Editor’s Note: Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Following their hit single, “Answerphone” (ft. Ella Eyra and Yxng Bane), the Canadian pop duo Banx & Ranx are out with a new single, “Speaker”, this time featuring Olivia Holt and ZieZie. Banx & Ranx are a production duo based out of Montreal, who have written for Dua Lipa, Sean Paul, Olly Murs and more. Holt got her start on Disney Channel and is now starring in Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger while rapper ZieZie’s single “Fine Girl” has been a huge hit.
With four incredibly influential and talented musicians working on it, the single was bound to be good from the start. I had the opportunity to talk to Banx & Ranx about “Speaker” and their music and writing process.
Courtesy of Banx & Ranx
Ariel Zedric: Congrats on “Speaker”! What was it like working with Olivia Holt and ZieZie?
Banx & Ranx: Olivia is a super down-to-earth and sweet girl… and that just adds magic to the fact that she nailed the vocals. ZieZie came with the right vibe at the right time to complement the song.
Can fans expect a music video any time soon?
We focused on an amazing lyric video and realized that it was perfect to drive the visual aspect of the tune for now.
Together you’ve made quite a few songs, do you have a favorite? Or is that like asking you to choose a favorite child?
We made a few hundred songs since we teamed up. That being said, we put equal amounts of love and energy in every piece. It’s really hard to pick a favorite, but some unreleased material is scheduled to reach your ears in the near future and we’re really excited about that.
When did you both first become interested in the genre of electric-pop?
We wouldn’t call it Electric-pop, but more precisely, World Pop. This is our DNA and it stems from our background and love for the Caribbean and African culture.
Courtesy of Banx & Ranx
Walk me through your music creating process, about how long does it take? Do you both have different roles, or is everything more shared?
We used to over prepare for sessions and realized that it didn’t work as planned. So, with experience, we developed a workflow that is more efficient, faster and gets better results. We both have the same skills, but each one of us specializes in different things. For example, Yannick is the chord boss and Soké loves to focus on vocal production. We aim to finish 1-2 songs per day. Rack it, pack it, stack it.
Is there a moment in your career so far that has left you both particularly satisfied or proud?
A big turning point in our career was definitely when we wrote and released our song “Answerphone” with Ella Eyre and YXNG Bane.
What’s the hardest obstacle you’ve had to overcome in the music industry?
Dealing with ups and downs, emotional rollercoasters and politics needed some time and understanding.
Have you ever doubted pursuing music? What inspired you to keep going?
Good question – of course, sometimes you have doubts. If you don’t have any then, you are not human. What keeps us going is bigger than us. It’s called the universe.
If you weren’t pursuing music, what would you be doing?
Soké would be a chef or an extreme sports athlete and Yannick would be a businessman or a pornstar.
You have plans to work with a lot of big names coming up, is there any forthcoming project that you can tease?
The ultimate tease is not giving any info at all.
Fair enough. What’s one artist you would love to work with that you haven’t got the opportunity to yet?
Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse, James Brown, Kurt Cobain, J Capri, Nipsey Hussle, Avicii… the list goes on.
Courtesy of Banx & Ranx
If you could give young aspiring artists one piece of advice, what would it be?
Be patient. Listen to advice and constructive criticism, invest your money, open your mind, collaborate, may your intentions be clear and your attention focused.
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Feature image courtesy of Banx & Ranx
