Sound is the starting point of Tastemaker, BBY Goyard’s latest album, widely regarded as an innovative and boundary-pushing artist. A sound that becomes the soundtrack to an immersive experience inspired by Dante’s Inferno, with which he aims to make good rock music, “that lately has been missing unless you look in the right places,” he says. But we speak of more: what sets this project apart from previous ones, the importance of visuals in his new chapter, and the artists he’s enrolled in the album.
His career skyrocketed seven years ago with Run Shannon Run, a massive hit that travelled around the world. “I was twenty-two when that dropped, and everything that came from it was brand new to me, so I made a lot of mistakes during that time, but I look at it as personal growth,” he explains. A beginning that would lead to the Depth Perception EP and Loose Lips and Sharp Tongues, which now give way to a very different era.
Hello, it’s a pleasure to speak with you! Just a month ago, you released your new seventeen-track album, Tastemaker, including collaborations with Henry Mosto, Dani Kiyoko, and Jaxxon D. Silva, among others. How has it been going in the last few weeks?
It's going great I think for the sheer fact that this sound is something I've never experimented with. The feedback has been very positive, especially within my peers and other ‘tastemakers’ I hold opinions to highly.
In the manifesto it reads that Tastemaker promises an immersive journey inspired by Dante’s Inferno and channels the raw experience from your 2024 tour with death metal band Portrayal of Guilt, blending the intensity of early 2000s punk and grunge with modern innovation. What would you like your fans to feel when they listen to your new album?
I worked on this album for about a year and a half just trying to craft exactly what I wanted from it; I became fully locked into the sound. I like to think everybody has their own listening experience. I hope the theme of Dante’s Inferno gets felt, but I understand that could go over some people’s heads, so really I just want the listeners to think it’s good rock music, which lately has been missing unless you look in the right places.
How is it similar to and different from your previous works? Is this the project you’re most proud of?
It's completely different. I do believe it's my best body of work as of right now, just because of the amount of time I took into building the world.
Last week, you presented the music video for your track See Me Out, shot by Jaxon Ray. What role do aesthetics and visuals play in Tastemaker?
The aesthetics and visuals play a huge role. Ever since I was a kid I’ve wanted to make movies and create immersive projects, so everything I do in that world has a definite purpose.
A little before that, you unveiled the music video for Spokane featuring Dove Armitage, shot, directed, and edited by J.D. Miyagawa. Could you tell us more about this track?
Spokane is about that feeling in all of us that maybe we hide at times — a dreariness, a sense of grey space, neither happy nor sad, just there. It’s also about the sacrifices we believe we take that sometimes never get noticed. The video is a representation of that but inspired by a film called The House That Jack Built, by Lars von Trier.
Having merged your underground, avant-garde style with a bold, genre-blending approach that is both timely and timeless, your fanbase continues to grow. More than 140,000 Spotify listeners follow you every step you take. What’s your relationship with them like?
I’ll be the first to admit that I wish I had a closer relationship with my fans, but I’d like to think I give them everything I would want as a fan of an artist, whether that's a personalised app like Shannongram or consistency in the music.
When you think of Run Shannon Run, the track you released in 2018 that quickly positioned you on the international music scene, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
The first thing that comes to mind is just how young and inexperienced I was. I mean, I was twenty-two when that dropped, and everything that came from it was brand new to me, so I made a lot of mistakes during that time. But I look at it as personal growth. For a while, it left a sour taste in my mouth, but I've come to appreciate those times.
In 2019, you released both the Depth Perception EP and Loose Lips and Sharp Tongues. Do you feel you’ve changed a lot since then?
So much that I’m not even close to the person I was when making those songs. Evolution is key.
Vette Sum (Shannonngram) hit #7 on the US TikTok charts. How does it feel when one of your creations becomes so popular worldwide very quickly?
It was kinda crazy because it didn't hit immediately. About a month after the album release, I saw my whole TikTok feed using the audio (shoutout to DJ Smokey and Binxie), and just thought it was cool to see celebrities and artists I actually listened to daily making videos using it.
Tell us about the collaborations we can find on Tastemaker. What has it been like working with all these artists, and what do you enjoy most about joining forces with other creatives?
Jaxxon D. Silva, Dani Kiyoko, sniper2004, Henry Mosto, Dove Armitage, Asspizza, Kodi Smit-McPh — these people are, in my opinion, tastemakers in their own field. I needed to have them on this album because I love their work and I believe it to be all very tasteful stuff they do even beyond music. Kodi is a wonderful actor who, because we're the same age. kinda grew up with the movies he made. Asspizza is one of the best designers of our time with whom I have had the privilege to become very close over the past year.
And what are your goals for 2025? Is there anything you can tell us about your projects for the next few months?
Keep creating and innovating will always be my number one goal. This year, I have a lot of music on the way with all types of genres. I'm just excited for people to see how the lore will expand.
