Ever wanted to know the songs that inspired some of your favourite artists? Luckily, FLEX has a feature for that. Recently we asked Winnipeg-pop duo Encore about the tracks that inspired & influenced their latest release — the infectious "In My Head". Check out the 5 songs they chose now!
Bee Gees - Nights on Broadway
The Bee Gees have always been one of the most influential artists we look up to. As brothers, we can definitely relate to some of the unique chemistry that they have, and in learning about their songwriting process, I recognized a lot of the same tendencies that we share in our creative affairs. This song particularly has always been one of my favourites as the bass production is extremely innovative, and it was actually in this song that Barry Gibb created his signature falsetto singing voice.
Harry Styles - Adore You
When I first heard this song, I instantly began to appreciate Harry Styles’ music significantly more than I had before. Listening to those vocal harmonies, mixed with the layering of the background stacks really impressed me. It was then that I began to listen to much more of his music and became quite a fan of his latest “Fine Line” album. With our new single, “In My Head,” I would often listen to Adore You and try to compare the vocal production between the two songs and see where in each song I could find noticeable similarities.
Michael Jackson - Remember the Time
As long-time fans of Michael Jackson, we were very influenced by his music growing up and have always admired his unique musicianship and ability as an entertainer and performer. ‘Remember the Time’ has a really cool bass groove, which I think definitely helped us find our creative path when working on “In My Head.” It’s playful, which helps create an energetic mood, something we were going for with the new release that was inspired by the King of Pop.
Aerosmith - Walk This Way
This song is honestly so good it astounds me every time I listen to it! The depth of the drums and chorus vocals were the main aspect of this track that really inspired our new release, it just sounded so big and together provides enough detail that you wouldn’t need much more instrumentation behind it. Something about Aerosmith has always resonated with me, and when working on the writing and production of “In My Head,” this song consistently came to mind and inspired us to be creative with what we could do in the studio.
The Weeknd - Save Your Tears
When I first heard the Weeknd’s new album, I was actually quite shocked at how different it was than I had originally expected. When I started to listen more attentively, I was really impressed with some of the synthesizer work and how he was able to blend so many layers together. This really helped to inspire some of the layering work done on “In My Head,” and was a really cool experience to do so. In our past productions, synth layering along these same lines was not a part of our process, so in challenging ourselves to experiment with this type of production we learnt many new skills and techniques that we hope to use in the future.
Check out Encore's new song "In My Head" now