STéLOUSE Explains That it's Cool To Be Different in an iEDM Exclusive Interview

STéLOUSE marches to the beat of his own drum. You quickly get a hang of his style as soon as you start talking to him. You also can't help but get pulled into his world of rock n' roll, tattoos, and being a true trailblazer on the EDM scene.

"I started playing in rock bands out of high school. I toured with rock bands for awhile. I was in a band called Boys. I know that sounds a little weird but we had a female, Robert Plant-style vocalist. Big vocals," STéLOUSE told iEDM in an exclusive interview.

He took a sip of water before continuing, "We toured with Jane's Addiction. In my band before that, we toured with Thirty Seconds to Mars. We played some shows with Paramore and The All-American Rejects. It was in that kind of scene."

STéLOUSE began to explore his options as he found out that being part of a band that was constantly on the road wasn't all glitz and glamour. 

"I guess I started producing electronic music because it was something that I could do on my own. It's hard to keep a band in tact," he laughed.

STéLOUSE explained, "We were on the tour with Jane's Addiction and we were literally breaking up. Like, I think we already broke up but we went on the tour because of the money. I got this MacBook so I could learn how to produce."

The Denver artist would soon after lock himself up in a studio to work diligently on becoming a talked-about producer. 

In order to progress as an all-around performer, STéLOUSE recalled a couple of his childhood inspirations that helped shape who he is today.

"Early musical influences of mine in high school were Nine Inch Nails, Metallica and Pink Floyd. After that, I was really into Incubus and AFI. Then I got into the screamo scene too," he said.

People seemed to be drawn to the rocker at an early age. He speculated there was solid reasoning behind his popularity.

"I was friends with everybody in high school for some reason. I think it's because I sold pot at my high school. All of the different cliques wanted to get high," STéLOUSE chuckled.

STéLOUSE shifted gears and showed off the impressive ink on his arms.

"I got my first tattoo when I was 18 years old. It was a tribal, but now it's a cover up," he said.

He told iEDM what caused the metamorphosis. "My girlfriend is a tattoo artist and she was like, 'Uhh, I literally don't think I can date you if you want to continue to have that on your arm.' It was fading so now it's this panther."

He's not done yet either. The stylish producer plans on adding to his collection very soon.

"My girlfriend and I have been together for 3 years now. She's done a lot for me. We are going to finish my sleeves in the next couple of months."

After giving his girlfriend some love, the laid back producer talked about what caused his transition into the EDM scene.

"When I started doing electronic music, it was around 2010 or 2011. I started this project around late 2013. The idea was when I started to get a tiny bit of traction...I was like, 'Man. It would be sick to go out there and do a band thing.' That wasn't a thing at the time," STéLOUSE told iEDM.

He elaborated, "I knew that in order to really make it work, I needed a fanbase and a certain number of originals out. I probably needed to be on a label for some kind of tour support. So once all of those things fell in line, in 2016, I signed a deal with Casablanca."

His partnership with Casablanca helped push STéLOUSE to focus on the live performance end of his idea.

"I had enough material and I had enough of a fanbase to kind of build on the live element aspect. It's a lot harder than just DJing," he said.

He quickly continued, "DJing, while I love it, feels unauthentic to me as an artist. I was out doing some shows in the summer of 2016. I called my agent and was like, 'Cancel everything. I'm going to go home and put together this live thing for real. That's all we are going to do after that.' There was no turning back."

With a clear road in front of him, STéLOUSE was finally free to express himself the way he wanted to be seen. When it comes to his image, he does whatever he wants, whenever he wants.

"This is just how I dress. Just be yourself and wear it on your sleeve," STéLOUSE advised. He followed up by stating, "Everyone is so desperate to be accepted and to fit in...it's just so weird to me. The culture that I grew up in--it was always cool to be different. It was always cool to like the underground bands. It was always cool to set trends and do something by yourself."

These days, the producer spends his time with the "I don't give a fuck" people. He explained why.

"I love those people, man. Those are the kinds of people I like to hang around. People who are fans of what I do seem to fall under that category. We are sort of moving into this new age of humanity right now. For guys around my age, its a little different."

The hardworking man behind the single "It's Over" opened up about his engaging personality and where he developed it.

"I'm a really sarcastic guy. I love sarcasm and humor. My dad was always that way. I always thought it was funny. My best friends were that way too. We would always be sarcastic to each other all of the time. I'm not used to people who are being offended all of the time," STéLOUSE nodded.

While his parents helped form his playful attitude towards life, they weren't necessarily the first ones on board when it came to his career.

"I didn't think they got it at first. I think they started to get it in my early 20s as I started to progress a little more. When you're playing in a rock band and touring--you're really not making any money," STéLOUSE shrugged.

He then sighed, "Most of those bands don't make money unless you are on a certain level. I think my parents went, 'Hey? When are you going to do something that will solidify some kind of long-term income?' I knew that I was so far deep into it that I needed to trust myself and keep going with it. It ended up working out."

The producer advises the upcoming generation to follow their dreams by putting in the hard work that comes along with the journey.

"Not everybody blows up overnight. Overnight success, as they say, is five to ten years in the making sometimes. People who go, 'Skrillex came out of nowhere,' don't understand it. He was at it for a really long time."

With the blood, sweat and tears invested in his future, STéLOUSE hinted that many surprises are around the corner. 

"I have a lot of music coming out soon. A lot of different kinds of music. I'm not trying to please anyone but myself and hopefully people will enjoy it," he grinned.

How can you not when STéLOUSE is the man behind the beats?

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Banner photo provided by Michael Beas