been my dream to work in that longer format.”
“So, I was pretty much starting from scratch. I was kind of writing and recording all at the same time, just making my way slowly through everything, and started recording when I only had about half the songs done,” she said.
Martinez continued, “I’m not a super prolific writer, I think a song will brew inside me for a while before it’s ready to come out, so all these songs were written really intentionally during this time.”
“It can be a scary way to write, because it’s very easy to feel like, what if I just never write a good song again? But I’ve learned to just have faith that it’ll happen, and the more you think about writing, the more you write. It’s a headspace you can get into,” she added.
Favorite song on the album
On her favorite song on the CD, she said, “My favorite song on there is called ‘The First and Last of the Perfect Parties.’ I love it so much that I gave it a long and dramatic title! It’s inspired by Fountains of Wayne, one of my all-time favorite bands, and my favorite genre of music which is essentially 2000s pop rock.”
Fountains of Wayne
Martinez noted, “Fountains of Wayne had a way of being so funny and so tender at the same time, making music that was both ridiculous and heartbreaking. They knew how to be really hooky and clever and fun while also folding in this incredible vulnerability and emotionality.”
“Their songs are so detailed, their storytelling is really rich, and that’s always a priority of mine as a writer. I wrote this song in early COVID, after Adam Schlesinger died, which absolutely gutted me. He was one of the founding members of Fountains of Wayne and a truly great songwriter. I would go on long runs at twilight and listen to their album ‘Welcome Interstate Managers’ on repeat and cry,” she elaborated.
Martinez continued, “This song is my tribute to them, and it’s about a ridiculous college party, and every word of it is true. The first line, ‘I was stone cold sober eating pizza on the lawn when the cops came,’ is actually a verbatim message I sent in a group text reminiscing about it in lockdown,” she added.
She noted that there was a band some of her friends were in called the Hammers.
“It was insane ‘80s inspired rock, the singer sounded like Steve Perry,” she said. “They played this house party at the end of my junior year that was the most magical, absurd, electric night, and it was one of the most important nights for me where I was completely falling in love with someone who would shatter my heart into a million pieces a few years later.”
“I never could’ve imagined it at the time, what was coming. It’s just such a poignant thing, and I think I really captured it. I’m very proud of that song,” she added.
Music and songwriting inspirations
On her music and songwriting inspirations, she said, “I really love to draw inspiration from my favorite artists. I know that there are people who are very focused on being original in all things, but it is honestly so beautiful to me to be able to tap into an energy another artist created in you and follow that energy all the way to your own creation.”
Martinez continued, “I think I have a strong enough identity as a songwriter where I can play with that and still make something that is all my own. For this album, basically every single song is inspired by one of my musical heroes, and there is such a comfort and a coziness in that.”
“Lyrically, a lot is taken directly from my life—the way I think of it, a song is a feeling stretched out all the way. Writing a song is mining a specific emotion to its deepest possible point. It doesn’t mean that it’s literal, or that it’s the whole truth about everything you feel about a certain person or event in your life,” she elaborated.
“You might hear a song you wrote about something, and it’s not necessarily aligned with your overall feelings about it. It could just be a glimmer of something you noticed inside your head or your heart, that you brought to the edge of its possibility. Or it might be, you know, your anthem, your headlining thesis. And the range of that is also so exciting and inspiring to me,” she explained.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, she said with a sweet laugh, “I should probably say it’s cool, but I hate it! Everything I love about making music comes from being in rooms with people or by myself with a guitar, nothing I’m getting from a screen.”
She continued, “Honestly though, career-wise, I really don’t have anything to compare it to, because all of that was exploding just as I was starting. The digital age of being an artist is all I’ve ever known. I definitely feel very thankful to be able to put my own music out in the world in a format that anyone can hear, all of my own volition.”
“There is power for an artist in being able to have that control, the means to put your art into the world, and it’s wonderful that that is so accessible, and you don’t have to have a record deal to release music,” she said.
Thoughts on streaming
“Streaming doesn’t do it for me as an artist or a consumer,” she admitted. “I missed having to make decisions about what I was going to choose to listen to, knowing I had $20 and could pick 2 CDs, so really thinking that through and investing a lot in that choice. If I picked something I didn’t like, it felt like a real waste, but I was able to hone my taste that way and learn how to find what I really loved.”
“Adding an album to your collection with care and consideration is a much better way to consume and discover music than as a utility, if you ask me. We get to have everything now and it feels like nothing,” she said.
“I have memories of trips to record stores and which CDs I bought on specific days, I really do, because some of those days, and the records I bought, changed my life. I miss that, the stakes of it, and I want that for people again,” she recalled.
“With social media, man, I try to just use it in the least soul sucking way possible and have fun with it. But I’d do away with it all in a heartbeat. We all need to touch grass,” she added.
Dream duet choices in music
Martinez listed Robyn and Jackson Browne as her dream collaboration choices in music. “I would love to duet with Robyn,” she exclaimed. “Robyn is an absolute queen to me. On the opposite end of the spectrum pick is Jackson Browne—he’s my all-time favorite artist, and I’d die happy if I worked with him.”
Future plans
On her plans for the future, she said, “I truly cannot wait to release this album and hope to be able to make some cool videos for it and take my time with it and milk it for all it’s worth.”
“I’m going to play some more shows in LA, and I would really love to get on the road and play in other cities as well. And I’m already excited about the prospect of a sophomore album,’ she added.
Success
Regarding her definition of success, she said, “That is such an interesting question, and something I think about quite a bit. Honestly, if I get to continue making art throughout my life, that’s success for me.”
“Success is in the work,” she admitted. “If I figure out how to keep on writing and keep on performing, and get to know what that’s like at 40, 60, 80—that’s all I can dream of.”
Closing thoughts about her new music
For her fans, she remarked, “I hope that they can find catharsis in it, I hope that they can feel seen by it. I hope it can make them feel less lonely, the way my favorite music does for me. And whoever does listen, I want them to know how thankful I am to them for being on the ride with me.
“The connection I feel to other people through music is the most beautiful thing about it for me, it’s what I hope to build my life around. It’s an honor, truly, whenever somebody takes the time to listen. We’re in this together,” she concluded.
To learn more about singer-songwriter Ren Martinez, follow her on Instagram.
