Ever on the hunt for fresh faces and burgeoning talents, we recently talked with TEEN music producer and songwriter Joshua Meeks who has been gaining popularity online as Tessellated.

Here’s what he had to say:

Which of these kids were you in high school: the popular kid, the nerd or just a part of the crowd?

Tessellated: I feel the high school experience is far too complex and multifaceted to be explained by any of those options.

What’s the most played song on your phone?

Tessellated: Right now it’s probably

Redbone by Childish Gambino.

If you could have any super power what would it be?

Tessellated: Definitely the ability to fly! 

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life which one would it be?

Tessellated: Very hard question, it would have to be between The Beatles’

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or Bob Marley’s

Exodus.

How did you get started?

Tessellated: I was always involved with music from a young age playing various instruments on and off, but I really started making music when I was 16. I used software I downloaded online and watched tutorials on YouTube. 

Did you always want to be a musician? What would you be if you weren’t a musician?

Tessellated: I didn’t always want to be a musician, I think if I wasn’t doing music I would be doing something in science, probably physics or chemistry.

Tessellated: It really varies a lot! The foundation of a song generally takes anywhere between two to eight hours depending on how complex it is. But then when it comes to recording, mixing and generally fine-tuning the song to get the final product there are songs I’ve done in a single night and others that I’ve been working on for months and have probably put 50 or more hours of work into. It really just depends on how things flow at that specific time. 

How long does it take you to put together a new song?

Describe your musical process.

Tessellated: Everything I make first starts with some form of inspiration, a lot of the time this will be from some other music I’ve listened to, but other times it could be from a film, painting or just how I’m feeling that day. Once I have a little idea, I open up Ableton Live (the software I use to produce) and start laying down my idea, usually a bassline or drum pattern in the beginning. After that, I start to build on it layer by layer, adding in new elements and sometimes taking out others. Once the song has started to take shape I’ll decide whether I want to write to it or send it off to someone else to write to, and after vocals have been sorted out I’ll go in and start to clean up everything to create the final product.  

What do you believe sets you apart from other aspiring musicians and young talents on the rise?

Tessellated: I think every musician or artiste is unique in their own way; nobody shares the same experiences and therefore each person has a different story to tell. For me, I think I’m just experimenting with fusing my various influences in a way that not many people have heard before. I also go in a completely different direction sonically, compared to that of a lot of new musicians. 

What inspires your music?

Tessellated: Like I said in the earlier question, my music is inspired by everything around me! Life itself is inspiration and in every facet of life there is something to be appreciated, which is something I try to remember as an artiste and in general.

What advice would you give to anyone thinking of becoming a musician?

Tessellated: If you really love it, go for it. However, you should know that real improvement and creating the kind of music you want doesn’t happen overnight. I’ve spent hours and hours, night after night for years now and I’m still learning every day, but if you love the music then you’ll enjoy every second of it. Another important thing is to learn to take criticism but also to learn when not to take criticism. This is a hard balance to find but will allow you to grow and improve as an artiste if you figure it out. 

Joshua Meeks is 19 years old and in his second year at university studying music. He previously attended Campion College.

Check out his music on SoundCloud: 

https://www.soundcloud.com/tessellated, and find him on Twitter @tessellated and Instagram @tessellatedvibes.