Contemporary R&B listeners will be pleased to hear August Grant’s (August 08’s) second part of his debut album Seasick, “Towards The Moon”. The singer, songwriter, and producer released his debut EP with Def Jam Recordings back in May with “Towards The Sun” where listeners heard August pining love and astrological heartbreak, “Towards The Moon” ventures an emotional cruise traversing beautiful strings, plunging inside of his deepest fears.
In the early stages of the project the Los Angeles native produced a lot of the beats himself. He thinks listener’s favorites on “Towards The Moon” will be “On Occasion,” “Water Sign” (feat. Jhene Aiko), and “What We Used To Be” (feat. Joji). When he was writing the first side of the project during the pandemic, August said he was forced to be reflective during the times he was alone in his room which produced the titled track, “Towards The Sun”.
“I was alone in my apartment having a cabin fever moment of going inside of yourself, and ‘Towards the Sun’ just came to me. I went from being this person who was never at home, and I had to channel that inner emotional tie to myself. That song was just literally me letting it all go,” August 08 said. “I’m so happy I’m allowed to make music and put out music for a whole year, versus just one drop. It changed my whole perspective on it honestly, I’ll probably do it again.”
“Towards The Sun” totals seven tracks, and “Towards The Moon” includes six. The idea to split Seasick, was from his new label (Def Jam) because they wanted the impact for the project to last longer. With Def Jam, August said he could create without being limited to a specific sound. Outside of his new label, the artist felt he didn’t have the freedom to make what he wanted.
“I never felt like I had the creative space to just make whatever I wanted to, and Def Jam let me do that. With my other projects and my other labels they were kind of like, ‘well maybe you should fit this, that fits this box’. With Def Jam, they were like yeah, we like you as an artist and what you are, just do what the hell you want to do, and come back with something. There was no pushback on it,” August 08 said. “This might sound fake, but this one is honestly my favorite (album). ‘FATHER’ and this one is my favorite. Specifically, because for ‘FATHER,’ I wasn’t held down with trying to be something. In this project, I could just be whatever the hell I wanted to be.”
The artists that have inspired his sound with “meshing genres” are Stevie Wonder, Snow Patrol, and Phil Collins. In his earlier projects: “FATHER (2018),” “Happy Endings with an Asterisk (2019),” and “EMOTIONAL CUH (2020)” August narrates his experiences with relationships, life’s emotional mood swings, remorse, and detachment. Listeners can hear his experimentation of rock and R&B soundscapes alike in Seasick. He said songwriting allows him to experiment with different sounds, and it’s an escape for his emotions to flow freely.
“My sound is honestly what I’m feeling that day, it’s not really attributed to anything. It’s just me experimenting and trying out a whole bunch of stuff. For a first time listener I would say if you ever hear your favorite thing you’ve heard in your life, I hope it comes close to that,” August 08 said. “I spent years trying to follow songwriting and producer briefs and that got me nowhere. Then, I started studying artists and learning that as a songwriter, you have to be a servant of music. You have to be someone who understands what comes next, but as an artist I don’t give a fuck what comes next. I’m making whatever the hell I want to make. However that sounds to me and wherever that place comes from, people are going to feel it.”
During his free time, he golfs, bowls, barbecues, and enjoys using his fishing pole his cousin had recently bought him to go out fishing. In the future, he hopes to receive an opportunity to be on the cover of a magazine. Specifically, one of his current life goals is being on the cover of a Bass Pro Shop Magazine. Another goal August wishes to expand on is continuing to create music he likes, rather than what other people think he should make. Through his music ethic, he wishes to help people and he encourages his listeners to be in touch with their emotions.
“Don’t be afraid to be exactly who you are. When I was growing up it was easier to be hard than it was to be soft, and leaning into your emotional side is the best thing for you. It cuts through directly to people because we’re all human,” August 08 said. “What I hope to achieve is to help people heal, and some of those life lessons that I’ve had to grow through. I don’t want you to go through those same things, but if you have to I hope my music can be somewhat of a guide to help you get through it.”
To stream August 08’s recent debut check out Seasick: “Towards The Sun” and “Towards The Moon” below.
