coat + trousers. Sentient
shirt. Diego Zuñiga
jewellery. Avec
shoes. Toronero
opposite
shirt. Diego Zuñiga
jewellery. Avec
Luis Gerardo Méndez is the star and producer of Half Brothers, a bilingual dramedy about two half brothers who didn’t know of each other’s existence and are suddenly stuck together on a road trip through the United States and Mexico.
But Mendez is more than an actor and producer. He’s also a Mezcal maker, GQ’s former Man of the Year in Mexico and Latin America, a theatre artist who recently purchased the rights to Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Mexico — he wants to play Hedwig — and an activist with Proyecto Habesha, an organisation assisting refugees.
Schon! caught up with this very busy storyteller from his home in Mexico City to hear his thoughts on all of the above, as well as the representation of Mexico, Mexicans and Mexican-American relations in film and TV and more.
On changing the narratives about Mexicans in American movies.
I was really interested in seeing myself represented on the screen in a different way… This guy [in Half Brothers] is a really successful businessman from Mexico — a self-made businessman wearing expensive suits. I’ve never seen a Mexican character like that in Hollywood. That was really important for me, to show a different character. Mexicans — we are also businessmen. We are also filmmakers. We are also writers and musicians and fathers and mothers, and Hollywood hasn’t shown that much.
And if we’re going to talk about differences between Mexico and the States, we need to talk about the huge white elephant in the room that is migration — of course, this is a comedy, it’s not a big drama or anything. But I wanted to talk about that theme with dignity and with a lot of respect… All the films I’ve seen about migration are about the border and the policemen trying to prevent Mexicans from crossing because they’re ‘bad hombres.’ I was really interested in putting the camera on the families, you know — what happens with the families who stay in Mexico? What happens with the emotional scars of the people who stay in Mexico, and the emotional scars of the people who go to the US and never come back — not because they don’t want to, but because they can’t?
blazer. The pack
shirt. Heart of Darkness
trousers. Zegna
shoes. Out of Comfort
On representation.
I really believe that, right now, there’s this thing in Hollywood for Hispanic storytellers and Hispanic and Latin actors. We are, like, hot. Everyone wants a Latin character in their show or their film.
But that’s tricky. I’m not interested in being one part of that quota. Yeah, they need to have a Mexican guy in the film, but for me proper representation — good representation — is about telling the stories that are important to us.
[Good representation is] having Hispanic and Mexican storytellers, filmmakers and producers telling our stories, because those are our stories and we need to tell them. We need to be in creative control of those stories. Of course, we need direction, and we need notes, but honestly, I’m a little bit — I was a bit tired of seeing films about Mexico created by people who’ve never been in Mexico before. Like, they’ve never stepped in Mexico, and they’re making things about Mexicans. I don’t know if that’s nice.
On acting.
The moment I decided to become an actor was actually in high school when I did a play, the final play of the semester. It was a play about what happens when a family gets a divorce — and my parents were getting a divorce in real life at that moment. I remember I was saying this monologue about how it feels to have a divorce in your family, and my parents were in the first row, in the middle of the row, one metre away from me. When I started talking about these things, I had this sensation that every single word I was saying was deeply touching them, you know? That was the moment I understood the power of the theatre… Theatre saved me, in a way.
blazer + trousers. Tomorrowland Tailors
shirt. Heart of Darkness
jewellery. Avec
opposite
sunglasses. Ayanegui
On mezcal, family and his personal connection to the film.
Seven years ago, my father came to Mexico City, and we were drinking mezcal because I love drinking mezcal — responsibly, of course. I have a mezcal company called Ojo de Tigre. So, we were drinking some mezcal, and then my father told me he wanted to talk to me. He told me that I had a half-sister two years older than me living in the States.
I was 30 at the moment, so my head was in a different place. I was completely focused on my career, and I had a lot of stuff to deal with with my psychotherapist. I was like, ‘I don’t have room for this right now.’ I closed that door. I was like, ‘I’m not interested in this. I don’t want to know anything about this person.’
But when I started developing this film, two months before shooting I started feeling something inside, like I needed to talk to her. I needed to meet her, you know? So, I contacted her. We had a Zoom, and it was beautiful. It was really nice, because I had the opportunity to hear her side of the story, because I had grown up with my father’s side.
