Alt-Pop Artist Custie Brings the Intimate Song “ON E, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN” to Light
Custie is an emerging alternative pop artist hailing from London, Ontario. His distinct sound explores pop music as it intersects with singer-songwriter, R&B, and alternative music.
His song, “ON E, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN,” deals with themes related to addiction. Although Custie hasn’t personally struggled with addiction, it has affected the lives of people close to him. E stands for ecstasy in the broadest sense, and also energy. There’s been this uptick in songs about energy, the cosmic pull of stars and planets, and attributing behaviours and interactions to continuums beyond our capability of understanding. Though Custie doesn’t believe in astrology, he always seems to write romantic things that bring the possibility of it to light.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Justin and I write and produce music under the name Custie. I remember pitching stuff to you guys when I was like 14 or 15, so it’s cool to get on here. I’m 20 now. Thank you again for having me.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
“ON E,” is a song I’ve had (in one form or another) for like four years. You can hear an early version, which was probably four versions later, that I posted on TikTok in 2022 that will give you an idea of how much the song has changed over time. In large part due to help from my brother, Ben, who operates under the name OH, BERLIN, and helps me bring some more focus to ideas I’ve had for too long. I’m grateful for how it turned out, and the fact that it came out at all. I’m grateful to be talking about it and getting it past more ears.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
Songwriting and your willingness to engage with the practice is as much about your capacity for revision as it is to do with any aptitude for music. I’m only inspired to write music or lyrics after I notice myself undergoing a series of cohesive self-reflective moments that need further clarification and likely manifest as some highly allegorical version of those very real thoughts. You should ideally spend time away from your instrument or direct means of expression. Think it through. Engage with the actual songcraft just enough to ensure that you’re noticeably evolving. A long time ago, a guy who hated me requested that I take six months off from music one time and I never did because I, too, disliked him and wanted to stay active out of spite, but I eventually did it on my own time. I came back a better artist and I still take frequent breaks to live my life so that I can see where the art is coming from. There aren’t ever as many personal battles left to win when you enable your songwriting to simply fall into place.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
Look out for some shows in London this summer, and definitely more music. There’s something I hope to achieve with the story of “ON E” that I’m going to finish with another release in June. But mostly, my plans as a young artist revolve around how I can “play the game” at a higher level than what is expected—meaning, like, I need to think of myself as a brand more effectively because I’m ultimately in this business to be successful, but how do I do it without it feeling superficial to me? I expect that “ON E” will have some more narrative content to go with it in the next few weeks; cool videos like the one I just put out, that make up in aesthetic impact for what I lack in the traditional arsenal of social media gambits I could pull from. Not that those traditional means of content-based promotion are bad at all, I see a lot of value in them, but that’s not my strong suit, and why I’m grateful for the opportunity to simply talk about it. I love interviews, so more of those too.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
This song is a turning point. I’ve released two other singles in the past few years that I’m proud of, but this song is the start of the direction I’ve wanted to go in, artistically, since like 2019. Things are finally coming together, and I’m excited to do some shows this summer in London.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
There’s an artist named 1010benja who’s been around for a long time and seems to finally be getting his due. He just released a brilliant album called Ten Total. It’s starting to feel very apparent that this guy was instrumental in shaping a lot of popular styles that emerged in the mid to late 2010s. I give him a lot of credit for everything that influenced me before I even knew who he was.
Connect with Custie:
Website
Facebook
Twitter/ X
Instagram
TikTok