Surrealistic Rising: introducing Surrealisticmind of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Surrealisticmind.

Hi Surrealisticmind, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Surrealisticmind the musical entity was born out of the dire necessity to grow artistically and live out all the songwriting fantasies that could only be expressed through surrealism and symbolism. Surrealisticmind was originally my self given artist name as a painter. I first used it publicly when I joined social media back in 2014. I had been very reluctant about joining social media prior but eventually I joined and the name i chose was Surrealisticmind. It really came from a teacher in school who I had shown my artwork and told me something like “you have a very surreal mind” or it might have been my dad i can’t fully remember, but someone had told me that and it stuck. Eventually, I put my own twist in the title solidifying it as “Surrealisticmind”.

The genesis of Surrealisticmind begins around 2020, during the pandemic lockdown period. I had already played with the idea of moving towards Surrealisticmind as my musical project beforehand, but it was really Covid that pushed me to make the leap.
The pandemic had evaporated much of the momentum we had built with the band I had in LA. I had also begun to outgrow the project itself in terms of songwriting. Prior to the pandemic, I had been going back and forth between LA and Europe , flying back constantly to my home in Los Angeles to play shows with the band, then retreating to the south of France, writing songs like an absolute madman.
What ended up happening is that I basically accumulated an abundance of songs that were ready to be performed, and the band just wasn’t able to keep up with the constantly ever-growing material. My subject matter and musical ideas were becoming more abstract, more philosophical and esoteric. I was growing fast, so when Covid came, it put everything into perspective.
Throughout all the confusion and anxiety, Covid did bring us perspective in different ways, particularly in showing us the fragility of life and time. This intense period brought clarity on how important it was to begin the journey of Surrealisticmind.

I got to work immediately. We began working on what would become the debut album. Production began around 2021, with recording sessions lasting about four to six hours, and maybe only three to four sessions in total ; not bad for a nine-track album! It was really the mixing process that took the most time and became tedious, but the vision remained true. It was raw, vibrant, and soaring with energy; all that was needed to properly introduce Surrealisticmind.
The song choices were a mix of compositions the guys had already played or heard before, combined with completely unheard or “new” Surrealisticmind pieces. The album was really a bridge, and symbolically, to this day, that’s what it is to me: a bridge from my early songwriting (the earlier band era, with very R&B, soul, and blues-driven songs) toward stepping into this new landscape of blending all that with more experimental pieces and introspective lyrics, really showing both my roots and my musical aspirations.

The album officially released in the summer of 2023, on September 8. There was a release show/party held at a venue in North Hollywood, where all the album material was performed live with a full band. From there, oSurrealisticmind continued to grow, more music published, larger concerts experienced. With the new release of the sophomore album Beginnings, Surrealisticmind is continuously growing, musically and spiritually. I am very grateful for where music has brought me and excited for where it will take me next.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I truly believe art reflects itself as a mirror, both to you and to the madness all around. The drama we live, whether in private or in performance, is merely a reflection of the psyche dancing in real time. All the struggles and challenges are part of that drama.
Drama is needed to give more vitality and urgency to the experience, so i am not resistant to it, Though i of course try to keep all the drama soley in the music, thats not how life works, eventually art does what it does best and begins to reflect life,

The heaviest period for me personally, and probably for many others in their own ways, was those first excruciating months of the pandemic. Surrealisticmind was partially born out of that moment in the sense that I made it into my musical artist name. Again, I had used it solely as a painter prior to that. All the confusion and almost never-ending period of Covid inspired me to paint again after such a long time. I soon began to brush on canvas what would become the first album cover.
The way i felt in this period was all projected into the piece, The body decaying and melting represented what I felt at the time : trapped and sinking in the bottomless present; while life, joy, and desire appeared in the colors and freedom of the sun and skies above. The body and head represented me, facing and yearning for a future of limitless art. Something i yearned to return to, return to the open skies, You can get a sense of all these emotions from this dramatic piece, something meaningful came out of that period: I was able to marry the music and the painting by using it as the cover art of the Surrealisticmind album. A reminder of all the strangeness and surreal moments we find ourselves in throughout this short drama we call life.
This was probably the deepest and most difficult challenge I’ve had thus far. But as I said before, look at all the beauty, awareness it brought. It was necessary, and I will continue to invite all the challenges as they present themselves, in order to grow and experience the next artistic revelation