It was really sweet, because I understood her and I understood my father better — but surprisingly, I think I became a healthier human being from having that conversation and getting closure to that. I’m not going to lie to you, she’s not my best friend or anything. But now that I know her and I have contact with her, it helped me have a better performance and make a better film. But especially, it helped me to be — I don’t know. Healthier.
jacket. Gabrielle Venguer
top. Zegna
opposite
blazer. Diego Zuñiga
shirt. Ayanegui
trousers. Sanchez Kane
jewellery. Avec
On life in Los Angeles and the importance of comedy.
I’ve been living in L.A. for five years. Some people in the States recognise me, like waiters and people working in kitchens in restaurants, or even the people working in my house. When you’re an actor, especially when you do comedy, people think they know you and that they’re your friends. So, [people] come to me, and they tell me really, really personal stories.
What we show in the film is not even five percent of the horror these people suffer crossing to the U.S., but I really believe comedy is a great vehicle to talk about these things. If we were like, ‘Yeah, let’s make a film about border control, about the horrible situation people are living in with ICE,’ I’m pretty sure not a lot of people are going to be interested in watching that, especially in the U.S. But if we do a comedy about these completely opposite half brothers, people go because of the fun and because they want to laugh. And we are able to make them laugh — and when they have their mouth open, we can put a spoon of truth in there.
You know, we can have that image of ICE with my character there, and you don’t need to say anything. You just need to see it. You just need to realise that’s happening. And just seeing that, that’s going to open a conversation. Like, I really hope that some American family in the U.S. can have a conversation about that on Christmas. That’s all we can aim for.
suit. Tomorrowland Tailors
belt. NDA
jewellery. Avec
opposite
blazer. The pack
trousers. Heart of Darkness
sunglasses. Ayanegui
jewellery. Avec
Dylan Efron doesn’t want to be the golden boy. Admittedly, that is a difficult ask at the time we speak, as his swimming with crocodiles was swiftly superseded one day earlier by saving two girls’ lives in Miami. He leans back on his couch as we chat, having just landed back in California, but his weekend rescue landed even earlier, as the headline “Dylan Efron Heroics: Actor Rescues Two From Drowning In Miami” seemed to travel quicker than light itself. Dylan’s win on The Traitors’ third season has been gamely followed by the gleam of public favor (Britney Haynes was not wrong when she called him “too fricking lovable”). He understands that a golden boy narrative is a low-hanging slackline to latch on to. But Dylan rarely wants it easy. We talk about the realization he had in college after reading Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead, in learning to define his own life, and in accepting failure and embarrassment as not only an option, but a good one. To the question, “Who will let you?” he seeks to always have that answer be self-determining; “Who will stop me?”
In conversation with Schön!, Dylan Efron tells us about his broadening lens through his travels and documentaries, particularly in proving himself wrong even when his “nasty” inner voice breaks through. He also talks about how he’d like to get out of his own way and step far outside of safe perfection. As he says, “Maybe it won’t work. Maybe I’ll be great.” He is more than willing to find out.
Hey Dylan! How was your weekend?
It was good! It was very eventful. I’m trying to get a post together right now, but I swam with crocodiles. I saved two people in the ocean from drowning. [Laughs]
What!?
It’s hilarious. I handled some snakes and found a turtle.
I was going to say that I wish my weekend was that eventful, but I actually don’t because crocodiles are a big no from me. [Laughs]
They’re creepy! Sharks are fun because you interact with them, but the crocodile just looked at me in the eye like it was a staring contest, and was just like, “Don’t come near me.” [laughs]
But you’ve saved two people, so it was worth it!
Yeah, that was cool. Five girls were screaming, and I had just gotten to the beach. It was the first time I’d ever been in Miami, like on South Beach. I got to the shore, heard people screaming, and saw the girls stuck in a rip current. Two guys started helping the two nearest, and then there were three further out, so I swam one back in and went out for another. One of the girls hugged me on shore for a full minute. She finally calmed down, and then I just walked away. We never said anything.
That was it? Not even a word?
I was telling her to calm down and breathe, and then she finally caught her breath, and I just walked away.
You’re like, “Okay, that’s that. And we’re never seeing each other again, but I have just saved your life.” My weekend was not eventful like that, but I did watch ‘The White Lotus’ finale, which felt eventful.
No spoilers!
I won’t spoil it, all I’ll say is you need to watch!
Every time I’m on Instagram, I’ve seen spoilers, but I’ve scrolled past them, so I haven’t recognized what’s happened yet.
