Crash.N is relatively new to the Birmingham music scene, but has quickly become one of our biggest ambassadors. Hailing from nearby Tuscaloosa, Crash.N moved to Birmingham in 2020 before releasing his first album in 2021. 2022 brought concerts and producer showcases to the table for the rising artist, who has already turned the momentum into a successful 2023. The February 26th release of “Mood Food”, a 4-part EP, and an upcoming album make it clear that one of the Magic City’s newest musicians is a force that is here to stay.
Crash.N’s musical journey began in high school. “I used to write songs with my friends. We were just passing the time, and I was just sitting and writing songs,” the musician shares. Things took a step forward after Crash encouraged a group of friends to come together and perform at the school talent show. “I got that feeling of being on stage and was like ‘This is actually what I want to do for the rest of my life.’”
Fast forward to a couple of years after high school and the aspiring creative now had a laptop, keyboard, and microphone and was learning to produce and make music. He’d been working on his sound for a couple of years by 2021 when his first unofficial release, a concept album, came out. While Crash.N enjoyed that experience, he wanted to have something a little more fun and all-encompassing of his talent released for his official debut. “Let me do all the beats myself. I’m going to do all the lyrics myself. No features. It was just going to be something that showcased the whole spectrum of me. That’s how ‘Mood Food’ came about.”
The concept for “Mood Food” came in March of last year. The name inspiration came while Crash.N was in a beat-crafting spree so he continued to work on new beats each day to give himself a wide collection to choose from as the song ideas came in. This gave him plenty of quality material to choose from while creating a cohesive sound on the album.
“Clearity”, the first track on the EP, was actually the last song created. “It was a completely different song,” Crash.N explains, “I was in a realization-type mood. Like something clicked. That’s why it’s called ‘Clearity’ - I could see the whole picture now.” Next comes “Senses”, a song that details the feeling of talking to someone you’re interested in, eventually feeling unsure about it, but realizing they are your person after trying to talk to other people.
There was only one goal for the third track, “Fly+Soar”. “I just wanted to make something that seemed like an anthem. It’s a pretty long chorus but it’s talking about different things like traveling, accomplishing dreams, and being free from the day-to-day type stuff.” The fourth song, “Let Go”, is another uplifting song that’s meant to simply be fun.
“The words really matter because I’m a writer at heart. I want it to be relatable and I want listeners to know that they are not alone,” Crash.N explains, “Even if it’s a happy feeling. It sounds like it would be mostly dark or melancholy but people go through happy things too. I want people to know they’re not alone and we’re all humans living a similar experience.”
Crash.N initially felt a little nervous about releasing his debut into the world. He enjoyed the work and made everything himself - but how would it be perceived by the public? The musician credits peers like Luke Crowder, Frances, Wallace, Frank Luke, and Kris Knox for telling him the simple act of putting music out is the biggest step, and the people want to hear what Crash.N has been up to. They were right, and we’re all thankful for the release.
Crash.N didn’t know what to expect when he initially moved to Birmingham. It was a couple of months into the pandemic so there wasn’t anyone to meet or anywhere to go at first, but time has shown that Birmingham is right where the rising artist is meant to be. “In 2022 the doors and people I’ve met have been really special. It just feels like home, actually. It’s a special place. It’s a lot of talent, a lot of stuff happening, a lot of events. It’s not far away from Tuscaloosa - it’s like an hour - but it feels like home.”
“Mood Food” is another win for the home team.
