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Photo: Jack Alexander

From his hometown in Ontario all the way to Berlin, London, and the rest of the world, Braden Bales is creating music that crosses oceans and speaks to every kind of soul. Pulling into his deepest—and sometimes darkest—emotions and channeling them into raw, relatable tunes adorned in pop whirls and R&B-infused beats, Bales has amassed a fanbase spanning hundreds of thousands of listeners worldwide. When I first listened to Bales, my initial thought was a young Post Malone but make it poppy. Also, the kind of music that you listen to and sing along to, and then after a bunch of listens, you realize what you’re singing is kind of... sad? And then you press repeat again.

The signature “Braden Bales” song manages to take one’s inner saboteur and turn it into earworm melodies that you just can’t help but sing along to. Bales creates more than sounds; he creates feelings. Today, Bales released his highly anticipated EP, NOMAD, featuring the TikTok-viral single, “CHRONICALLY CAUTIOUS” as well as the sad-bop “PICK ME UP,” along with three brand new tunes to get lost in.

In the midst of his travels, we had the chance to catch up with Bales and discuss his songwriting process, his single “PICK ME UP,” and his plans for the rest of summer.

Ones to Watch: Who is Braden Bales?

Braden Bales: I’m a thinker. A typical 21-year-old plagued with deeply rooted curiosity about everything/everyone in my life including myself. I find most of my music stems from a place of introspection and evaluating my mind for what it’s feeling with brutal honesty.

You were in Berlin last week, now you’re in London. What brings you to this side of the pond? How are you finding Europe so far?

I’m here meeting people and playing pop up shows! It’s been amazing to see the impact that my music has had so far from my hometown and I'm thrilled to be here. The people are lovely, the food is phenomenal, and experiencing European culture for the first time has been fascinating.

You recently released the highly-anticipated single “PICK ME UP.” How does it feel now that it’s out for everyone to hear?

It feels amazing. It’s a strange feeling when people know you for your viral moment and they know nothing about how you feel internally through that whole process. I love that "PICK ME UP explain"s the pieces of my life that I haven’t been able to communicate and now that it’s out in the world I feel much more understood.

Did you have any collaborators on “PICK ME UP”? Who produced the track?

Yes! I wrote it with my friends (and artists) Vwillz and Spencer Jordan and it was produced by my other friend Dom Martinez (prodbydom).

Lyrically, your songs dive into some personal, and sometimes heartbreaking, life experiences, and “PICK ME UP” is no exception. Is vulnerability something that comes naturally to you and your songwriting?

It does now, but vulnerability has been a work in progress for me throughout my life. I’ve always been a deeply emotional individual, but learning how to express my feelings in an articulated manner took a lot of work. I’ve always felt a strong urge to be understood on a personal level and it can be frustrating when your emotions get in the way of accurately representing how you feel. I’ve found that I’m much better at expressing myself musically than verbally and the vulnerability I’ve felt through music has been incredibly therapeutic.

Since your first release back in 2021, how do you feel your sound has changed or evolved?

I think my sound has grown up with me. My music isn’t any more or less personal than it was back then but as I’ve matured the subject matter in my music has changed with me. The beautiful part about music is that each song is a time capsule of exactly how I felt while I wrote it and when listening through my catalogue that personal growth is evident.

Musically or non-musically, what’s inspiring you right now?

Honestly, my personal life is in shambles and that’s always a great place to pull from. Music is my silver lining in a bad situation and I would say that these days that lining is pretty thick. I haven’t even been listening to music these days. I've just been pouring my heart out in the studio daily.

Can we expect more music from you this summer, potentially a full length project?

Absolutely expect new music from me. I’m about to release my first EP and I’ve enjoyed the anticipation of dropping a project over a single. I love that a bigger story can be told in a project and am eager to release more collections of music!

Any fun plans for the rest of summer? What’s on the Braden Bales agenda?

I want to play shows! Since I played my first real show in Berlin I can’t stop thinking about doing it again. I really loved the energy there and it was so special to meet my listeners in person and sing to them in real time.

Who are your Ones to Watch?

I can’t stop listening to RYMAN who’s an up and comer from Nashville, his most recent release “Indifferent” has been my ANTHEM.

Brade Bales' NOMAD is available now.