‘The Traitors’ finale was spoiled for me on Instagram. I went right on it and immediately saw the Elite Daily “Dylan Efron Takes The Crown” post. I really like that we are getting back to people gathering to watch weekly TV live now. Do you have any specific childhood memories of gathering together to watch something?
Yeah, 100%. As a young kid, I watched ‘Survivor’ with my dad and my brother. We also watched ‘American Idol’. Those were the two that we scheduled. I think it was every Wednesday. My dad always watched the History Channel. I feel like I learned so much through that. Eight o’clock would roll around, my dad would be on the couch, and I’d just watch with him. The next thing I knew, I was learning about the Mayans living in 1800 BC. That’s how I fell in love with ‘Dirty Jobs’ and shows like that, because my dad was watching those, and I would just mosey downstairs.
top. Eckhaus Latta
jeans. The Seven Continents
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full look. Kenzo
Now you seek out those new perspectives and information through your YouTube videos. It’s interesting to see how much of an impact media can have on your life. Speaking of younger Dylan, I’ve seen you talk a lot about wanting to prove your younger self wrong. What is something you’re doing now that your younger self would be surprised by?
This is the crazy answer: I remember I was in college and I read ‘The Fountainhead’ by Ayn Rand. Essentially, there’s one character who does everything he’s supposed to. He’s the golden child; he’s learning architecture, he borrows from all the greats, he gets good grades, and he’s well-liked. I was reading this book, envisioning myself as this character, and I’m like, “Oh, yeah, I like him.” It turned out that the character is not the villain, but he’s not the hero either. He’s the guy who’s doing what society wants him to do. And then this redheaded goofball who does architecture his own way and is creative and intuitive says, “I don’t want to copy the greats, I just want to do it myself.” He is the protagonist. That moment for me was really big in realizing that I don’t want to just go to college, get a job, go through the motions, and be loved by everybody. It made me think about what I actually love. That was a big transition for me in realizing that I don’t have to please everybody. I want to live my life the way I want, and I can take risks.
That is so interesting. It made me think of a similar experience I had reading The Catcher in the Rye. I remember relating so much to the main character and thinking the way he viewed the world was so authentic, and then I remember getting to school, and there was generally a very unfavourable response to the character’s inner monologue. That really surprised me and made me analyze my own inner monologue too. I want to get into that broadening lens and how it shapes your self-perception, especially as it relates to your travels…
Doubling down on that answer, when I was raised, I did the things I excelled at, and I wanted to prove that I was good at things. I stayed very much away from the things that I wasn’t good at, and I would get quickly embarrassed when I failed. It was that transition of being like, “No, it’s okay to fail. It’s okay to be a beginner. I don’t need to be good at everything. I want to learn how to surf, and I’m not going to let that fear of struggling hold me back.” I think that’s really what sparked that passion of putting it out there to the world that, like, “Yeah, I surf and I suck, but I still love it.” I realized I shouldn’t be afraid to try because it might become a passion. I enjoyed that people might get motivated to try new things if they see me struggle with something.
You’re talking about surfing as an example there, but even as it relates to ‘The Traitors’ and all the interviews and photoshoots you’re doing lately as a result, those must feel so new to you. Is there anything lately that you found yourself being hesitant towards, but you are glad you did it?
Oh yeah, for sure. Hosting the GLAAD Awards was my first time ever reading a teleprompter and my second time ever holding a mic. That was daunting to me, but I didn’t even think twice about doing it because I wanted to be there. I wanted to do it. So it was just not letting that little fear in my brain stop me from doing something powerful, which was really cool. And all the talk shows are so foreign to me. There absolutely is still a lot that scares me. I love dancing, but I’m still very afraid of dancing because I’m afraid of looking like an idiot. When I go to a festival and someone’s recording me, it still gets in my head. But I’m happiest when I let go and just can move. I still have a battle with it all the time, but I have to just let myself go.
That’s such a good thing to be aware of because I think a lot of people stray from what scares them without it ever being a very active thought in their minds. I want to stay on that topic because I saw on a podcast, you said you had a realization at one point that people online were really connecting with you sharing your authentic passions, so you explored them more deeply. Now that you’re being even more widely perceived by a public audience, is there anything you’ve noticed that people connect with in you that you’re now absorbing and listening to?
