American Electronic Pop/Synthpop duo Fuchsia City recently sat down and talked with ai love music via Zoom to talk about their music, how they met, and the release of the single “Jump”. Why do they describe their music as a combination of pop and chiptunes that evokes childhood nostalgia and that feeling of carefree fun. Also, which iconic video game does “Jump” reference too? Continue on to find out!
Who is Fuchsia City?
American Synthpop/Electropop Fuchsia City is a duo that is made up of Mason and Charles that started in 2019. They are both based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Mason and Charles met at a bar/cafe/open mic venue in downtown Raleigh where the two were playing on open mic nights. They were regulars there and chatted with each other quite frequently, often saying things “I love your stuff” and “I love you songs”. It was when they said to each other that they wanted to make a song together is in when Fuchsia City started.
Fuchsia City spent its first six months trying to come up with the duo’s concept. However, when Mason and Charles were ready to perform, COVID-19 happened with all the lockdowns. So, the duo went back to the drawing boards. 2020 for Fuschia City was a year of exploration of what they can be and the potential of what they can do when things open up again.
The duo is inspired by nerd culture and chiptunes. Fushcia City’s press release says that they “combined chiptunes (music made on a Gameboy) and piano pop to create a unique sound that evokes childhood nostalgia and that feeling of carefree fun!” However, the duo says they are inspired and listen to many genres and artists as well as their own experiences. Charles stated that he got into music when he was a kid as he was classically trained. He also dabbled in songwriting in college. He listens to a decent amount of Jon Bellion these days as well as music that appears on the Spotify Release Radar playlist.
While Mason got his start in marching band, playing mostly the drums. He messed around with a lot of electronic music after high school. Mason states he listens to electronic artists like Porter Robinson and Daft Punk as well as chiptune artists like Anamanaguchi. He recently got into modifying Gameboys to play music.
About Their Single “Jump”
Charles explained the song’s meaning. “That song is about taking a leap when you are falling in love,” he explained, “but almost every line mentions a Mario reference.” They had the music all ready, yet they need to fit the lyrics in (which is like a puzzle). They asked themselves what game should they do next? (The band says that they try to highlight a game in every song and include easter eggs.)
However, the band said that the Mario references aren’t the main theme in “Jump”. “We wanted our music to be all accessible, especially for people who are necessarily into nerd culture,” Charles said, “So it sounds like a normal pop song. But, if you know anything about Mario, you would get it!” They are still figuring out how their audience’s involvement with the songs: trying to have songs that are fun to listen to on the radio but in person. That is how the “heys” in “Jump” were born!
Mason said that he was influenced by Caravane Palace and electro swing when he was writing the rhythmic part. He wanted to make a beat that was kind of swingy but still straightforward. He kept in mind while writing “Jump” to have a pop song with a little bit of swing in it.
Fuschia City hopes that listeners listen for not just the fun vibes of the songs, but the deep meanings featured in the lyrics. Have a good time while listening to the music but also know that the lyrics come from a real place. Most importantly, listeners should think about how the music makes them feel.
Make sure to listen to “Jump” by Fuchsia City and let me know what you think in the comments!
The Future
Fuchsia City is planning to release a series of short stories. When I talked to them a few weeks ago, the stories were in the editing process. They also have t-shirts and stickers designed as well. They hope to put all their merchandise to be online in a couple of months. Fuchsia City hopes to be performing live in the fall if everything goes ok.
