In Conversation with Nicholas Creus
By Alex Barnard
Many are aware of Nicholas Creus without realising. With little exception, those I played his viral track,‘Watchin’’, were immediately familiar with it. The song has blown up on social media, particularly TikTok, where it soundtracks 70,000 videos. However, Creus himself is an elusive presence at present, a guitarist and producer who grew up in Spain and currently resides in LA. A face who’s become popularly-known really quite recently, Creus’ indulgent guitar tone could cut a knife. His music, gently melancholic, tender, nostalgic, makes me feel like I’m taking a rose-tinted trip back to the past.
A patient interviewee, with palpable enthusiasm for talking about his music and its influences, as well as brimming with advice for the budding musician, I was a touch jealous of Creus as he joined the Zoom, cap on, from sunny California, while I sat chilly the Scottish night we spoke.
Of course an initial point of conversation was his most famous song, ‘Watchin’’. ‘Why does this song make me feel like everything’s going to be alright?’, one guitar tutorial version on social media is captioned. And it does – the steady bass underpins folksy moving quavers, all with that signature clean guitar tone. Other videos make motivational statements like “don’t die wondering,” or commend a carefree attitude, as in one quite simply captioned “woke up and I’m still drunk,” the creator in dark shades and a cream fur jacket. In every reinterpretation, there’s a sense of youth, be that optimism, hedonism or moral encouragement, often realised in nostalgia.
“It’s funny, people interpret [the song] differently,” Creus remarks. “I never make stuff intentionally for people to feel nostalgic, [though] that’s the word that comes up a lot. I guess what sounds good is what makes me feel a certain kind of emotion, people in general seem to feel nostalgic, thinking about life and thinking about their childhood or, you know, their friends or the seasons.”
Part of what Creus believes evokes this reminiscence is his unusual recording style, on cassette. “A lot of old music was recorded on tape, and so just thinking of old music makes you think of old movies, old TV shows. Makes you think of your parents, growing up”, he posits. “If I recorded it super pristinely with a lot of modern gear, I think it might not achieve that sound. And that’s why I record that way, because all my favourite music is old music.”
I suggest that his music reminds me of the experimental yet nostalgic guitar music of Alan Holdsworth. “That’s sick… yeah, I really love [him]”, he says, perking up with enthusiasm, before going on to discuss further idols. “I grew up listening to The Police. I really like The Cars, I like Prince, I like the Strokes. I like Pat Metheny, Weather Report [...] a lot of classics”, he adds. What more modern artists is he inspired by? “I think what M.K.Gee is doing is pretty cool [...] I really admire Steve Lacy, [and] Charli XCX. I think her music’s pretty sick.”
His own music has gone through an evolution of genre. “Over time I was really layering a lot of guitars and trying to fill out every part of the sound. Over the years, it’s just been [about] seeing what I can take away and how I can simplify everything. And so now I’m trying to write the simplest possible song I can. ‘Watchin’’ is kind of an exception. It’s not the simplest song, but apart from that, I’m trying to see how simply I can write a song and make it effective and nice and pretty with the least amount of chords, the least amount of instruments, the most minimal version of a song.”
Writer’s block is no match for Creus. When I asked how often he produces something new, the answer was impressive. “I try to make a new song, a good new song, once or twice a week [...] I’ll make the whole song in an hour or two.” This applies too to his most popular works, as he explains, with a genuinely modest matter-of-factness, “‘Watchin’’ is something I made in an hour.”
He does, however, aim to keep a messy authenticity in his music, which perhaps adds to its nostalgic appeal. “I’ve been realising that [songs] sometimes sound worse when I fill them out and redo them properly [...] I think I’m just going to stick with leaving my songs a little bit raw and unfinished, because it just sounds better.”
The work of Creus and others is emblematic of Jazz Fusion guitar playing, with ornate polyphony and harmonies that move so fast they generate a captivating musical motion sickness. It makes sense; Creus attended the Manhattan School of Music for guitar, an experience which has undoubtedly influenced his music. “Just before entering college [...] I genuinely thought that maybe I’d just be a jazz musician and live in New York, play at clubs and bars.” The jazz influence is clear in his songs, which he sees as reminiscent of TV music. “A lot of theme songs were written by people with jazz knowledge, so you hear those chords in the soundtrack to [for example] Peanuts [...] it’s all jazz.”
How does he balance making his music interesting to music theory geeks while remaining accessible? “I think if the melody is engaging and beautiful, you can get a bit more complicated with the chords. For a while [I’ve] been trying to balance having a pretty pop melody and then having more chords that I like to hear, to write,” he explains. “At the end of the day, I’m not trying to achieve anything necessarily. I’m just going off what I like, and what I like tends to be a pretty pop melody with weird chords under it.”
Creus’s advice for those aiming to forge a unique sound and develop musically isn’t complicated: “The main thing is, there’s no magic to it,” he explains, “Basically, you just need to do whatever you want to do. You need to do it all the time, and through that, you’ll get good at it.”It’s a mantra he has adopted from the advice of visiting professional musicians at music school in New York. “The first three years I got the tape machine I feel like every demo I made sounded terrible, it literally took me years. [But] I think [...] if you have the desire to get better, you’ll find what it takes to get better. There’s really no secret. Don’t judge yourself too much.”
What’s next? “Making really good pop music would be cool,” he remarks, frankly. “Seeing if I can put together seven, eight songs and maybe have an EP of that kind of music, while simultaneously writing pop songs for [other] artists. I think that would be really fun.” His other works, from ‘something about her’, a bouncy romantic number in collaboration with Arlie, to the more mellow, harmonically-rich ‘For Now’, also marry together a feeling of highschool nostalgia with a musical complexity that scratches an itch. Despite his huge recent success, and subtle suggestions that he’s increasingly in demand to collaborate in LA, Creus remains totally down to earth, which is perhaps most exemplified in him agreeing to this rather leftfield, cross-continental interview with a student publication. With his ability to capture complex emotion, entertain the jazz-savvy and his dedication to do well, it’s hard not to root for the well-meaning, innovative polymath.