Peter Peres shares the before & after of relationships in his debut EP
Toronto, ON-based Pop/Country singer-songwriter Peter Peres released his debut EP, Before & After You on June 3, 2022. The EP tells a story of what happens during a relationship; being the before and what may happen after the relationship ends; being the after.
Each of the six tracks tells a unique story that is relatable to the listener. From the previous singles, “Sold,” and “Mess Of Me” to the title track, “Before & After You“, you’re in for a treat.
Listen to Before & After You below, and find out more about Peter Peres via our mini-interview.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello everyone, my name is Peter Peres, and I am a Country singer/songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. I have been singing Country music for almost seven years but only started releasing music the past couple of years. At a very young age, I knew I had a passion for music since I would memorize the theme songs to my favorite childhood TV shows and sing them back. I was also in choir in elementary school and performed for the first time in front of a crowd at my grade 8 spring formal talent show.
When I first started getting into the music scene, I started as a Pop singer but then slowly transitioned to Country. I started out as a Videographer/Photographer and worked behind the scenes at concerts and festivals which allowed me to become a fan of music and want to take it on as well as an artist.
Since then, I released my single “Sold” on July 23rd off my newly released debut EP, and it hit Canadian Country Radio for the first time and reached Top 45 on SiriusXM. I then released my second single to radio “Mess Of Me” which was released on March 4th and it hit Top 60 on SiriusXM, and it’s still climbing on the charts.
You have unveiled your debut EP, Before & After You; what was the writing process like for this release?
During the pre-production stages of the EP, my producer introduced me to a few artists and songwriters to write with. Since it was during the pandemic, I wrote many songs with them, and each song had its unique idea and relation to it. As I started writing these songs, it became more and more clear that I was telling stories of past relationships of when I was in love but also when I was heartbroken. Which brought out the idea and title for the EP.
I had a lot of fun writing these songs; each of them came as naturally as they could and all the writers involved, including myself, related to what was being said in the lyrics. Each song was a group effort and involves ideas from all of our past experiences.
You worked with Shawn Moore on the EP. How was that experience?
I was introduced to Shawn right when the pandemic happened, and we instantly got to talking about music and what my biggest influences were, and the type of sound I wanted to produce. The whole experience was so much fun as it was my first time being in a room watching musicians put my songs together. They produced the sound exactly how I wanted, and everything came together very smoothly.
He also had an endless supply of Lindor chocolates which definitely brought up the energy in the room.
Unfortunately, the pandemic did delay a lot of things but we still found ways to work around it and get the EP done as close to the timeline as possible. I also learned a lot about what it’s like being in a studio and how to direct and share ideas to get each song to sound the way I had envisioned.
When you reflect on your previous singles, do you find your sound has grown, and if so, how?
My sound has definitely grown. When I released my first two songs in 2019, I went with a more traditional sound. As much as I love Traditional Country music, I felt like that specific genre didn’t really suit my voice and I felt that something was missing. Meeting Shawn made me realize what got me to enjoy Country music in the first place, and it was artists like Brett Young and Jordan Davis. So going off of them and their sound, we reworked my sound to a more Pop Country kind of feel with a taste of Traditional Country which gave my new songs the best of both worlds.
What is next for you in 2022?
I have been doing a lot of writing this past year and have already started working on my next project with The Agenda who were CMAO nominees this year. I don’t want to give away too much but you can expect new music hopefully later this year leading into next year. I am also performing at NXNE this year for the first time on June 17th at Dakota Tavern in Toronto, and it is my first time performing live with a full band which is very exciting.