David Kushner on His Debut EP, Touring With Lauv, and the Nostalgia of Growth as an Artist
[UNPUBLISHED:] You recently released your debut EP Footprints I Found, which I've been absolutely loving and want to give you major congratulations on. The lyricism is really distinctly vulnerable to me, showcasing what seemed to be a lot of your really deep thoughts on a silver platter for your listeners. What was your thought process behind putting together and writing this EP?
[DAVID KUSHNER:] The title sums it up for me, just being Footprints I Found. What I mean by that is that the stories that I am writing from, the different walks of life this EP takes on, are both personal and fiction for me. I love writing from a character's perspective, and I think that happened a lot on Footprints I Found.
[UNPUBLISHED:] The stories that you are creating are really diverse but they all definitely strike an emotional chord with your audience, whether it's relating to a feeling or a specific discussion on mental health. I know you said that you pull from trying to create an outside character, but are there also some personal experiences and connections within your lyrics?
[DAVID:] With “Miserable Man,” I wrote about a faith crisis that I went through, pondering what I believe about life and reality and the supernatural. It was kind of like a plea of wanting to believe in God, but it's been hard. Everybody doubts, whether it's their faith or their relationships or their career, and that doubt turned into the idea of “Miserable Man.” As I worked through it, it was me becoming resolute on the fact that like, I do believe. I still do believe that there's a God and that there is hope, or that there is an ultimate hope for humanity. So “Miserable Man” can take on a lot of ideas, but for me, it’s faith.
In “Mr. Forgettable,” the chorus and song overall I wrote in a personal way discussing mental health. Sometimes you will get to a really bad place mentally, one where you don't even know yourself, you forgot yourself. My grandpa also had Alzheimer’s, and that connected for me as well.
My song “Burn” is actually about my girlfriend's ex, so like lowkey a diss track. Okay. He was like a diagnosed narcissist and that caused a lot of issues in their relationship. I basically internalized my girlfriend’s experience with her ex in that one.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have a specific songwriting process? Or does inspiration kind of strike in different ways?
[DAVID:] It's a pretty similar set up, but I'm currently trying different varieties of writing processes. Normally, I'll just start yelling out random stuff or play a melody that inspires me. Sometimes I yell out something that makes sense, like “Mr. Forgettable.” It becomes kind of like a checklist of what I yell out and what works with each other, all just playing around with it until I have a solid foundation. I love the writing process and taking the point of view of interesting perspectives. It’s a lot of random thoughts, but magically some of it comes together.
[UNPUBLISHED:] So your singles of “Mr. Forgettable,” “Miserable Man,” and “Burn” all received really massive viral support online, and TikTok is actually how I found your music in the first place myself. What has that viral response to your music been like?
[DAVID:] It's pretty surreal after all the work I've been putting into it and now just seeing the response and feedback. It’s the dream for any artist for what you’re creating to be seen as a unique piece of art that people enjoy, that people are coming to and investing in because they can’t find it anywhere else. Being that specific artist that people find and connect with, that’s so incredible. It’s so satisfying and fulfilling for sure.
[UNPUBLISHED:] I can't imagine having that virality online. That has to be pretty wild.
[DAVID:] It's really really special.
[UNPUBLISHED:] You've also put out really beautiful music videos for your three singles. With the video for “Mr. Forgettable'' specifically, it really struck me in its depiction of dementia and the loss of self inside the mind, whatever form that might take. What was it like filming that music video for you?
[DAVID:] That was pretty spooky. The actor of “Mr. Forgettable'', he was just too good at his role. It was all pretty emotional and a little spooky since we were seeing basically what experiencing or having to take care of someone who has dementia or Alzheimer's is like. The loss of self-found in dementia or Alzheimer’s or anything very detrimental to your health like that… it's a nightmare for anyone who has to go through that or experience that in a loved one. The video shoot also had a positive feeling as well knowing the impact this video would have on people who can relate to it. Whether that is through the Alzheimer's story or not, I just knew it was gonna be really emotionally impactful once it got put out on the internet.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have any favorite memories from creating Footprints I Found?
[DAVID:] I have a couple friends that I did a lot of the project with, Hayden and Jeremy. Together we did “Burn,” “Look Back And Laugh,” and “Cigarettes,” o they were my main creative group for this project and they're some of my best friends. Making those songs meant so much to me. I get so nostalgic thinking about it, I was just in such a special headspace creatively. It was just a special time. I wasn’t making much money off of my music, I was just always making songs in my garage in Florida. Now that music as a career is my reality, it’s wild to think back to my mindset at the time and know I’ll never experience that exact kind of creativity again. I’m still creative and still loving the process of making music, but I’ll never be that version of myself again and that makes me so nostalgic.
[UNPUBLISHED:] So you recently opened for Lauv on his All 4 Nothing Tour, and I was actually lucky enough to catch the show in Columbus and you were fantastic. What was the tour experience like for you?
[DAVID:] No way! Thank you. It was amazing. I loved it and I’m sad it's over. I'm proud of myself for doing it because it was pretty intimidating at first and I was really doubting myself. I had only done one live show before the tour, and then suddenly I was faced with these large crowd numbers, but it was so great. I love Ari as both a person and an artist, he is just so incredible. He and I are really close. I even got an All 4 Nothing tattoo for the tour!
[UNPUBLISHED:] I also saw that you have some upcoming headlining dates as well in LA, Brooklyn, and Chicago. What are you most excited about for those shows?
[DAVID:] I’m so excited to get to sing the whole EP. I think I’m even more nervous for this than I was for the tour with Lauv. Like, these are my fans. They are here for me, so I have to put on the best show I can. Even though I’m nervous, I’m also just so excited to meet my fans and sing with them.
[UNPUBLSHED:] Can your fans expect more tour dates in the future?
[DAVID:] Totally. My agent is already looking for the next tour.
[UNPUBLISHED:] As you've grown and changed throughout your career so far, is there any advice you wish you'd been given or advice that you were given and you wish you took?
[DAVID:] When I first started music, I was always trying to copy some other artists. It took a while for me to break out of attempting to be a replica artist and instead create my own work. That artist development was major for me. It was important for me to learn that people didn’t want me to be another Olivia Rodrigo or Lauv, they wanted to hear what was most genuine for me. It was everyone around me that really made me get that perspective, even my dad just really made me understand I had to sing it like myself. I truly believe that your chances of becoming an artist are very much decreased if you try and just become another replica, which the industry already has hundreds of. Be yourself. It’s also important to really live in the process more and enjoy every moment. The creation is the best part. The landmarks and goals you set aren’t always the really great moment, the process is what makes it worth it. like an answer was probably just living in the moment and enjoying the process more. It’s the best part of anything.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Is there anything else that you want the reader to know?
[DAVID:] I love video games. That was my first goal, I always wanted to be a professional esports player before I wanted to be a music artist. I almost failed high school because I would ditch school so much to play. I was playing 120 hours every two weeks, making it a full-time job, but I was making no money. I also have an amazing girlfriend that I've been dating for two years and I am the youngest sibling in my family with four older sisters.
