Words by Carol Wright | Photographs by SEJOHFROGI & Gary Johnson
We got to chat with Caleb LaDuke about his EP R and his advice for aspiring musicians.
When did music become a passion of yours?
I’ll never forget. I was 12 years old hanging out in my dad’s studio during one of his sessions. He played this track and there was a guitar part and I don’t think I’ve ever been so gassed about anything in my life since that. Something happened in my soul that I was like “Yo, I don’t know what that is, but I need whatever that is.” I asked for a guitar and got one for christmas and practiced all the time and it just went from there!
Tell us a bit about your new EP R. How long did it take to finalize which songs would make the EP and what story are you hoping to tell through the songs?
R is the nickname of my ex’s daughter, Arianna. Her mom and I fell deeply in love, but things ended badly after three years. I walked away from the relationship not seeing or talking to either of them for another three years. The decision was difficult and left me wallowing in a lot of brokenness. Recently, I decided I was ready to heal from the relationship and part of that process was writing songs about it. I wanted to dedicate the body of work to her because she is someone who is extremely special in my life. I had one of the songs for about three years, but all the other ones came pretty naturally. I knew which ones I wanted on the project so I didn’t have to cut any songs or have a hard time deciding. I want to tell people that no matter how broken life may leave you, there is redemption and healing is possible. God is a healer and will heal you if you want Him to.
I have been loving your song “Down in Oceans”. How did you go about honing in on the way it would sound?
This is my favorite song too. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 12 so I naturally gravitate towards it in the writing process. My friends and co-producers Chris Binsfeld and Sejohfrogi were a huge part in making the sound you hear on the track. It happened very naturally. We didn’t go in saying we wanted it to sound a certain way. We just vibed and came out with something really special. The Lord has a way of making things fall into place.
What is your songwriting process?
My process always starts with a melodic idea in my head. Whether that be a melody or hook or simply just an instrumental part I hear. I just mess around on piano, guitar, or find a loop I like and build the song from there. After I have a solid idea, I’ll either produce it myself or I’ll have a session with Chris and Sejoh and we’ll build the track. Sometimes we will come back another day to record vocals, but we are really adamant about finishing a song in the moment so you catch the momentum you already have.
Who are some musicians you’re inspired by?
Neyo, Andy Mineo, Sam Gellaitry, Steffany Gretzinger, Usher, Chris Brown, Old Drake, Relient K, John Louis, Sarah Kays, Post Malone, Dan D’Lion, Giveon, J Cole.
What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?
Be patient, find good people you trust, take care of yourself, and don’t get caught up in the grind. You will burn yourself out if enjoying life suffers at the hand of working your craft. Love everyone around you and always bring positive energy. Be on time with everything. It truly does make a difference. I have seen the effect of being late on things and on time. On time is better. Make the music that you love and not what you think people will like. That is what true artistry stems from and was a hard lesson I had to learn for myself.
