- Words Notion Staff
- Photography Grant Spanier
Terry Presume speaks with Notion about forging his own path and his surreal new release, “ZaZa and Some Runtz (Smoke Break)”.
Terry Presume’s ability to harness any sonic landscape of his choosing and put his stamp on it means the Nashville-based talent goes beyond genre. Simply put, he produces music led by his lived experience and emotions.
In forgoing being pinned down to any one sound, Terry creates a world that demands space for those who, like him, do not fit into a set mould. This genre-bending quality to his music has culminated in his new track “Zaza and Some Runtz (Smoke Break)” – and its equally mind-warping music video – that captures Terry’s surreal vision of the high-life extraordinarily.
Terry explains: “Coincidentally (and I don’t believe in coincidences) this video was made in the same fashion as the song was, in the spur of a marijuana-induced moment”. The video – shot in Los Angeles and directed by Spencer Ford – who has worked with BROCKHAMPTON and St. Panther – ripples with trippy visuals and discombobulating camera pans, flawlessly complementing the glimmers of funk and psychedelic rock that permeate the track.
For Terry Presume, music has been a source of comfort and healing. Terry wrote his first poem at just eight years old, which developed into an interest in writing and producing music – a device he has used to negotiate the different cultures and worlds that he straddles.
Moving to Los Angeles with $200 in his pocket, Terry Presume has made a name for himself creating music that honours his heartbreak, pain, and newfound enlightenment.
Notion catches up with Terry Presume, who talks inspiration for his music video, insight into his writing process and his dreams for the future.
Your new single “ZaZa and Some Runtz” is quite a change of sound for you. What inspired this sonic shift?
The music video looks like it was tons of fun to film. How was it conceptualised?
You headed out to South Los Angeles to film it. Why there, and what was the process like?
You’ve moved around a fair bit. From growing up in Florida to moving to LA, you’re now based in Nashville. Was it the city’s musical heritage that led you to settle there?
You’ve overcome a great deal in your life – when things get tough, what is it about music that drives you to keep going?
I don’t know and I like not knowing but what I do know is that I was made for this, looking back to my younger self I can piece little life events that were actually omens predicting who I’d be today.
Let’s backtrack – tell us about your musical journey. How did you get to where you are today?
You’re yet to have any features on your music. Who would you like to collab with? Is there anyone lined up at the moment?
Give me a window into your writing process – how do you usually write a song?
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
What song do you associate with your happiest memory? And what song do you turn to when you need comfort?