Maybe it’s just the fact that I’m definitely not perfect, and I don’t want to be perceived that way. Even during The Traitors, people were saying very early on that I was the greatest player in the game. It’s very easy for people to latch onto something and build it up in their heads. I was very quick to be like, “Hey, I was not the best. I made a lot of mistakes.” I don’t want to ever feel like I’m this perfect person because there are a lot of things I lack. But [public perception] is empowering me to believe in myself more because there has been some insecurity growing up. I wanted to be behind the camera. I never wanted to be in front of the camera. My brother was a huge, outgoing personality. I’ve always been shy and reserved. So, the responses have helped me believe in myself a little bit more and actually want to put myself out there.
That’s such a nice thing to get out of it. For ‘The Traitors’, I know you talked about feeling very physically capable in terms of the challenges, but I think what a lot of people attached to was that emotional intelligence and charisma. Relating that to your documentaries and travels, I imagine building relationships with locals is such a huge part of the process. How do you go about first impressions in foreign situations in that context?
I’ve always tended to get along with people when I’m in those situations, and I’m blessed to have friends all over the world. I think [forming relationships] really is just in being genuinely interested in their lives in this new environment that I’ve found myself in. When people can read that on your face, they connect. I am excited the same way that I was excited to see Boston Rob, and I showed it. I think people see that, and it makes them enjoy showing off their homes. The key is just being genuine.
full look. The Seven Continents
scarf. Hermes
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full look. Dolce & Gabbana
In your ‘The Fish that Saved a Village’ documentary, you called Guyana “untouched nature, the way it’s supposed to be.” From a production perspective, how does that value shape the way you approach the creative process?
I like travelling to places that don’t necessarily get a lot of tourism. It should be a partnership. It should be that I’m going to this little village in Guyana to get this experience and share this with the world, but they should also be getting something back, and that’s the exposure that maybe ten people sign up to stay at this Eco-Lodge. For them, that’s huge. It’s that give and take. I want to use my platform to empower the places that actually need tourism, not the places that are overpopulated. I always use Machu Picchu as an example — it doesn’t need more tourists. It needs about fifty percent less. It’s overpopulated. So then, when people build it up in their head and go there, they’re disappointed, whereas you can go to Guyana for less money and have an incredible experience. It’s just that people don’t know about it. So if you can raise that awareness, it’s good. And there will always be the risk of oversaturating a place, but at this point, they know it’s in their best interest to get eyes on their village to help them grow. Ecotourism is their biggest driver of money right now.
Absolutely. I’ve read that you said that ‘The Fish that Saved a Village’ felt like the sum of your work put together, including your early work at Warner Bros. Why did it feel that way?
I think it was a perfect mix of getting comfortable on camera because it takes reps to be able to express your thoughts, and I’ve never been the most cohesive speaker in the world. So it’s like, “How do I sound organic while also carrying the story forward?” and “How do I know that my team’s on the same page as me and is going to film when we need to film and not film when we don’t need to film?” By that project, I had been working with that same videographer [Brennen Shuelke] for four years, so we were just lockstep on the same page. We knew what we wanted to do and we did it. It took a lot of practice in just honing our skills and editing and colouring and storytelling. It was the first time that I felt like we really got it.
What would you consider a huge part of the creation process that you think would be almost invisible to people who are just watching?
The edit was by far the most important. I think our first draft of the Guyana project was about two hours long. I was like, “How do we trim an hour and a half out of this?” It’s such a bummer, and I think if we knew YouTube was the end platform, we could have made four YouTube videos out of this, done a two-hour cut, and it probably would have gotten more views and engagement, but we wanted to make a documentary. If you are watching it, we wanted you to be absorbed without letting off the gas once. We wanted it to be a cohesive, fast-paced story, so the amount of time we put into editing and just microanalyzing where it gets slow took the longest.
Even though you did have to cut so much, it really does keep your interest, and I think the storytelling struck me a lot. At the end, you say, “If a village of 300 can save an entire species of fish, imagine what the rest of us can do?” Since filming, how has that idea stuck with you?
I’m speaking from my experience, but I don’t think I’m alone here. I can get really stressed out over very minor things. Everything feels like it needs to happen now, and if it doesn’t, we’re late. There’s just so much unnecessary stress. Then I saw this village where they don’t have watches, they’re not looking at the time, and they’re making such a big impact on the world. It made me realize that we need to stop stressing about the small things, take a breath, and think about the big picture sometimes.
Agreed! Through your projects, what do you think you’ve learned through experience that no one would have been able to teach you?
