Dublin-based rapper Aaron Lawlor recently made his debut with ‘Smooch Smooch Kiss’, a track that is difficult to compare to any existing artist but is ruthlessly infectious. We caught up with him to talk about his unique sound and wide field of inspiration.
You have a very diverse range of influences, how do you think those combinations of post-punk and drill have manifested into your own music?
It’s a weird combination really. I feel like the more genres that you can connect with the more diverse and weird the music you create will be. For me, I started on drill music, so that built up my flow and timing as a musician as drill is quite fast and then the post-punk side of things allowed me to be more creative with my lyrics and say what I want to get off my mind.
As well as musical influences, how has growing up in Ireland affected your writing? Do you feel your homeland is a key part of how you are as a musician and writer?
I love Ireland and think it’s an amazing place full of creative people. It definitely has a key part of how I write and the type of humour I talk about in my songs. There’s some things I talk about that only a person who grew up in Ireland would fully understand. I feel like in Ireland when people have problems it is a normal thing to cover it up with humour. In my music I do that a lot with metaphors and similes to make depressing situations a bit more uplifting. Overall Ireland is a great place and I wouldn’t create what I do if I didn’t grow up here.
In your own words, what is the meaning behind ‘Smooch Smooch Kiss’?
“Smooch Smooch Kiss” to me is a song that I can link to my present as an adult and also takes me back to my past as a child. There’s a lot of references to my childhood in the song. It also talks about struggling with problems such as loneliness and some sense of anxiety when I’m talking to new people. I remember I wrote this song after coming back from an after party at like 4am in the morning. I went to the studio the next day and had it mastered by the next evening .
Can you talk us through the inspiration behind your sampling in your debut? There are many varied sounds and talking points, especially the references to Steve Irwin!
I love sampling the weirdest stuff I possibly can that can relate to me and my childhood.
The Steve Irwin sample is probably one of the more normal ones compared to my other songs that will be coming out. As a child I used to love wildlife and my Dad had this red book that he would read me before bed that would teach you about all different types of animals. I used to always watch wildlife programmes as a kid and always thought Steve Irwin was a legend. He had such an energy and unique personality that made him amazing. I wanted to bring that energy into my songs.
What can we expect from you this year?
This year should be a busy year for me. As this song is only my debut single I have a lot of music to put out this year. I plan to release my next single very soon. The next track I have coming out is one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written. After that I have another single and maybe an EP. I also want to play as many shows as possible this year. I plan to play a headline show soon around April which hasn’t been announced yet. I can’t wait for what the future holds and can’t wait for people to hear my new tracks