Having been part of the music industry for around fifteen years, Nate Ruesscertainly has an understanding for how it all works. With release of 'We Are Young' in 2012 through his band Fun., he gained commercial success with a song that took the world by storm. Now he's reached the perfect time to release a solo album, ahead of which he sat down with Contact Music. While talking to us, he gave us some great insight into his work with Beck, learning about "damage control" on personal songs, and awards for songwriting.
Hey, Nate - how are you doing today?
I'm great! Chilling out in London feels good. Just about to do sound-checks because I'm playing at Wilton's Music Hall later.
Your debut solo album, 'Grand Romantic', is set for release next week - what led you to undertake a solo project?
Y'know, I quite enjoy challenge. When we released 'Some Nights' I didn't really expect all the success we had and I was able to check off a lot of goals that I didn't even know I had. After that we were in-between phase with albums, I just thought it would be great to do a solo project because I'd been in a band for fifteen years. Now just felt like the perfect time.
You worked with Jeff Bhasker on the record, he produced a few tracks on 'Some Nights', was he your first choice of producer?
Oh yeah, of course. I'd worked with Jeff and the other producer, Emile Haynie, before. Jeff was a co-writer on 'Some Nights', co-writing the songs with Pink and Eminem together, so we have this inescapable relationship together. For a while, I thought about trying out a different producer, but - not even from a production standpoint - from a song writing standpoint, I think he's my kindred spirit.
Did everything go smoothly?
Yeah, it went great. What's cool about it is that when we made 'Some Nights', we were close, but it was much more about working, whereas on this album, I really got to know him and he got to know me as a human being. We'd always been friends, but I feel that we walked out of this as the best of friends. That's a really special thing for me.
All your music, seems well polished, was that something you intentionally aimed for with Grand Romantic?
No, because I started out with something I thought was going to be bigger and more polished, and I actually found that by the end of the album, we were working on songs that were much more stripped down. I think we front-loaded it, and I'm glad that we did, because it allowed for the back-half of the album to take stuff away and feature my voice even more and focus on the lyrics and the melody.
So this must be a very personal 'Nate' album, then?
I would say so - I feel that I always make songs that are personal. As much as I try to sit at a coffee shop and see the person next to me and think 'what are they going through?', I'm too much of a narcissist and I'm hyper-focussed on my own problems. It's interesting, because I don't look back too often, but I think of albums as a chance to look back and look at mistakes and things like that.
It mustn't have been easy putting yourself out there?
Yeah, at this point, because I just learned. I used to have ex-girlfriends who'd be asking 'Is that about me? Is that about me? Is that about me?' and I had to explain 'nah, that was about someone else,' or 'I just made that up'. I certainly learned necessary damage control and it became easy to write personal things; I much prefer it, as well, because it's the only time for me to spend some real time with my true feelings.
You recently documented your struggle with depression, is writing quite a cathartic process for you?
I guess; I guess it has to be. I never really realised it until more recently, just knowing how much the songs on this album meant to me. No matter what the album, when you're out and you're touring, you're going to have to play it over and over again. What's interesting as a songwriter is that they take shape and they're really transferable, and I think. They're supposed to be, though; they're not supposed to be so specific that the listener can't internalise them, and I've definitely found that the more I perform the songs, the more that they take a different shape. I like that, because I think that maybe the listener will feel the same things.
Your track 'What This World is Coming To' features Beck - what drew you to working with him?
He's just always been someone that I've looked up to, as a solo artist. I love his ability to continuously make albums, and he's a bit of a shape-shifter, and to pull that off, you really have to have a good reference point and be a fan of music. I like to think of myself as a fan of music more than anything; when I sit down to write music, I never think about who I'm specifically trying to channel, and it just comes from this backlog of songs that I obsessively listen to over the last 30 years of my life.
Once you stop putting yourself in a genre, it can be really freeing; Beck was one of those people that I learned that from early on, just as a fan of his music. I wanted a chance to work with him, I wanted to do a duet, but I'd done a duet on the Pink song, so I wanted to do a male duet. I've got a high voice, he's got a low voice, and I'm weirdly into country music, and it just fit with the song that I'd written.
Did he work on the writing and production, or was he just lending his voice?
No, he's lending his guitar as well. To watch Beck play a guitar solo is a pretty incredible thing. I originally laid down the guitar solo just with my voice and cranked up the distortion, and he loved it and just wanted to play it over the top. Lately he's been going around with an acoustic, but when he busts out the electric guitar it's a pretty phenomenal thing.
Do you have a favourite Beck album?
Yeah, I'm a 'Midnight Vultures' guy myself. When I reached out and asked if he wanted to do something together, I thought it would be on a track that was a little more like that and more up-tempo. I've always been a fan of 'Sea Change' and I thought 'Modern Guilt' was a good record, but I didn't want to give him more of that, because he'd just been touring with that for a whole year, but I just wrote a song that I thought was perfect for the both of us. It wasn't like 'Midnight Vultures', unfortunately, but it was what it was, and I'm quite proud of that.