I talked about that shift in me earlier from wanting to surf and rock climb to realizing that I could do all these things and was just holding myself back. So I think that shift has to happen to empower you to do things alone, too. I would go to the rock climbing gym and just start there. Then maybe you meet someone who rock climbs. Next thing you know, you’re going rock climbing outside. That shift was a big thing for me to just realize that I could do things freely and didn’t have to be invited by a friend to go do it. I could be the one who invites my friend to go do it. I could be the first one to go learn and then get all my friends into it. That’s led to highlining because I was out hiking, watching rock climbers, saying, “I wish I could do that.” I realized I could do it. I don’t think anyone could have told me, besides me looking into the mirror and asking myself, “Why am I not doing these things?”
Your YouTube bio is “humbling myself outdoors.” In recent memory, when have you felt most humbled?
There is one recent one where I went highlining and I organized this big trip, and it was just a little stressful because I had so many moving parts. I had videographers there and so many people there, including friends. Finally, by the time I got a chance to highline, I had about an hour on the line, and I couldn’t stand up. I was so frustrated with myself, and my inner voice was just being so nasty. [Laughs] Then I remember one of my friends was talking me through it and could see my frustration. My friend just looked at me and said, “Remember, this is fun. You have fun doing this.” I remember smiling when she said that and thinking, “She’s right. Why am I putting all this pressure on myself? It doesn’t matter.” And I stood up on that next turn. Some things you can’t do alone, and I just needed someone to remind me to enjoy. That was really powerful.
Sometimes you really do need someone to help you get out of your own way. What do you see yourself doing next if you could fully get out of your own way?
Acting is something that I’m interested in. Again, I would have never said that three years ago. I didn’t even think it was possible. I didn’t think I could do it. I have so much respect for actors, and I know how much time they put into their craft, so it’s not like it’s something I’m just going to be good at, but maybe that would be fun. A lot of social media gigs turn into acting gigs in a way, and every time I have done that or stunts, it’s been really fun. So I think it is one of those things that I should at least see if I enjoy and not let the little kid in me say, “You’re never going to do that.” Maybe it won’t work, maybe I’ll be great. I have no idea.
That’s really cool. I hope you do that.
I’m watching ‘The White Lotus’, and I was so blown away by Patrick Schwartzenegger’s performance.
He is SO good!
Everybody on that show is so good, but it’s a lot of work to get to that point. It’s really impressive.
I’m excited for you to watch the finale, and I hope it doesn’t get spoiled for you! I can’t wait to see what you do next. Thanks so much, Dylan!
t-shirt + trousers. LIBERE
long sleeve top + necklace. Yenesai
shoes. Y-3
Movement is muscle memory for spill tab. The singer-songwriter-producer is well-versed in global life – she grew up between Bangkok, Paris, LA and New York – and is in Paris when we meet her, preparing promo for her debut album, ‘Angie’. She’s fluent in hybridisation – writing and singing in both French and English – and her sound follows suit. The world she’s carved out with ‘Angie’ is equal parts electronic shimmer, experimental indie and bedroom pop.
She masters the layers and complexities of her vocals with ease; the album has a live-tracked grit to it and touches on a multitude of genres that enrich and enthrall. From homespun to hyperreal, spill tab relates IRL moments, with a feeling of intimacy and proximity.
Schön! catches up with her in Paris, somewhere between shows, sleep, and a slow-building love affair with the music scene there.
How long have you been in town?
I got here a couple of weeks ago. So the jet lag should have eased off by now, but I’m still waking up super early and stuff. One nice thing is, in reverse, when you go back to LA from Europe, you wake up really early and feel kind of like a badass.
What is your relationship to Paris now, since you grew up here in part?
It’s cool because when I was younger, I would come here for vacation, so I always associate it with friends. During the summer holidays and Christmas, I would visit my family and then go to the south to see my grandparents, who lived in Toulouse. During middle school, I moved here for a year and went to school, so I made a group of friends – my little squad-which was really nice. I then studied abroad in Prague during college, which isn’t too far away. So now, being able to come here for sessions and shows is great. I’m slowly building my own perspective on the music scene in Paris and finding the counterparts to the LA scene here.
What’s your verdict?
I mean, it’s a lot bigger than I thought it was. People always say LA is such a big music city, so there’s just generally a ton of people making music. The circles are very wide – you could be doing this for ten years and still not have met someone who’s also been doing it for ten years. Paris is vast and cool. I’m discovering it.
