Exposed Vocals Interviews Squill

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yungsquill/

Track Link: https://soundcloud.com/ungsquill/by-the-book-feat-caesar-produced-by-gbmystical 

Yung Squill is an emerging rapper and producer from New York City. Coming from a musical upbringing, Squill shifted his focus from classical trumpet player to hip-hop rapper/producer upon starting college this time last year. The track “BY THE BOOK” is a trap anthem full of dark guitar licks and head-bumping 808’s from Squill’s fellow classmate and frequent collaborator GBMystical. The track also features NYC rapper Caesar, another classmate of Squill’s and Brooklyn native whose mesmerizing flow locks you in and keeps your head nodding throughout. “BY THE BOOK” is not to be slept on and is definitely a track to put Squill on the map.

 

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?  

Squill: I grew up in New York City. On the East Side. I’ve been involved with music since the age of 10. I played the classical trumpet for 7 years until I started college. I wanted to remain a musical person so I started producing around 10 months ago and haven’t stopped since. Around 7 months ago I started rapping and combined the two.

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

Squill: My friend Jack gave me the nickname Squill in the 9th grade. My name is William and one day he decided to call me Squill in reference to Squilliam FancySon from Spongebob, and it stuck. The Yung part was completely random. I was making a new Instagram handle a couple of years back and somehow Yung Squill came to fruition.

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

Squill: I like online music sharing a lot. It’s a good way to share you’re music with people other than you’re friends. Online music sharing enables you to distribute the music to new crowds and build a fanbase all over. I usually include a free download with every track I put out because music is meant to be shared and enjoyed by whoever and whenever.

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

Squill: Build good relationships with other musicians and other likeminded people around you. These relationships can help you land gigs and even features on a track. Most of the people I make music with and perform with have only known me for the past year or so.

Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?

Squill: Everyone makes mistakes while performing. The main tip is to make sure that you recover in a calm and collected way, if you play it cool nobody will even notice.

Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about? 

Squill: I don’t tour unfortunately. I am currently a college student so I can’t. If I were to land a big tour then I would probably leave school to do it. The goal is to tour internationally.

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?  

Squill: I sit down, and set my mind on a topic. I try to think about the topic as much as possible and knock out a song in one sitting.

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music? 

 

Squill: I only have a Soundcloud right now

Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?

 

Squill: I have all of Justin Bieber’s most recent album. Its a fire album to be honest, musically and lyrically.

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?  

Squill: I would make as much quality music as possible and invest in building my own brand.

Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?  

Squill: Not at the moment. I currently work with Logic Pro X and I’m not looking to switch it up any time soon.

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

 

Squill: I share it with my friends and family to start. I then put it on my social media platforms and some blogs.

Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why? 

Squill: I would perform with BBK at The Wireless Festival in England. The energy of the show would be off the chain plus I love grime music and the UK. I would also consider performing with the A$AP Mob at any major US music festival.

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

 

Squill: I plan on releasing an EP in the next couple of months. I might call it “Iced Coffee” but I’m not 100% sure yet. I plan on making it around 5-6 tracks. I also plan on making it a random assortment of projects in terms of mood, some more energetic, some less.

 

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?  

Squill: I would be getting involved with the business side of the music industry. Im currently studying the music industry in school so if music fails that’s what I plan to pursue.

Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?  

Squill: The first album I ever bought was “The College Dropout” by Kanye West. Theres not much that needs to be said, it’s a classic.

 

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?  

Squill: I make sure that I take care of my school work and other priorities first. Once those things are done I use the rest of my free time to focus on music.

 

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?  

Squill: Fans should look forward to quality music at a consistent rate that’s full of New York attitude.