Five Minutes with… Brad Oberhofer

I caught up with Brad Oberhofer, lead singer of the ever so talented ‘Oberhofer’ for Kollektivnye and we discussed his new album, love for classical music and how he woos the women…the smooth little devil.

Kollektivnye: How’s your day been?

Brad Oberhofer: It’s been good. It started late, but it’s beautiful outside. It looks like it holds a lot of promise, a lot of promise.

K: I listened to ‘Heart’, the new single from your up and coming album and loved it. I felt like the piano gave it a more orchestral sound compared to your other stuff. The track seemed to have featured on many blogs, and got good feedback. What should we expect from this album?

BO: That is beyond my control.

K: How so?

BO: I don’t know, I think everyone will see hear different aspects of it. I really don’t know what anyone should expect from it.

K: So do you think many of the songs will follow the same sort of vibe as ‘Heart’?

BO: I think in some ways all of the songs are different from each other, in some ways they’re related to the first single but I think it’s all very different.

K: The Coachella line-up is amazing. You’re playing which is super exciting, playing alongside big names like SnoopDog. Have you been to the festival before?

BO: No, I’ve never been.

K: Speaking of Snoop Dogg I heard you were a rapper. What happened to that?

BO: That’s right. I still am, just not publicly.

K: Talk to Snoop Dog at Coachella and do a mashup with him on stage.

BO: (laughs) I doubt I’ll even get the chance to talk to Snoop Dog.

K: What’s your opinion on controversial rappers like Tyler The Creator or Azealia Banks?

BO: Well, I just respect it. They’re trying to do something new, they’re trying to get people excited. They’re portraying what they like and what they think is cool.
I thought that Tyler’s music video for ‘Yonkers’ was great. I didn’t spend enough time listening to them, to really generate any sort of opinion of them.

K: Rate your level of ‘swag’ on a scale out of 10. 10 being the most ‘swag’.

BO: I don’t think anyone should rate themselves on that kind of scale.

K: I personally think you’re a 9/9.5.

BO: Thank you!

K: It’s Saturday night in Brooklyn. Do you go out getting wasted ‘til the early hours or do you prefer staying in watching TV?

BO: I don’t have a TV, but it really varies. Sometimes I’ll practice piano, and I’ll sometimes practice violin. I’ll go on a really long walk maybe, or a bike ride.

K: I found that in most of your songs there’s the recurring theme of heartbreak and chasing after the girl you’re crazy for. What’s the most romantic thing you’ve done for a girl?

BO: When this girl was out of town and I wrote a song for her and left the recording of it on her bed.

K: Did she like it?

BO: Yes, she did.

K: If you weren’t in a band, what would be your career of choice?

BO: I’ve thought about this a lot. If I had never decided to be in a band, I probably would be a conductor.

K: That’s ambitious. Are you into classical music, and are you inspired by it?

BO: Super into classical music.

K: Examples?

BO: Tchaikovsky, Bernand Herrman and Beethoven.

K: 2012, New Year, new album- what’s going on for Oberhofer? And are you coming to London soon because we want to see you perform live!

BO: Yeah, I’m headed to London in February.

K: To all the aspiring artists out there, can you give them some words of wisdom/advice

BO: I’ve had a lot of kids emailing me asking for advice and I just tell them that even if I had advice for them, don’t listen to it because ultimately the only advice that anyone should tolerate is their own advice.

K: You seem to be very open and willing to talk to fans. Is it important for you to be a role model to them? So many bands are tweeting about snorting coke, sending a hopeless message to their audience.

BO: No, I mean I don’t put that pressure on myself, of being a role model, at the same time I just try to be nice to everyone.

K: When is the album released?

BO: It is going to be in europe/uk in april!