Did you feel a pressure to release something very different to the type of songs you write as Fun.?
No, in any records I make - either in my band or solo - I like to find something new and evolve on any album, so there was no pressure on me other than trying to make the album that I wanted to make. There was no discussion with anyone other than myself.
It must be helpful to start a solo career with an existing fanbase?
I would think so. There're definitely challenges because people have pre-conceived notions about every aspect of it, but I've noticed when playing live that all those things go out the window. I always put on shows that I believe people can come and step away from their world for a second and just have a good time, and whether they see me live in Fun or solo, it definitely puts people on their feet.
What do you think to Jack's Bleachers record?
I think it's fantastic. He's such a nonstop creative, and I'm not like that: I punch in and punch out. When I create an album, I obviously go all-in, but in the time between that I have to step away. Jack is relentless, though, and it's incredible. I think it's all great - 'I Wanna Get Better' is a great track. He was working on it even while we were on tour, which I was amazed by.
You're set to receive the 'Hal David Starlight Award' from the Songwriters Hall of Fame - is that going to affect how you move forward with your career?
It's pretty exciting for me, because I'm a songwriter and that's what I consider myself more than an entertainer or a vocalist. To be nominated for this award is the ultimate and the most in line with who I am and what I'm trying to accomplish, so I'm pretty jazzed about being there next week. Will it affect how I move forward? No. 10 years from now, I'm hoping that they wonder 'Why the hell did we give him an award? He just dropped off the face of the Earth'.
Are you wanting to keep up the solo work after this release, or are you wanting to get back together with Fun.?
I think I'm just gonna figure out what I'm gonna do with my life in general. I'm leaving all possibilities open and in the meantime and I'm just hyper-focused on this and having the time of my life. I gotta go to school at some point, though. Or I'd love to have a family. Doing this since I was a teenager, I'm obviously very grateful, but I'm starting to look at the grass on the other side.
Before I let you go, we've got a few quick fire questions for you: What's your favourite cartoon whilst you were growing up?
'Gummi Bears'. I dunno if that was a hit over in the UK, but 'Gummi Bears' was my jam growing up. It had a great theme song. Any time I think about childhood cartoons, that's the first one that comes up.
What was the last album you bought?
I purchased 'The Best of The Cranberries'. It's hit after hit! It's freakin' phenomenal! I need to cover a Cranberries song sometime soon, but her voice makes it impossible.
Do you have a motto?
Not that I know of. Probably just 'happy to wake up'.
What sound or noise do you love?
I never get tired of an air horn. In, like hip hop songs or dance music and stuff, of course.
Do you have any collections?
I once had a comic book collection, but no longer. That was about it, though; I'm the anti-hoarder. I throw everything away now, but I think it was the 'Uncanny X-Men' I collected.
What's your favourite Book?
'Catcher in the Rye'. It's relatable. Me and all my angsty outsider friends used to love it.
Where can we hear from you next?
I'm off back to the United States before heading to Japan, and then I'll probably stop back over in the UK somewhere along the line. It's up-in-the-air right now, but I'm going on holiday with my girlfriend and her family so we're stopping here a couple of weeks before we head out.

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不，这是写别人。不，这是我编的。

你近来记述了你在绝望中的挣扎，写歌是你宣泄情绪的方式吗？
我想……一定是这样的。我近段时间发现新砖里面的歌对我有多重要时我才意识到这个事实。不论是哪张专辑时期，当你在外巡演的时候，你都得把专辑表演一遍又一遍。从事写歌有趣的是地方是，歌曲塑造某物但又要让它是可变的。我觉得，它们就该是这样的。而不是太过具体化以致听众不能从主观上产生共鸣。我确实发现随着我表演某首歌的次数增加，它就被赋予了更多的内涵。
你和Beck合作了一首歌，是什么驱使你和他合作呢？
他一直是我景仰的对象，作为一个独唱艺人。我喜欢他能不断创作专辑的才能，而且他就像一个多面手，胜任这点，你得有一个好的视度而且热衷于音乐。我也喜欢把自己作为一个音乐狂，胜过一切。但我坐下来写歌的时候我从未想过我到底在模仿谁，只是在我三十年以来所沉浸的歌的积淀里面寻找。当你停止为自己贴上流派的标签的时候，这可以是非常开拓思维的。Beck一直是我的其中一个学习对象，作为他的音乐的粉丝。我希望有机会和他合作，我想做一首二重唱，但我已经和P!nk合作过了，所以我想做男声二重唱。我的声音高，他的声音低，我也广泛地对乡村音乐有兴趣，和我已经写好的词也很般配。
他也参与填词和制作吗？还是他就在歌里发声了呢？
不是，他还演奏了吉他。看着Beck弹一段吉他独奏是件赏心悦目的事。我原本希望用我的声音附和着吉他独奏铺张开来，并且逐渐提高失真效果。他很认同并且把它弹到极致。最近他都只靠着一把木吉他表演，但是当他突然拿起电吉他弹奏时真的非常震撼。
最喜欢的Beck的专辑？
有，我是Midnight Vultures粉。当我找他问他想不想合作做些东西时，我以为我们会做的歌会更像他的早期作品更快节奏。我一直很喜欢Sea Change，我也觉得Modern Guilt很赞，但我不想给他写这样的一首歌，因为他已经带着这种风格的歌巡演了一整年。但是我刚好又写了一首对我们来说多十分完美的歌。很不幸它不像他的早期作品，但木已成舟了，我还是很引以为傲的。
发行一些和FUN.的歌风格不同的歌会让你觉得有鸭梨吗？
没有，我做的任何一张专辑，乐队还是个人的，我都希望能专辑里找到一些新的东西和进步。所以做我自己想做的专辑，并没有什么压力。我的专辑我作主。
已有的粉丝基础一定有助于开始一个独唱事业吧？
我想没错。其中当然有一定的挑战，因为人们会从各个方面先入为主，但我注意到当我现场演唱的时候这些顾虑都被抛诸脑后了。我总是带来我相信能让人们暂时逃离原来的世界，尽情享受的表演。无论他们是看我在乐队时的现场还是个人现场，都能让他们跟着蹦跳。