As an artist who chooses not to portray negativity in his music, Brandon McCrae has crafted his message to uplift people. His new single, “Nightmares & Dreams” is an upbeat pop song which highlights his distinctive production style. Brandon loves to layer his music and create big transitions with lots of melodies, countermelodies and counter rhythms. “Nightmares & Dreams” is more of a dance song, as he wanted to create something that people can vibe to.
The artist’s musical style goes back and forth between Hip Hop and Pop, and “Nightmares & Dreams” is a new type of song for him. The track, chosen from his catalog which includes over one hundred Hip Hop, R&B and Pop songs, was released on July 12 to test the waters.
Brandon’s creative process evolves as his expertise grows. Nowadays, he starts by writing to the chorus and building melodies around it. When he first started producing, things worked the other way around. When writing the song to the chorus, Brandon finds it easier to accentuate what the song is going to be since he is building the production around the lyrics rather than forcing lyrics around a beat.
Brandon admires artists who have created their own unique style. As a creator who writes, produces, mixes and masters all his own music, he is able to craft his own style to avoid sounding like anyone else.
“Nightmares & Dreams” was recorded in Florida, partially in a studio, with finishing touches done in his room. Although doing everything himself is time consuming, Brandon finds it easier to craft his own sound from what he hears in his head, especially with the mixing process. “Mixing has made me a better producer and gave me a different understanding of dynamics that I can really take into the recording process,” he said. “Learning how to record music properly – you can get amazing sound from your room which I thought was impossible. You really just have to know what you’re doing.”
Originally from Prince George’s County, MD, Brandon has been producing since he was a kid. His journey as an artist progressed with battle rapping in high school. He later started selling his beats while attending North Carolina Central University and Morgan State University. When he decided to become a DIY artist, Brandon transferred to Full Sail University’s Recording Arts Program to learn mixing. His original intention was to become a mixing engineer after graduation, but work for him as an artist is coming along strong.
Brandon plans to release an album or an EP soon. He has the songs but the collection is as yet untitled. Look for more of Brandon’s music to drop in October or early November of this year.
