High Sunn

In the beginning, I was just a 13 year old boy who was obsessed with the indie scene and the bands like beach fossils, elvis depressedly, teen suicide, and wavves. The more and more I listened to music, the more I wanted to compose my own songs. I already had a few years experience with guitar and wanted to take the next step.

So, during months of late 2013 and early 2014, I started a project that would soon become High Sunn. At first, I had no experience with writing my own lyrics and constructing a song structure. It was shaky, but surprisingly I started to develop into my own. Every day, I would come home from school and begin on writing a new song every day. Soon enough, I had a huge amount of material that needed to be exposed to the world. As time passed, I realized that people appreciated my music. The feeling was amazing. Because of this, I kept hammering out albums and singles. To be honest, I never knew I would be in this position today.

High Sunn 1
What song of yours is the one you like the most?
My favorite song that I composed has to be “i want yr heart”. It’s such a simple, but catchy song that really spoke to me through the writing process. This was also my first “real” love song which many people really enjoyed.

lyrics:

there are somethings i need to say

please don’t get in my way

it’s so hard to do

all those moments i spent with uuu

it’s only been a day

and i want you to stay

oooooooooooooh

i wanna be your thing

i wanna be something

my heart’s still

please be my pill

i feel so dead cause you’re in my head

oooooooooooooh

 
How do you write your music?
First, I just play around with my guitar to find a certain lick that I think would be a good choice to develop into a song. Once, I feel confident in the riff, I use it as the rhythm guitar for the first verse. I then build on top of that using my tascam 8 track. Then, I make a beat with my drum machine and hit record. When completed, I keep adding more key elements to let the song flow nicely. I want the song to feel relaxing and dreamy for the audience. Once the instrument are all recorded, I begin writing the lyrics and follow up with the capturing of my vocals.
What influences do you have?
My main influences are 80s romance films, Bob Ross, the atmosphere of haight street(sf), beach fossils, wavves, surf curse, japanese cherry blossoms, jasmine tea, and relationships.
What´s the best experience you have had with your project?
The best experience I had with my project was getting signed to several record labels when my career barely began. It made me think about the future of my music which inspired me to transition from surf punk to a dream pop project. In my opinion, my songs are more developed, thought out, and beautiful after I transitioned into a new sound.
What plans do you have this year?
I plan to release a new full length album on a more well known label. Hopefully, I find a drummer to perform in the future. I was planning to start touring after the new year. Also, I will try to be more focused on putting music videos and short films on my youtube. Maybe, I will start producing more merch as well.
Mention something you don´t like about your project.
Something I don’t like about my project is that it is too centered around love and rejection. Sadly, that is all I have experienced so far. I haven’t had a huge loss yet which is comforting, but I feel that in order to really write about a subject, you need to experience it first.
Mention the biggest sacrifice you did for your project.
I haven’t made a huge sacrifice yet for my project since I’m only 15 years old. Besides spending less time on sports and school, there really hasn’t been anything ginormous.

High Sunn 3
What band, music project or solist from your city do you like?
The group, Meat Market from Oakland, has been a huge influence on my music. The fact that I talked to them and met them still amazes me. I look up to them whenever I record a new song. They are hugely underrated and deserve a wider audience. Their music is raw and so melodic! It’s INSANE!!!
If your project was a word, what would it be?
Heartbreak 🙁
What´s your full name? Where were you when you answered the interview?
Justin Philip Cheromiah. I completed this interview in my bedroom while listening to the cure.