Wilder Daze

@Wilder_Daze

“Hear What My Heart Is Saying, Hear what my heart is saying” croons 26 year old Brooklyn musician Wilder Daze on his latest single ‘True Nature’ From his upcoming second album of the same name. His voice deep with richness and a certain mysterious sex appeal he sings “They call me Wilder Daze” leaving you wondering who exactly is Wilder Daze and what is his true nature? Raised in Northern Virginia Wilder’s knack for music has always been a part of his life saying “ I’ve been coming up with melodies since as long as I can remember. Just little vocal melodies, But I didn’t always consider myself to be a real songwriter until I started really writing full songs when I was about 10. I think that was the age that I started to try and understand my sadness, and writing songs was therapeutic for me. “ Dealing with depression a majority of his life Wilder has been able to channel his emotions into his craft saying, “Writing as a form of therapy is what’s saved my life, more than once.”” It started off as a way for me to get to know myself. It still is that, but it’s become more than that since I’ve started to release music into the world. I make sure that it’s not all about me. There has to be a good reason for me to put a song out there. A worthy contribution.” Moving to New York City at 18 Wilder now calls Brooklyn home and has been releasing a worthy contribution of music since 2015. His first Full length Golden Hour released in 2017 shines with nostalgia and exzuberant melodies packed with deep layers of emotions hidden underneath the pop chorus and melodies that make it up. Currently gearing up to release his second Full Length ‘True Nature” Wilder talks about it saying “ I’ve been trying to write things that feel a little lighter, that can be a little more of an escape for me. My music doesn’t hide from the truth. I suppose that is the message really. Don’t hide from your truth. Embrace it and love it and cherish it. Share what you want, but I guess I like to remind people that life is short and there’s power in what we choose to share” Being an openly queer musician it is desperatly important and brave that wilder has been able to harness the power to share his authentic self and vision with the world, From passionatly kissing boys in his music video’s or singing openly about his love for former lovers both 24 hours long and longer his visibility and music is an exciting welcomed gift in todays music scene. Wilders Mix i’ve titled “Don’t Hide From Your Truth” is an audible look into the music, inspiration and artist that has helped shape Wilder daze into his True Nature.

  Dont Hide From Your Truth- Wilder Daze’s Mix

00-2:04 -Tricky- Piece Of Me- Opening with Trip Hop pioneer Tricky’s Re work of Britney Spears ‘Piece Of Me’ I chose this slow burning B Side not only as a nod to one of Wilders biggest pop inspirations Britney (Who was also his very first concert he’s ever attended at age 9), but theres such a tender soft and vulnerable vibe to this re work that reminds me of listening to Wilder’s song writing, which some may not realize the depth and vulnerability when caught up in the pop production that surrounds his tracks. Britney sings softly about the dangers of fame on piece of me, but as we all watched her public break down it became operant that her biggest struggle isn’t the fame its holding onto the pieces of her that are most true. As A Parallel to Wilders song True Nature i have faith that among his raising fame Wilder will continue to hold onto those things that make his music and vision so unique.

2:04- 4:19 Lyyke Li- Sex Money Feelings Die- One of Wilders favorite current Artist Lyyke Li resonates with him saying “ I feel like Lykke Li is empowered by her sadness. I love the way that she reinvents herself with each era, but yet it always feel so authentic to her, and while each record is different they always fit into the world that she's created” Also giving him his favorite musical moment while watching her at Outside Lands he had a cathartic moment in the beauty of Golden Gate Park while Lyyke Li sang. Choosing to include ‘Sex Money Feelings Die’ From her last album Wilder says “ She said in her show that it was "so New York" and I totally feel that. It just sounds like life being messy but beautiful. Sad, but sexy.

4:20-7:49 - Fleetwood Mac- Everywhere - As a huge inspiration for his first album Golden Hour Wilder says “For each record that I’ve made, there’s always been one song that I would listen to on the way to the studio sessions that to me set the tone of what I wanted to evoke with that particular record. With Golden Hour it was “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac, and I think you can really hear that influence in the title track. That’s my favorite Fleetwood Mac song”.”I finished my album Golden Hour in the spring and toward the end of it I was driving to the studio and there was just something about driving through Brooklyn with the windows down while blasting that song that just made me feel like I was headed exactly in the right direction. It was just a romantic time. Those last few months of making Golden Hour were the best. It felt like such a longtime coming and I felt so free.  Not all of making Golden Hour felt so good, it was really hard at times and by the end I was working 6 days a week between two jobs and going to the studio one day a week. That drive to the studio became really important to me”

