Louisiana native Jonathan Arceneaux and Russia native Konstantin Smorodnikov combine their talents as N2BLÜ.
Their latest single, Kiss Me Like The Devil, is an upbeat, danceable, edm-infused jam that takes its inspiration from past romantic relationships. Specifically, those relationships that stand on shaky ground from the start. With an infectious, easily memorable hook, listeners will be singing and vibing to this energetic single long after it ends.
Jonathan and Konstantin both began their musical journeys at a very young age. Despite being oceans apart, these two talented writers, arrangers and producers eventually found their creative energies colliding. With a shared love of music and a passion to never stop improving, N2BLÜ creates music with a chemistry that not all collaborations find so easily.
I was fortunate enough to get a few moments of N2BLÜ‘s time for the below interview spotlight. We discuss the new project, challenges, technolgy and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Kiss Me Like the Devil is now available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and Soundcloud.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create?
I (Jonathan) am originally from New Orleans, Louisiana. I am a classically trained vocalist since I was about 6 years old and have sung everything from opera, musical theatre, rock, pop, and EDM. I started actually writing music and lyrics when I was about 16 and originally took inspiration from bands like Better Than Ezra, Savage Garden, Vertical Horizon, and Duncan Sheik.
Konstantin (Kosta) is originally from Kostroma, Russia. He fell in love with music at early age. It was the structure of rhythm and arrangement that most interested him. Around 15 is when he was introduced to computer music production. At 18 he moved to The US where he spent most of his 20’s going out to local dance clubs and learning all he could about the technical side of production and sound engineering. He drew inspiration from DJ’s like Peter Rauhofer and Abel Aguilera. Together, we’ve combined our musical and life experiences to create our blend of Retro Pop/EDM.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
Music has always been source of joy and therapy for both of us. I (Jonathan) have loved to sing and listen to music since I can remember. It’s a vital part of my everyday life. It’s a source of pure love and creativity for both of us. Whether it’s something we’re working on or just listening to the work of other artists. Our everyday experiences in this life are what keep us going. The ability to express feelings, emotions, and what we’re going through and to be able to share that with the world and be understood by those who can relate. Those are the things that keep us going.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
Kiss Me Like the Devil is part of a body of work that we’ll be releasing this summer called, Phoenix Heart. It’s a project that we’ve been working on for over a year that was built through blood, sweat, tears, love, loss, and heartbreak. Kiss Me Like the Devil is different from our previous releases in that it addresses a situation that some people can identify with, in being insecure in yourself and being insecure in the romantic relationship you’re in. How previous romantic experiences can influence and distort future ones and sometimes end to the undoing of the relationship.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this over saturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you?
As independent musicians, we do face quite a few challenges in this over saturated, digital music age. Anybody and everybody has access to the stage of the world now, even some people who probably shouldn’t LOL. One of the biggest challenges is a universal one, and that’s finding the right opportunity and figuring out who your audience is. Who will get and understand what you’re trying to say with your art. Another challenge is surpassing some of the static and noise of musicians who are in it for the popularity, fame, money, etc. Unfortunately, a lot of those voices are sometimes louder than the ones who are truly in it for the artistry and joy of being able to connect with others. That may have been more than one or two challenges, but some things just need to be said LOL. Technology has helped in being able to distribute and market our music on our terms through social media. But the same challenge exists to where if you’re not on social media and not constantly producing material then you get lost in the static.
What was the last song you listened to?
(Jonathan): Physical by Dua Lipa
(Kosta): Bad by Don Diablo featuring Zak Abel
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Personally, we are both big tech heads and are always curious and interested in the next advances. While we both grew up on CDs, I’d have to say we’re both very much mp3 guys now.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Probably Spotify. Spotify seems to have one of the most accessible platforms for independent artists like us in order to promote and release our music through their Spotify for Artists site.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
You can discover us on all music and social media outlets: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/n2blu Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/n2bluofficial Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/n2_blu YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/N2BLÜ And we are also on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and pretty much any digital music platforms you might subscribe to.
Anything else before we sign off?
Our next single and lyric video, “Again”, will be releasing everywhere on April 21st. Make sure to check it out!
