Ones2Watch Home

vaultboy first teased his single, "everything sucks" back in January on TikTok as part of a series called "writing a song everyday and posting it." "everything sucks" made its appearance on day 12 and one might say it became an overnight success. With a recent video teasing the track hitting three million views and climbing, the much-anticipated single is finally here.

If you are looking for a refreshing, feel good summer track to play on repeat, look no further. As we begin to see a light at the end of this pandemic tunnel, "everything sucks" offers relatable lyrics alongside catchy melodies that you can't help but sing along too.  

There is a phrase in the song, "spend all my spare change, at the arcade", which seems to have inspired the lyric video for "everything sucks", resembling an old school arcade game, which only makes sense, considering the name vaultboy comes from one of his favorite video game series, Fallout. We had the honor of sitting down (virtually) with the rising artist to discuss his long-awaited debut release, "everything sucks."  

First off, big congrats on your debut single, "everything sucks." I'm sure you have plenty of songs already in the "vault," but what made you decide on "everything sucks" for your debut release?

Thank you so much! Honestly, the response to this song on social media has been so insane to me, it felt like I had no other option but to put it out first! However, it also feels like a really great introduction to vaultboy. I write a lot of sad songs, but I'm generally a pretty positive person. And having a song that can show that side of me to introduce myself into the music world felt best!

For those who don't know, who is vaultboy and where did the name come from?

I'm a pop singer-songwriter from Jacksonville, FL! The name actually comes from one of my favorite video games series, Fallout. In the game, Vault Boy is the mascot for the Vault-Tec corporation. The games are all post-apocalyptic, and tell the story of people who survived the end of the world in underground vaults. I'm the kind of person who gets in his head a lot, and music is a way for me to get a lot of those feelings out of my head. I like to think my music is like my coming out of the vault into the world.

So you're based in Jacksonville, Florida? What is the music scene like there, any plans on relocating in the future and if so, where would you go?

There isn't much of a music scene here that I'm involved in, but it's not a terrible place to live. I do think I'll eventually leave, maybe to LA or maybe Austin. With the world opening up, I really hope that soon enough I'll be on the road playing shows more than anything!

You had a TikTok series where you wrote a new song everyday and that's where we first heard a snippet of "everything sucks", which has now surpassed three million views. Can we expect to see other releases from that series?

I really loved making that series! I definitely hope that I can put out a few of the others if I get the chance to!

@vaultboymusic

the long awaited happy song!! 🙃 drop ur song ideas below!!!ðŸ'™ #fyp #foryou #happy #songwriter

♬ original sound - vaultboy

It can really differ song to song, but usually I like to start with a simple concept or lyric, then play chords until I find some that match the energy of the concept! Then I just start singing melodies and tell the story. Songwriting is something I feel like I'll never stop improving at, so I'm sure my process will continue to change over time.

Some artists say quarantine helped their career by giving them time to focus on writing, how did the pandemic affect your music journey?

Well, I actually decided to start making music as vaultboy about a week into quarantine, so having that time helped me to really dig in and find my sound and figure out the artist I wanted to be. Along with that, I was definitely doing a lot more writing than I was doing pre-pandemic, which was really great. That said, the world feeling more chaotic than ever was definitely not great.

Every time I refresh your TikTok account, I feel like you gain over 1,000 followers! How does it feel to know this many people are connecting with your work? Is it overwhelming at all?

It can definitely be overwhelming, but it's a mixture of emotions. On the one hand, I'm incredibly grateful that people are resonating with my music, but on the other I feel this weird pressure to live up to that. I definitely feel very lucky.

What would you say has been the biggest influence on your music? Are there any artists that inspire your sound?

There's almost too many influences to name! Over the last year I've felt super inspired by artists like lauv, Lennon Stella, Jon Bellion, Troye Sivan, Sasha Sloan, and Bazzi, to name a few!

What message do you want your fans to take away from you as an artist?

Being sad is okay and being happy is okay, but ignoring your feelings is bad. I hope my music can help people get a little more cozy with their emotions and make them feel a little less alone.  

Who are your Ones to Watch?

Valley  and joan are two of my favorites as of late!