9:29-11:50- Robyn- Ever Again- As a fellow queer millennial its hard to find anyone who hasn’t let loose and danced to some Robyn on the dance floor , With a massive catalog of bangers to choose from i asked why Wilder was so drawn to the closing song of Robyns latest album ‘ Honey’ saying “ Robyn's most popular songs are so electronic, which I love, but I'm just really drawn to how this one has more of a live sound to it. It has such a good groove to it. i love a song that's about honoring love but moving on from it. That 's how this one makes me feel. The chorus is your classic Robyn, perfect pop chorus, and then the verses are kind of left. I love when she sings "go ahead and try your little crazy on me". The outro to the song is so euphoric. Such a great way to end the album”

 11:51- 15:01 -Bat For Lashes -I’m On Fire (Bruce Springsteen Cover)- Singer Songwriter Bruce Springsteen is a prolific figure in music but can easily be over looked if you didn’t grow up listening to him which was the case for Wilder back in Northern Virginia, When asked what attracted him to this song Wilder replied “This song immediately takes me back to being a teenager, lying in bed, thinking about sneaking out to go see the boy up the street I had a crush on. To me, there's just something about a Springsteen song that can take anyone back to being a kid. It reminds me of the first house we lived in when I was a kid. I can remember hearing my Dad and my uncles listening to Springsteen. Him and Elvis were like my two earliest examples of what a rockstar was. I used to cover I'm on Fire in my earlier shows too, it's one of my favorite songs to sing.” Choosing this beautifully haunting rendition by Bat For Lashes i wanted to evoke that same nostalgia in Wilder but in a more contemporary way.

15:02- 16:19  Prince- Purple Rain (Piano & Mic Version)-  When asked what the most beautiful songs he’s ever heard was Wilder replied with two saying “Jeff Buckley’s rendition of Hallelujah or Prince’s Purple Rain. Both are actually similar in that they’re mostly just electric guitar and vocal, and I love that simplicity. The haunting melodies that are sung perfectly, and both were recorded live. Those are timeless, beautiful records to me. “ Choosing a short but sweet piano version of Prines Purple rain as a sentiment to the simplicity he loves, I felt this was the perfect fit at the perfect place in this mix.

. 16:20-20:44 - Lady Gaga- Telephone/ Dance In The Dark (Live at BBC)- We All have that pivotal moment in life when something just clicks and your life changes forever, For Wilder that moment came with Lady Gaga “When I was 17, I had an epiphany that I was born to be a pop star because I realized that with music I would never feel completely alone, and this moment happened while dancing in my friend’s garage to Dance in the Dark by Lady Gaga on New Year’s Eve.” Choosing to include this live medley of both Telephone and Dance In The Dark because the stripped down version of Telephone not only highlights the beauty in Gaga’s voice but allows you to see once again that beneath a good pop song is good writing, which when listening to Wilder Daze i challenge you to really listen to as well.

20:45- 24:04- Wilder Daze- True Nature - Transitioning from the song that made him realize he was born to be a pop star, to his Latest Single which very well could make him a pop star. Wilders song True Nature is my personal favorite of his to date, as well as Wilders Favorite track of his at the moment. saying “My favorite songs of mine change, but Luvline on most given days is the one I'd have to choose. That song to me just came out so beautifully and exactly how I wanted. I'm also really into True Nature right now because I feel like there's something so unapologetic in this sound for me. These songs came from confidence and I love that.” A queer anthem in many regards True Nature beckons the question “Can you handle my true nature?” The gay, the good, the bad and everything that makes us human. With a beckoning drum slap and galloping guitar licks, Wilders Voice serenades with confidence and vulnerability that makes True Nature burrow into your ears and mind with an unabashed force.

24:05-28:13- Britney Spears - Touch Of My Hand- As stated earlier Ms. Spears is without question a massive influence on Wilder, From his first concert to his go to pop anthems through out his life i asked which Britney songs meant the most. “Touch of My Hand. I love this album because of its theme of sexual discovery. And just emotional maturity. I got into this album a few years after it came out, when I was in high school. I was a little too young when it first came out to really get it, so this album still ended up being the soundtrack to my sexual discovery, at the right time.” “I’m inspired by love and sex as well. I think there’s a lot of sexual frustration that goes into my writing. It’s a lot of fantasizing of the ideal romance. I’m inspired by my solitude as well. I find a lot of power in it. I’m used to being alone, but I no longer feel lonely.” And as we all know a touch of your hand can always help to feel less alone.

