If you've been following where dance music and pop music intersect, you've probably heard of the production duo. Grey. Made up of brothers Kyle and Michael Trewartha, this stealthy duo is behind the production of two songs that have over a billion streams on Spotify (“The Middle” and “Starving”) and are also nominated for three Grammy Awards.
It's an impressive resume regardless of genre, and now Gray is ready to step into the spotlight with his next AGAINST PE. It includes the already released singles, “7-DS” featuring AWAY, “RAVEN” featuring Virtual Riot and the newly released title track. CONTRA is shaping up to be a tremendous showcase for the sister duo's production talents. “CONTRA” in particular really highlights how good these guys are at sound design.
We had the chance to sit down and chat with the guys about where they're coming from musically, how they've grown after almost a decade of making music, advice for those coming up in the industry, and more. Watch our exclusive interview below.
Hey guys, thanks for chatting with us. First of all, tell us a little about yourselves and how you started making music.
Kyle: “We are brothers and have been obsessed with music since we were children. We used to just ride around our city on bikes and skateboards listening to dream theater, like progressive metal, we used to listen to very complicated music when we were little. And as we grew up, I started making music first, Michael helped me with that and then we got into EDM in 2010. And we decided to start a project together in 2015.”
Miguel: “So, we started thinking about music in a more analytical way.”
k: “Drumline, especially at the school we went to, was very serious and regimented. They wanted us to be the best we could be and we were just putting everything into that. So it really shapes the way you look at music when you approach it that way. Some people just start producing like I want to create good vibes or something. But we have always had a very intense focus on perfection.”
Most people know you from your collaborations with Zedd, how did that partnership come about? Anything in the future with him?
METER: “Yes, I was working at Olive Garden in Laguna Niguel and Kyle was in Santa Monica doing his project called Singularity or Kyle Trees. So, we decided to start a new project together called Grey, and then we thought we'd try to do some remixes. At that time, True Colors, Zedd's album, had just come out. And we just got the vocals for “Beautiful Now” and remixed it.”
k: “And then we did a remix for Jack U, “Where Are U Now” with Justin Bieber. We just had these two bootleg remixes, neither of them official. And my friend said he had Skrillex's email and I didn't believe him, but we sent it anyway and it was Sonny. He listened and was very impressed with the music and sent it to Zedd. And Zedd told me later that that was the first time Sonny had sent him anything. So, he was excited to hear that and then he contacted us and we had a meeting with his manager the next day.“
METER: “Yeah, I was on my lunch break at Olive Garden when he told me, and I thought it was cool, and I just left it that day. But later we found out that we had a session with Skrillex and he told us that he never checks that email, that it's like a spam email, and he said that he checks it like once a month and he just clicks on the top one, and that is. just what he did.”
Tell us about the next one AGAINST EP? Tell us about the process behind the music and how you came up with a signature sound for Grey.
METER: “Well, we were doing a lot of pop-centric stuff for quite a while. And the last thing we did, really electronic, if you want to call it that, was called Chameleon, an EP we did. And we just miss going crazy and making killer electronic music. So we decided to come back and make an EP like that again, which is super fun. But now, after doing a lot of pop for a while, we've improved a lot, especially in terms of songwriting. And just doing a cool combination of having really good compositions and mixing them with crazy electronic stuff. And now we can sing our songs too, which is a lot of fun.”
k: “Working in electronic music makes you good at sound design, releases and all that kind of stuff. Working in pop music makes you a better songwriter, lyrically and melodically. So, it's definitely a combination of the two areas that we've spent the most time working on.”
METER: “And there are definitely a lot of mundane samples there too.”
When you're working on a song and collaborating with other people, people probably have a certain image in mind, like that Beatles documentary about artists playing in the studio. When you do more electronic and pop-based stuff, what's that process like? Are there any jams in the instruments or are files just being sent back and forth?
METER: “I feel like it depends, definitely in the songwriting process there is a lot of acoustic improvisation like you're saying. But I remember being in the studio with Val and we were looking for weird sounds to add. And certain things would spark other ideas in other people, and maybe add a little guitar or something to certain parts.”
k: “The way it usually is is, like he said, when you're writing the main line and the most basic part of the song, it's good to be in the room and collaborate. For the whole middle section, the whole production, the main part, most producers like to do it alone. Because it is very similar to a process of exploration and trial and error. And it takes so much time, it's boring first of all and a little secondly, it's a lot of pressure to have someone on your shoulder in those kinds of moments. We usually do it ourselves and come back for the final piece and touch-ups. It’s a lot of fun tinkering together.”
You guys recently went on tour. How was your trip to Japan? What has it been like touring internationally and where can fans expect to see you perform in 2024?
METER: “It was super fun, it was our first time going to Halloween and I'm a big anime fan and everyone dressed up as anime characters. One of the shows we played was a Halloween show and everyone was dressed up, it was really crazy. “We added a lot of crazy anime combinations to our set and, yeah, it worked.”
k: “We made this remake of Bohemian Rhapsody a long time ago to make it sound modern and really complete and we played it in all our sets. But we thought it would be really fun to change the acapella to a Japanese guy singing Bohemian Rhapsody, so we played that and it's just hilarious, it's really over the top.”
Is that somewhere fans can see on YouTube?
k: “No, I don't think anyone can hear it right now. That would be cool though.”
Do you have a wish list for someone you'd like to work with?
METER: “I really like Imanu, he's been crushing it recently. “We should always shout at our friends, Winston, that they are crazy.”
k: “We've been listening too, on the EDM side, to Seth Hills. And Mesto, both guys do really interesting things.”
What advice would you give to producers and musicians trying to break into the industry?
METER: “I feel like you should always know that a big part of it is luck. And you just have to prepare for when you get lucky, and try to be as prepared as possible for when that random moment happens when some important people see you and your stuff is good enough to do. one difference.”
k: “Another thing I would say is that there is a balance between marketing and skills. I know many of our friends are the most talented producers I know, but they, like us, struggle with marketing. They spend all their time producing and improving songs, but no one listens to them. And I've met people on the other side of the spectrum, all they do is make Tik Tok videos and they have no idea what they're doing, music-wise. The best thing you can do is have a balance between those two things.”
METER: “I think by being able to show you as much as possible, instead of just listening to your music, they get to know you. That's part of it too, having a personal relationship with people. And also, you can use music to show people that you are some kind of writer.”
Thanks guys, any words for the fans or anything else you would like to add?
METER: “I mean, 'Starving' and 'The Middle' are something to be proud of. “It’s pretty crazy.”
k: “Even now, when you look at the billion club, there aren't that many songs. So, that's amazing. One tour that really stands out for me was our tour with Zedd in the US and Japan, it was so much fun.”
METER: “I think the fact that it's been able to stay a career for so long, we haven't had to go back to work.”
k: “Thank you for being with us all this time.”
METER: “We're looking forward to the last two songs on the EP, they're really great.”
Watch Grey's latest, “CONTRA,” available now on Humble. The full AGAINST The EP is scheduled for release in early 2024.
