2019 is looking to be the year of Rence. The 21-year-old musician graduated from NYU, teamed up with Noah Cyrus to release the banger “Expensive,” signed with Epic Records, and on Sept. 20, he released his new ep, Fall 2019. Not bad for a guy who’s only been for a minute. Since his first ep, 2018’s Pink, Rence has been turning heads and building momentum that has him poised to become the next big name in music.
Fall 2019 follows Rence as he effortless mixes sound from a wide array of genres – from hip-hop to indie to electro-pop to even some bass-driven funk. The one constant throughout all his music? Authenticity. Rence spoke EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife through email about the honesty in his new project, why he was “absolutely, 100% not surprised” when T-Pain won The Masked Singer, and what fans can expect from him in the future.
HollywoodLife: How would you describe your brand new ep, Fall 2019? How do you think historians will write about it when you (inevitably) become one of the biggest names in music?
Rence: <3. I think they’ll describe it as a sonically succinct, authentic capture of Rence in the Fall of 2019. They’ll see that within the project is both my history and my future.
You released your first EP, Pink, last year while you were still enrolled in NYU (while bussing tables at night, interning, maintaining a social life.) Have you always been the type of guy with about five different projects going on all at once?
Oh man, yes. I function best right at the crux of like a million things. Somehow, they all spin me right into the right place.
Your previous single “Ways To Go” touches upon a blue-collar, “hustle till you make it big” vibe that’s anyone can relate to. Did this hustle influence Fall 2019 at all?
Absolutely. This time, that attitude doesn’t manifest in the actual song lyrics as much (like “Ways to Go”), but it is incredibly present in my creation of the project itself. It really took everything in me to make these songs so honest and authentic to me – that’s where the work ethic plays in. But I’d add that “Patience” in some ways echoes ways to go.
How was it like working with Noah Cyrus?
Truly it was amazing. I’ve already learned so much from her in just a month or two of knowing her. She boutta take over music for real soon.
You’re originally from Seattle. While most think of “grunge” when it comes to that town, Seattle has a rich music history. How did you think growing up in the Pacific Northwest influenced your sound?
Seattle is a HUGE part of who I am, and thus, in turn, my music: my attitude, love for the world, worth ethic, really all of the values I hold close. Seattle really did influence my genre-less genre too: creating in such an open and excepting place allowed me to begin experimenting with sounds early on. I will forever be a Seattle boi.
Is there a lot of New York in Fall 2019?
So much. Most all of the subject matter within the song is directly from experiences and situations in New York.
You’ve said T-Pain is your favorite artist and hope to “make a crazy record” with him one day. Were you shocked to see him win The Masked Singer?
I was absolutely, 100% not surprised. In fact, I know his voice so well I literally told my friends it was him in that costume in the first episode he sang in.
And what drew you to T-Pain? Like, why is he your favorite?
Not only was he the first popular music artist I ever heard, he truly pioneered: he did what he believed in, regardless of what was popular or even accepted. That is exactly what I do too. His harmonies (not just what they are, but how they appear) directly influenced mine, and the way he able to so expertly create multiple presences in a song is something I try to emulate constantly.
What does 2020 hold for Rence?
Smiles and growth. :)
Fall 2019 is out now on all streaming platforms.