Flaunt Premiere | Spencer Barnett Q&A

I'm Fine is about figuring things out and not taking yourself too seriously.

Spencer Barnett, an 18-year-old multi-instrumentalist, is on the rise. He spent time traveling the world creating three EP’s that each have a different sound based on the city he was in.

His new song, “I’m Fine,” was created in England, embodying both the upbeat part of London proper and the relaxedness of the countryside. He is both truthful yet uplifting as he paints a picture with his voice. His music reflects the colors and sounds of the places he has visited and his lyrics tell a story of the ways he has grown as both as an artist and a person.

Flaunt had the pleasure of speaking to Spencer to get more insight on his adventurous music career. Check it out below.

Photo by Bellamy Brewster

I know that you wrote I’m Fine in London, how did the city inspire and influence the song and your writing process?

What’s so great about London is, first of all, the weather. It really does inspire the music in addition to a lot of other things about the city like the producers we worked with on the whole EP, specifically I’m Fine, were all British and they have kind of a different sound from any American producer I’ve worked with. So, it was super cool to work with someone that was out of my wheelhouse.

When you go to different places to write music, what do you do to get acquainted to the city?

What was so great about the project was that some of it was in London proper and then halfway through we went to Banbury, which was in the countryside. That was an incredible place to make music because there were no distractions. We were kind of in the middle of nowhere on a beautiful farm and we were able to focus on creating the sounds. You build a comradery when you're together with other cowriters and producers alone outside of civilization and that builds upon the music and the sound - that relationship that you have together.

What is the narrative behind the I’m Fine music video? How did the concept come about? 

For I’m Fine and for Waste My Time, we shot the videos back-to-back in Montauk, New York. I was really excited to shoot there because first of all, I’m originally from New York and it was so great to be back home and the scenery is just so beautiful in Montauk. With “Waste My Time,” we wanted to create a more scenic and picturesque video and for “I’m Fine,” we wanted to focus more on the cool aspects of the house that we were working with and also something that was a little more fun and catchy. One of my collaborators, Bellamy Brewster, actually had this cool idea to have a room with a bunch of copies of me. We were able to shoot that which was really fun and almost scary to watch! Devin Hammond was in it as well - she was in the first video too. She’s just super cool and added to the whole scene. 

What is your favorite part of LA?

Since I’ve moved out here, the best part has been being able to focus on music 24/7. I have a lot of friends who do similar things that I do, including artists and producers.  When you surround yourself with music on a daily basis, it really does fill your understanding of what’s happening in the music world. It’s been really great to be here, just in the center of things and being able to collaborate with the amazing people that I've met over the last couple of months. 

You are living such a different life compared to other 18-year-olds, do you feel like you are missing out? What has it been like finding so much success at such a young age?

It’s honestly been incredible. A lot of my friends went off to college this year and I’m really happy for them. They’re having a great time and they also understand that I’m doing my thing - music is my passion. I’m so excited to pursue it at 18, it’s really an incredible experience. I look forward to the future years of music as well. 

Photo by Bellamy Brewster

Do you see your songs as a timeline of your life? How have you seen yourself grow over time?

That’s really the reason I decided to do three EP’s, because I feel like I have been growing as an artist and as a person throughout the process of writing all of them and even in the process through writing them. That growth is really shown from project to project - with I’m Fine being my second project. So, some of the growth is already starting to be shown and I’m excited to show the next step as well.

When you are struggling with something and you write about it, do you feel closure? 

Music is very therapeutic. It’s great to be able to put real feelings into words and lyrics and I think it let’s you be honest with yourself. You have something to say whether it’s to yourself or other people and when you put it into a song, it becomes true to you in an ideal way. It’s incredible to get those feelings out. 

Fashion is different all over the world. What city has the best fashion, in your opinion?

Honestly, New York. I have been able to spend a lot of time there, since I left New York in this past year, which has been super fun and super interesting to be introduced to whole other side of the city that I hadn't really known about when I lived there, which is the whole fashion scene. People just have such unique styles there. That’s really what I strive for when I dress myself - finding something that’s real and unique to me, instead of just borrowing some trend. 

What has been the most surreal moment in your music career? And what’s next? 

To date, probably playing at Outside Lands. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever done with a crowd of 70,000 people. The adrenaline was insane, but I’m also really excited for the live shows I have coming up this year. I love performing and it’s not something I’ve done a ton recently with my projects so I’m really excited to get on the road and meet some new fans and supporters!