Meet our KIIS Next Up Artist of the Week - Spencer Sutherland! The Ohio-born, Los Angeles based pop singer is fresh off of dropping his EP 'NONE of this has been about you' this past March and touring with Jack & Jack.
Sutherland describes his music as a 'snapshot in time' and pulls influences from all types of artists, including Elvis Presley, Prince and Foster The People. In his most recent published artist bio, he opened up about how those artists specifically impacted his most recent EP.
My work is like a snapshot in time. The EP title, ‘NONE of this has been about you,’ really encompasses all these vibes together. Essentially it’s about me going through this thing, and I can’t be together with someone during it…the classic ‘it’s not you it’s me thing.’ When you pair that old-school sentiment with the selfie generation, it’s a subtle reminder to look outside yourself for once. And take the distinct sounds on the record—on one song we tried to mimic a snare from a 1957 Elvis song, on “Sweater” I have a big Prince influence, “Wallpaper” has a beat like a Foster the People song and a guitar squeal like a hair band. I love taking things that don’t belong and putting them in pop music. I describe my music as alternative soul/pop—I’m a pop artist, but left-of-center for sure.
He joined KIIS FM's EJ on our Next Up stage to talk about his tour diet, his admiration for Billie Eilish and Frank Ocean, and more! Watch their conversation above and his acoustic performances of Billie Eilish's 'When The Party's Over' and his song 'Sweater' below.