DJ, producer, and multi-instrumental savant GRiZ recently returned with his highly anticipated 7th studio album, Rainbow Brain. For the artist who has helped redefine and reimagine what electronic dance music is – and can be – Rainbow Brain is another genre-expanding, dancefloor shakeup. The metro Detroit native is ready for the rest of 2021 to be filled with joy, togetherness, and, of course, music.
The following interview has been lightly edited.
What influences were you able to pull from while you were creating Rainbow Brain?
I was going crazy over quarantine. There weren’t any shows, and people were getting sick and dying; I was isolated at my house – just awful things all around. This album was my way out of the madness and getting to where I could let go of all the bad shit.
What message does Rainbow Brain have for your longtime supporters, and what do you hope new listeners will take away from the album?
I hope people find relief in getting lost in the sounds of this project. We work hard as fuck and stress about shit too much. Hopefully, y’all enjoy being able to let go into the music.
What’s the most overrated right now?
That “grind ‘til I die” mentality. There’s never enough for people who think like that. You gotta be able to be good with where you’re at and enjoy life right now. Having goals is dope, but if you’re always living for tomorrow, that day will never come.
What’s the most underrated right now?
Stretching and breathwork. It’s something I put into my daily two-ish years ago, and I gotta say it definitely helps a lot, a lot.
What do you hope to accomplish throughout the rest of 2021?
Overthink less, live more.
