Q&A: A Monument of 80s Revival, Reeve Stimpson
WRITTEN BY RILEY HUNT
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Photo by Annelise Loughead
With a heartwarmingly nostalgic presence and sound, Nashville-based artist Reeve Stimpson has officially released his debut album “Born Too Late.” The album title stems from numerous people telling him that he was born in the wrong generation, and with complete honesty, a truer statement has never been said.
80s culture has faced an incredible revival in the last few years with the decade’s fashion, film and music finding its way into the modern mainstream. Reeve Stimpson appeared at the perfect time with the perfect sound to fuel the desire for even more 80s.
“Born Too Late” serves as a lively anthem to carry on the tradition of breathing love and passion into musical creation. Fatigued with the sound of modern day music? Tune into Reeve Stimpson.
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LIFE ON JUPITER: Thank you so much for joining me today. For our readers who may be discovering your music for the first time, how would you describe your sound?
REEVE STIMPSON: My sound is modern 80s pop, which is modern pop production but with a strong influence from 80s pop and rock.
Your passion and love for 80s music clearly run deep. Who are some of your greatest influences and inspirations?
STIMPSON: Some of my biggest influences are the male solo artists of the 80s. I take a lot of inspiration from multiple artists, but the way I’m hoping to run my career is by studying how solo artists thrived while having a backing band. With this album, I was able to do a different vibe for each song, like a rock ballad on “Here & Heaven” and beachy pop with “Over Me.” Some of my biggest influences come from artists like Bryan Adams, Huey Lewis & The News and Rick Springfield—artists who were able to keep things relatable while still making the songs catchy and memorable.
Many of the songs on the album deal with heartbreak and relationships. What would you say is the personal sentiment behind this debut album?
STIMPSON: I first started writing poems when I was in high school and then when girls became more important to me than anything else, I started writing love songs. Eventually after breakups and flings, I started writing breakup songs. The biggest compliment to me is when I get a message from someone going through a breakup or a divorce, and they tell me that songs like “Back To The Future” are helping them get through it. I always tell them I combined multiple relationship stories of mine in order to keep it sincere without making it about just one person I’ve known.
Throughout the process of making this album, what did you learn about the complexities of creating music?
STIMPSON: I learned the process of making an album is way different than just releasing a few singles every now and then. The good news is that right now, releasing one song at a time is a great way to build an audience who doesn’t know you yet. I learned that if I want my songs to sound like I want them to, then I need to know exactly what I’m going for because, at the end of the day, I have to be the first one who loves these songs before anyone else can. I learned that working with a producer didn’t hinder my sound but truly helped me find it. I had to go through the process of making the demos to show my producer how I wanted them to sound and now I can hear the possibilities even more for future songs. The biggest thing I learned was how much prep work needs to go into releasing a song and marketing it. Doing as much on my own as possible has taught me a lot.
You’ve already found success in releasing music videos, merch and headlining shows. What are some other milestones you’d want to reach in the near future?
STIMPSON: My next big step is to get on tour with an already touring artist. I’m grateful so many people want to come to a show and being on tour with another artist would help me get to more people. The thing I enjoy most is creating these music videos with my super talented crews, so I’m very excited to work on more for the next album.
There’s not only an 80s influence in your music, but also your music videos and social media presence. What is it specifically that draws you to the 80s?
STIMPSON: It goes far beyond the music. I’m a fan of all things late 70s and 80s, including the movies and TV shows. I sound like a total old man, but I genuinely love older shows and movies with how many good values they presented and had a really good message most of the time for the viewers. My love of 80s comes from both of my parents. My dad’s parents owned a record shop attached to their Radio Shack, and he always talks about how he would show up to parties with the new cassettes to play. He kept a lot of them, and they were the start of my collection I own. My mom showed me a bunch of 80s movies and helped encourage my adoration of the 80s as well. I remember my nana showing me the Thriller album on cassette. I became obsessed. It was right when YouTube was taking off and only like three videos existed on “How To Moonwalk,” but I spent so much time learning how to do it.
How does it feel to already have such a strong audience that connects very deeply and personally to your sound?
STIMPSON: It feels amazing to know how many people are starting to really enjoy the music. Thanks to TikTok, I’ve found so many people who enjoy the videos I make singing to my songs, showing my rehearsals, and even more when I go live on TikTok to talk with people and play my music. Social media is something you either love or hate to make, and I’m someone who loves being able to use it to introduce as many people to my music as possible.
I’m personally a huge fan of your music and can admit that your songs consistently get stuck in my head for days on end. Is there a track on the record you’d label as your favorite?
STIMPSON: I’m so glad you found my music and that so many others have as well. It seems like I got into the modern 80s lane at the best time. I love hearing that songs get stuck in people’s heads because I really miss the catchiness of songs from the 80s. If pop isn’t memorable to me, it suffers. Even some of the best rock can be considered pop because of how memorable it is. On this album, I’d say “Over Me” has a special place in my heart. It was the first song that made me really happy from the response but also it’s a song I listen to on my own and can enjoy it while forgetting it’s still my song. I finished the vocals for the song and went back to my hotel room and then immediately knew it was going to be a song that deserved a music video.
After the release of the album, what’s next for Reeve Stimpson?
STIMPSON: Album two is in pre-production for next year and I’ll be releasing some holiday songs as well with some influences from 80s Christmas songs like Wham’s “Last Christmas”. Between new songs and new videos, I’m gearing up for a fall tour to hit my major cities in the US East Coast.