King of Cups is a rising sensation in the music scene, ready to captivate audiences with their infectious sounds. This dynamic duo, led by Shaun Zizi (Sugar Shaun) and Bryan Underwood (BryGuy), is a Pop-Punk/Emo band known for their catchy guitar riffs and sing-along lyrics. Drawing inspiration from iconic bands like Blink-182, Sum 41, A Day to Remember, and Senses Fail, King of Cups brings a unique and impossible-to-ignore sound to the scene. Their music has already caught the attention of global radio stations, including KRXQ 98 Rock, Alyx Plays Punk, and Squatch In The Pit. With their upcoming single “Back to You,” King of Cups is poised to make a significant impact and conquer the world stage. Get ready to join their incredible journey.
In this inteview spotlight, I chat with King of Cups about AI, choosing a favorite song of all time, and – of course – the new release.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
AI (aka Artificial Intelligence aka Chat GPT 4.0)… How is it changing the music world? What are your thoughts about this new trend?
AI has been quite the topic in the past few months. On one hand, cheap art, and writing, on the other hand, it puts artists out of jobs. Look at the writer’s strike that’s happening right now. AI has been increasingly disruptive, and music isn’t safe at all. There are literal websites where people upload their voice, and other people could use it on their recordings, for free, I think. That’s wild. People are willingly giving their voice over to this service. We’ve already heard covers like Kanye West singing “Hey There Delilah.” Imagine someone writes a song, uses your voice, and makes a lot of money off it. Not to mention the fame that would come with it. Hopefully, they’d tell everyone your voice is on the track and that translates to your career getting bigger, but I’m sure there will be some absolute horror stories.
There are even services that can write songs in the style of any artist you want if you feed it enough information from the artists’ catalog you want to emulate.
Everyone will be out of a job if AI doesn’t deem us unnecessary once it surpasses us a hundredfold. That could happen sooner than you think!
Can you choose a favorite song of all time? Or is this an impossible task? If yes, what’s the song? If no, what’s your current Top 3?
Man. These questions are the hardest because my favorite song changes all the time, and so do my top three. So, both are an impossible task. What I will say is my top album of all time is AFI’s Sing the Sorrow. I always come back to that album. It has something special to me. Probably because it was unique for its time and helped bring Alternative music into the mainstream.
What about this project makes you most proud? Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?
I (Shaun) am incredibly proud of our current release, “Back To You.” We did accomplish a specific goal! We made it on to New Noise Magazine! It’s a big deal in the Alternative music world! It is such an honor, and I’m beyond thankful for the opportunity. We also worked with a Nigerian choir on the song, which was quite a treat!
News: King Of Cups ‘Back To You’ Features A Nigerian Choir (newnoisemagazine.com)
What inspires you to create music? What motivates you to keep going?
So many things inspire Bryan and me to create music. From emotions to situations to music that moves us, it really depends on what is grabbing our attention during the moment!
“Back To You” is about when I met my wife. I met her when I was moving in 12 days. But, luckily for me, where I was moving was a mile from her mom’s house. It was insanely lucky! We continued to talk, and then boom! She was my girlfriend, and then I moved back to be with her. It was an insanely lucky circumstance. Did I mention I was lucky? “Back To You” was released on my wife and I’s tenth anniversary of being together. How great is that?Our upcoming single, coming in September 2023, is called “Missing You,” and it’s about the loved ones we lost. I won’t give too much away. You’ll have to listen to it and find out more. It’s really good!
If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why? If it’s an indie/DIY artist, please include a link so readers can check them out.
I know Bryan would love to work with Beau Burchell. We would love to do a track with Buddy from Senses Fail. They would both be amazing to work with. It would be fun to work with our friends from Free Friends too! Mixed Kid Fridays and Number One Sons are cool too!
What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?
The last song I listened to was a Mix of “Missing You.” That’s a song we have coming out in September, so we have to be sure it’s excellent! Some of my all-time favorite bands are AFI, Senses Fail, and Motionless in White. That changes a lot, though.
Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?
Our Instagram is the best place to get a hold of us. Hit us up here: King of Cups (@kingofcupsband) • Instagram photos and videos
Follow us on Spotify too!
I appreciate Your time. Want to say or plug any other projects before we part ways?
Yeah, King of Cups’ music video for “Back To You” is coming out sometime around August 9th, 2023. Check it out on YouTube!
Check out “Back To You” on Spotify, and be on the lookout for “Missing You” coming in September 2023!
Thank you so much, IMD for this awesome interview!
