Foreign Forest is a bedroom project started by singer and producer Frankie Denham. Since 2014, Forest has released 2 albums, the first of which being "Pretty Songs I Like to Cry to". With over 17 songs, half of which being features from similar artists in the emo/hip-hop genre, Forest made sure people heard who he was, and soon they began to get an idea, as now the album boasts over 7M+ streams on Spotify alone. With high expectations from fans to release something comparable to his last project, Forest took another route while making his follow-up album "Halloween, but All Year" (also known as "HBAY"). Taking the time to produce and engineer HBAY by himself, and only including 2 features rather than many, Forest was determined to shine unlike he had before. The 11-track project moves back-to-back between tracks that feel familiar and tracks that feel completely "foreign", which Forest says was the goal of the album. Adding House percussion to beautiful melodies and exploring introspective lyrics, Forest has truly created an experience for not only the dedicated Alternative Rap fans but also for any fans of EDM or Indie Pop.
Finding music inspiration is extremely important for any songwriter.
“Sometimes our minds seem to be wells filled to the brim with ideas. Just a couple of minutes is enough to dream up a huge new project,” says Forest.
But sometimes the well runs dry. No matter how hard you try to rack your brain for song ideas, nothing comes to mind.
“To help you keep those ideas flowing, I’ve put together this guide to finding music inspiration.
Inspiration is one of the most important tools in any creative’s bag. It pushes us to try new things and helps us stay excited about our work,” says Forest.
This guide is intended to help you think creatively more often, giving you more opportunities for inspiration to hit. We usually talk about inspiration as something that comes out of nowhere. We’re struck by it. It’s a “Eureka!” moment where a new idea becomes clear. Whether it’s a new melody that you can’t get out of your head or a new idea that changes your worldview, inspiration is the excitement of discovering something new. The trouble is we’re not always ready to think in new ways. We develop routines and create habits for how we think.
Some of the songs I’m most proud of came to me while I was on a walk. Sometimes it’s poetic, a melody playing through my mind as if the wind were singing it to me. Sometimes it’s not.