Amid the torrential downpour that overtook the first day of the inaugural Head in the Clouds NYC, Spence Lee had an early afternoon crowd bouncing at the Double Happiness Stage. The East Coast artist turned the energy up to 11 and, with his friends and family in attendance, felt the blessings literally rain down on him as he shared his message with the masses. We sat down with Lee after his set to talk about being part of such a special event, his upcoming single and knowing that his music is about to take over the world.
Atlas Artist Group:This is the first New York Head in the Clouds! How do you feel about being part of this lineup, especially being from the area?
Spence Lee: I feel real blessed and grateful to 88rising for including me in this and having me perform on the stage. Seeing my family in the crowd, seeing my best friends in the crowd, best friends on stage with me- it’s amazing just being in New York. I grew up coming to New York all the time so my family’s from here. It’s just dope to be here and just like kicking it off and setting it off with a bang.
Atlas: Even with the weather, your crowd was really hype!
Lee: I saw people that was in the stadium stand- they started moving over so they could see!
Atlas: When you’re performing, what song do you connect with the most and on the other side of that which song do you think the fans connect with most?
Lee: Playing live I think I connect with…right now “Spend My Days” is the new song that’s about to come out. It’s the soulful one, the groovy one. And with the fans, I think “Arriba”. I think “Arriba” connects with them the most. I saw a lot of people going up to that one.
Atlas: Where are you pulling inspiration from these days? We’ve had a few weird years and being creative during the pandemic was probably very difficult. Has the creative process changed for you?
Lee: I think it’s the same! I think the pandemic has made me just actually get back to what I was originally doing, which was vibing out with my friends more and my family more, talking to my family, hanging out my friends, making music with my friends in the studio or in the room and drawing more, watching more movies and working out more- going outside, getting that sunlight, being healthier. I think that’s where I’m getting my inspiration and also music of course- through the pandemic, good music hasn’t stopped.
Atlas: You’re very hands on when it comes to the recording process, right? What’s your studio process like- are you mostly focused on writing or are you involved in the production as well?
Lee: I’m writing! The production is mostly handled by Ear Drummers and various producers from my hometown. Mike Will Made It is overseeing everything and he go crazy with the beat pad. The songs write themselves- especially when you’re in the room- they all have a flow and we just start building off each other and that’s how the music comes together. We gather together and we just have fun- it’s a big kickback.
Atlas: Speaking of new music, what’s coming up for you? Do you have any spoilers for us that you can share?
Lee: “Spend My Days”- I performed it on the stage and they were rocking with it. It’s real soulful, it’s a real feel good vibe coming out real soon. And then I’ve got the album coming right after that.
Atlas: Is there anything else you want people to know about you or your music or is there anything you wish you got to talk about more that you might not get asked?
Lee: It’s a yin and a yang. One- I want people to know that my music comes from my heart and I’m coming different- just telling my story, telling my truth on my music. The fact that it can connect with people and that people can listen to it is all I want. If I can see one person in the crowd rocking with it, that’s mission complete. Then the second thing is I’m the G.O.A.T. and I’ve really been putting work in and people are gonna see it. My catalog will do the dialogue- all you have to do is press play.
Story by Olivia Khiel
Photo courtesy of 88rising