 28:14- 33:25 Cat Power- Manhattan- When talking to and looking at Wilder its easy to forget that he’s from Northern Virginia, With a style tinged with Retro flare and long hair that would make Jim Morrison Jealous, If you met him on the streets on New York you would swear he was a local which is why his current home base in Brooklyn is the perfect fit. When Talking about his move Wilder said “ when I first moved to New York. My parents didn't want me to do it because they didn't think I was stable enough, but I knew I had to in order to become the person I was meant to become. It felt like a very rebellious time. It still does, just trying to be a pop star at all” Hearing this made me remember an interview with Cat Powers leading lady Chan Marshal about her song ‘Manhattan’ saying it was a Love letter to New York, explaining that no matter who’s she met or where she’s lived that nothing has ever shaped her into the artist and person she is today like Manhattan. Choosing to include this song for Wilder because when you move to New York at 18 and you’re still calling it home at 26 there is absolutely no way that you aren’t as in love with New York and as thankful for the city as Cat Power is in Manhattan.

33:26- 36:48 Death Cab For Cutie- Lack Of Color- When interviewing I always ask about special songs that are tied to memory, for Wilder that song was Lack Of Color From Death cab saying “The first song that comes to mind is A Lack of Color by Death Cab for Cutie. It immediately takes me back to being 12 years old, sitting in my backyard alone by the pool in the summer. That song sounded exactly how I felt at the time” “I Felt like an outsider. I felt like I was so misunderstood by everyone around me, especially my family. I think I felt a little betrayed by the world. Like it was the first age that I realized this world wasn't made for people like me, that we had to create a space for ourselves in this world of our own. It was also one of the first songs I loved that wasn't like this feel-good pop song, or a love song that I couldn't actually relate to yet, but that actually described how I felt lyrically.”

 36:49- 39:02- Astrid Gilberto-Fly Me To The Moon- What Everywhere was to Golden Hour, Astrid Gilberto’s Fly Me To The Moon is a big inspiration for True Nature With Wilder saying “With the True Nature sessions and Fly Me to the Moon, I was attracted to that song because it made me feel at ease, and that was the mindset I wanted to go into these sessions with, from the very beginning. I wanted the making of my second album to just feel good the entire time. I felt like I had found my pace and that song matched it.”

39:03- 42:37 Sade- By Your Side (Neptune Remix)- When thinking of Sade, Her distinct voice and sound come to mind, Unlike anyone else when you hear Sade you immediately know its her. Much like Wilder Daze when you hear his voice theres no mistaking who’s singing, When asked why Sade’s By your side was chosen Wilder explains “I remember this song from when I was a kid, but I've recently rediscovered it. This song to me is what love sounds like. It's mellow and warm. Listening to it is like being wrapped in a blanket” Choosing this sleek R&B spiked remix the only Remix Sade has officially released still mellow and warm but a different type of blanket.

42:37- 46:56 Sia-Breathe Me (Mylo Remix) - Sia’s first break out hit is a far cry from the anthem of pop ballads she’s known for today. When asked why this song made Wilders list he said “Breathe Me is how I was introduced to Sia, back in like '05/'06. It plays in the final scene of the series finale of Six Feet Under, which is my favorite show of all time. I love it because it makes me think of that show, and that show is really important to me. But it's also just such a beautiful and powerful song. The moment I heard this song, I knew it was my song for life. I definitely want to cover this one day. I feel like it's a song I will always connect to. These actually might be my favorite lyrics.” Much like Wilders first release ‘ Sad By Nature’ in 2015 a slow burning song full of emotions its interesting to listen to his progression from singer song writer to his current more pop aesthetic much like Sia’s own rise to fame its easy to see why this song means so much.

46:57- End Lou Reed- Perfect Day- A perfect way to end this mix Lou Reeds Perfect day rounds Wilders choices saying “I love the whole Transformer album. I have a copy of it on vinyl that my Dad gave to me. I love this song because the verses are like soft story-telling, and then then this big chorus comes that you can sing along to. I also love the sadness he emotes, especially when he sings "you just keep me hanging on. This song just makes me feel so nostalgic. I feel like I loved it in my last life as well. It's just such an honest vocal performance. It actually inspired a song on my new album called "generation". Finishing this mix and my interview with Wilder Daze one this is clear. His passion for music is undeniable and that is not only felt in the words and sounds he creates but the music that streams through out his life and that i believe is his true Nature.