Contributing Writer
1. For those discovering 21GRMS for the first time, how would you describe the project in your own words?
21GRMS is a space where pop, electronic music and cinematic language exist together without forcing one another, blending in a club-driven aesthetic. It is not a project built around a single genre. It is more about a feeling, a way of writing and producing music that leaves room for images, tension and atmosphere. We like the idea that when people listen to our tracks, they are not only hearing a song, but entering a world, almost like watching a film.
2.What was the starting point for creating 21GRMS, and what brought the two of you together creatively? Why did now feel like the right time to introduce this new project?
It happened quite naturally. We were in Los Angeles, working on different things, and one night after dinner, back at our place, we felt something opening up between us.
We started composing without trying to define the project too much, and the more we played, the more we felt there was a common language. 21GRMS came from that click, from the shared need to make music in a freer way, without adapting it too much to something already defined or labelled.
It felt like the right time because, for the first time, the sound really felt like both of us.
3. Lucid Dream feels less like a debut single and more like an opening statement. What did you want this first release to say about who 21GRMS is?
With “Lucid Dream” we wanted to open a door. It is a track that says a lot about the project without explaining everything. There is a dreamlike dimension, but also something very physical and emotional inside it. Lucid dreaming is something that belongs to both of us, not only as an image, but as a state of mind. That feeling of being present and distant at the same time became part of the music.
So yes, we wanted to make a statement: this isn’t just a debut single, it’s an entry point into our world.
4.Can you talk us through the creative process behind the track — where did it begin?
It started in a very simple way, with a guitar progression and a vocal idea. The first version came to life on a terrace by the sea in Anzio, a place with a strange kind of stillness and history around it. From there, we followed the emotional direction of the song.
For us, the writing usually comes first. Lyrics and vocal melodies are where the core of the track begins. Then we build around that feeling, adding layers, textures and sounds that can expand the initial idea without losing its intimacy.
5.The track carries this beautiful sense of suspension and tension throughout. How did you achieve that sonically?
It really comes from contrast. We’re always balancing organic and electronic elements, trying to recreate that floating, unstable feeling you get in a lucid dream.
There’s a string quartet, mostly electronic drums, layers of analog synths, and processed vocals with harmonizers, all interacting with each other in a way that never fully settles.
That tension between real and unreal is what gives the track its sense of suspension, and it’s very much at the core of our sound.
6. How do your different creative strengths complement each other as a duo?
We come from different paths, but we share a common background in electronic music. There is a strong connection with pop writing on one side, and a more cinematic, visual approach to sound on the other. That’s why as a duo, 21GRMS sits somewhere between these two worlds. It is not about choosing one direction over the other, but finding the point where they can coexist naturally. That balance is probably what defines the project the most.
7. What artists, scenes or influences have helped shape the sound of 21GRMS?
We’re constantly inspired by different worlds. On one side, there is film music, with artists like Ólafur Arnalds and Ennio Morricone, who had a big impact on the way we think about emotion and atmosphere. Then there’s the electronic scene, with artists like Paul Kalkbrenner and Skrillex, and also pop acts like Billie Eilish.
At the same time, we’re influenced by urban culture and the way it tells real, raw stories through lyrics, and artists like Young Thug are a big reference in that sense. We try not to separate these worlds too much. The idea is to let them meet in a way that feels personal.
8.What do you hope people feel when they listen to this first release?
We hope they feel invited into something. Not everything needs to be understood immediately. Some music needs time, and we like the idea that a track can reveal itself slowly.
With “Lucid Dream”, we hope people can enter that suspended space and connect with it in their own way. If they close their eyes and feel like they are seeing something, then the track has done what it was supposed to do.