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dress. Solène Lescouët
accessories. Stylist’s Own
right
jacket. Ouest Paris
shirt. Solène Lescouët
trousers. Y-3
shoes. Empty Behavior
neck ribbon tie. Stylist’s Own
bracelet. Mathilde Hiron
You moved around a lot when you were young – I was trying to figure out your family history.
I went to Bangkok and then moved to Paris for eighth grade. After Paris, I moved back to LA and did high school there. I then went to college in New York for four years, and finally moved back to LA.
Because your parents are also musicians, right?
My mum was born in South Korea and got a job as an air hostess. She travelled a lot and met my dad in Thailand — they were both working there at the time. Then they moved to LA. My family story is very international, and I definitely inherited that from them. I love travelling and moving around, finding a home everywhere and anywhere.
What would you say were the main kinds of music you were immersed in growing up?
Before I had my own taste, my mum would pretty much just play classical music. She still loves it. My dad was more of a jazz head – he played the sax and the flute, so his world was jazz. When I was around eight or nine, I got into Disney Channel and Radio Disney and started listening to those classic songs. The rest went from there.
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shirt. Y’s
dress. Limi Feu
choker. Wens
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dress. Solène Lescouët
accessories. Stylist’s Own
How would you say the spill tab project began?
It started around college. I reconnected with a guy I knew in high school – I’d posted a video and he commented that he loved my voice and said we should do a session together when I was back in LA. That summer, I had an internship in LA, so I was in town for two months, and we just started making music. We went to a lot of shows, ingested a lot of music, and began creating. I released my first music in 2019, right before COVID hit.
So you survived the challenges?
We’re doing what we can out here! I mean, COVID was devastating for so many. It was a weird, weird time. At the time, my dream job was to tour manage. That was right before COVID hit-and no one toured for a year or two after that.
I’m grateful I ended up making music. It makes me wonder what I’d be doing now if I’d just stuck with the TM thing. Crazy.
When it comes to your album, it’s a real journey, really intimate. What was the process of recording ‘Angie’?
It started with two songs that I really loved – ‘Angie’ and ‘Pink Lemonade’. They didn’t really fit with anything else I was making at the time. I tend to sit on music for a long time and really let it marinate. I rewrite and change things a lot before they ever make it into the world. Those two songs represented a lot of what I wanted to explore production-wise – the convergence of organic and electronic. Also, combining the mastery of a well-engineered track that’s recorded and processed beautifully, with intentional texture.
With the abundance of home studios, there’s been a lot of beautiful stuff that’s come out of that – this sense of autonomy and democracy in music-making. And it also works beautifully with a well-tracked set of drums that really pop. I love that. My ear shifted toward live-recorded drums.
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jacket. Ouest Paris
shirt. Solène Lescouët
trousers. Y-3
neck ribbon tie. Stylist’s Own
bracelet. Mathilde Hiron
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jacket. LIBERE
dress. Limi Feu
chocker. Wens
chunky chain choker. Vitaly
That really comes through the live instrumentation. It’s gritty, has an IRL vibe to it.
Yeah, a lot of it is live-tracked drums, which is awesome. A lot of it was taking a recorded thing and cooking the shit out of it-sampling it, chopping, cutting, distorting, re-sampling, bouncing it onto a new track. Doing a lot of heavy technical, digital stuff too. It brings the sound into a new space. So those two songs sat on opposite ends of the spectrum-completely organic and completely digital. They were like the grandma and grandpa of the whole project. It was fun populating the album with cousins, nephews, uncles, and aunts-building the album around those two. They cradled the concept.
‘Angie’ was the title track. What’s the story behind the name?
I just liked it, on a superficial level-that it was a baby girl’s name. Making an album really feels like making a child, even though it doesn’t only take nine months. It takes two years. (laughs) It’s so labour-intensive. And as with many creative processes, it happens in spurts-periods of intense productivity, and then six months working on a vocal thing that doesn’t improve the track even one percent. It comes in phases.
t-shirt + trousers. LIBERE long sleeve top + necklace. Yenesai shoes. Y-3
In terms of writing, how do you approach lyrics?
I’m really bad at writing conceptually. I’m much better at writing from experience. Honestly, the process is still mysterious to me. I’ve wanted to become a better writer over the years and I’m still figuring out how to challenge myself while staying truthful-writing about what’s happened to me and how I feel about it.
It’s like we’re following you through different chapters of your life.
It was written over five years, kind of. The oldest song is five years old.
You co-production is clearly important to you-so who did you collaborate with?
Honestly, there were around 15 people across the album. (laughs) I see myself more as a co-producer in the sense of being a shepherd-not to be biblical about it. There are all these big, beautiful, insane ideas, and everyone brings something to the table. It’s about guiding that process.
There are these incredible layers of harmonies – your voice almost becomes 3D.
I come from a choir background, so vocal layering is always fun. The voice is just another instrument I can add to the mix.
Genre-wise, it’s super hybrid. Do you try to label it?
Travelling through Europe with my drummer and a ton of instruments, it’s clear we’re a travelling band. We get asked, “What kind of music do you make?” and I’m like, “Indie alternative pop rock…?” Whatever suits your fancy. I pull from all kinds of music-not intentionally, necessarily-it’s just what I like to listen to. I’m drawn to a lot of different sounds.
Definitely. The nature of what I do is rooted in that. I love going to a show and seeing an artist kill it. That’s what I want with my project-to have fun and create a good time. When I started touring, I wasn’t home for more than seven or eight weeks at a time. I opened for Gus Dapperton, then Sabrina Carpenter, and did my own headline tours in between. It was so much fun. That 10,000 hours thing – I haven’t clocked that many yet-but I feel myself getting better at the live thing.
The album cover is so cool. What’s your relationship to image?
Honestly, I don’t have a strong marketing brain. The visuals usually come from wanting to hang out with friends and literally hiring them to work together. That’s always been the genesis of any video or artwork. My friend Alex Risk is a painter – I love her work and asked, “Wouldn’t it be sick if you painted my album cover?” It became a fusion of our creativity. A lot of it is just keeping it in the family and working with friends.
Will you have time to take time off over the coming months?
Honestly, I woke up this morning and was like, “I’m so tired.” Part of what I’m learning is endurance. I’ve basically been at home for nine months-mixing, finishing songs, mastering, prepping for the tour that’s happening now. Weekends don’t exist. I’m re-learning what it means to be regimented. I can’t be on my phone until 2 a.m. watching Instagram reels anymore.
What’s the Angie concert schedule looking like?
It’s a lot of festivals in France, some European headline dates in May – London and Berlin. Then, more festivals, a mini headline tour in North America in June, and back to France for more festivals in June and July.
Influenced early on by his musician father, BADCHIEFF, born Shivan Darouiche, began experimenting with music at 13, drawing from Jazz, Soul, Rock, and Electronica to shape his ever-evolving sound. Now BADCHIEFF is sitting down with Schön!, fully dressed in Louis Vuitton, to discuss honesty and vulnerability in his music.
After making a name for himself in Munich’s club scene and signing with truworks in 2019, Badchieff released a string of acclaimed projects, including his debut album ‘Chieff Loves You’. “All of my songs are based on personal experiences,” he shares, reflecting his emotionally raw and honest creative process. Early singles like “9bis9” and “Tempo” also played a key role in making him known, helping him build momentum as one of Germany’s most promising new voices.
For the once-destined basketball athlete, music has been a playground for self-expression since he was 13 years old. “My father is a musician, so music was always around us in the house,” he recalls. This rich environment set the stage for years of musical experimentation. BADCHIEFF’s genre-blending talent earned him a solid foothold in the music industry in 2019.
Following the release of his debut EP ‘1999.jpg’ that same year, and its successor ‘Might Delete Later,’ Badchieff’s distinctive sound has echoed through clubs across Paris, London, and New York. His 2021 debut album ‘Chieff Loves You’ marked a bold, multifaceted dive into his wide-ranging musical inspirations, resulting in a refined and captivating body of work. “I must be in an honest frame of mind to make music,” he tells us. “Some days I feel distracted, but after moments of self-reflection, I can make something real.”
His forthcoming album ‘HEUTE ODER GESTERN’or ‘Today or Yesterday’ in English, is a “nostalgic” album that reflects on BADCHIEFF’s life “and how my past changed me into who I am today.” To celebrate its release, he will embark on an album tour later this year in December. “I’m really excited to play the new songs live,” he says. “It’s been a little boring for me to play the same old songs, so I can’t wait to share the new music with my fans.”
full look. Louis Vuitton
full look. Louis Vuitton
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full look. Louis Vuitton