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
That is a really good question. I don’t believe I have enough hindsight yet to look at my work and say what it is. I am currently living in it, so I don’t have any outside perspective. Now, from the inside, I can say there is no ultimate goal because the goal is constantly developing, always changing.
The most consistent feeling I get from what I do is the seeking of soul, in lyrics, in music, in depth. I want to keep growing, I want to keep pushing, especially in the domain of songwriting. I feel I specialize in that above all else. I have always been a writer at heart, long before I ever began practicing music. I was about seven years old when I began reading many of Stephen King’s books and soon started writing short stories of my own. There and then, I decided I wanted to be a novelist or a writer of some sort. The duality was really made in heaven.
When I began learning guitar at about seventeen years old and eventually learning to compose music, I was able to marry these two passions and combine them. It’s incredibly exciting to experience music and linguistic realities meet somewhere beyond our understanding. When our limited languages in words meet with music, there is a lift I feel within me that cannot be described, only felt.
Of course, I love to sing and perform and express myself in the physical state, but when the physical is met with the psychological, eventually leading to the spiritual, there is a refuge of soul. I believe that’s what I truly specialize in.
Now, what I am known for really depends on who you ask. You’ll probably get a different answer from each person. I think to many, especially here in LA, I am known for my high-energy performances. I really like to make the stage my own, not so much in an egocentric way, but in an urgent way, as in I am going to die real soon, and so is everyone in the room with us. Not in a negative way, of course, but as an awareness and an acceptance.
Let’s be free one more time, be wild, be our animal selves in the healthiest way, you know? I like to scream and shout. Like I say in the song, “all we have is now.” We need to approach performances with the urgency it deserves. Sometimes it can get a little over the top, but it’s all with good intent, and it shows. It has reached and affected the audience in ways I don’t even understand.
So depending on who you ask, that’s who I am. Some might like that aspect of me more than my songwriting side; everyone has a different kick. Some really gravitate towards the raw live exchange more than an intellectual exchange, and that’s okay too, as long as they are getting something real out of it.
It’s interesting when I do get feedback from people, especially my peers. They all have a different perception of what I do. I am solely a singer to some, or have even been called a soul singer, a huge compliment given my obvious musical influences and inspirations. Some see me as a great piano player or guitar player, which is also a huge compliment because I love these instruments. And of course, some really do see me as an absolute performer. And in a way, I am all of these.
It’s just that, from the inside, I have to set the record straight and say I am a songwriter and an artist above all else. I aim to reach the spirit of people and raise consciousness, whether that be the emotions of joy, fun, and laughter, or the more philosophical areas of self-reflection and awareness.
As long as there is an authentic, emotive effect on the listener, that is the pursuit I am after.

Any big plans?
So much to look forward to and so little time! All you can do is remain focused and continue the dance. There is so much we are planning ahead, but I can’t say too much about it just yet. At the moment, I want to bring more attention and awareness to my second album, Beginnings. I mean, the name says it all. The album is an absolute experience from beginning to end. I am, of course, very proud of it, these are some of my best-written songs, all woven together through all the emotions: the highs, the lows, the loud and the soft, and most of all, the anger and the joy.
There is a flow when you listen to it from start to finish. It starts very aggressive and raw, making its way through reflection, wonder, pain, and above all gratitude, all true emotions in the music and in how I felt making the record. At the moment, this album is only available on physical CD, but if the circumstances align, I can see it becoming available digitally in the near future. I really do have a message in this album, and to me, that is worth making available for everyone to hear; if their minds and spirits are open, of course.
For now, this is the creation I am nurturing. Big changes are coming in all areas of the spectrum, and it’s about to intensify for everyone. But I aim to remain present and not adopt the Western approach of always building and living for the future. I’ve always thought that is one of the reasons Western culture has produced some of the deepest levels of anxiety and depression: the system we are born into never truly teaches us to be present. Our minds are almost always in the future or the past, living in extreme states of constant anxiety or nostalgia.
But that is another beautiful aspect of art: it invites one to be present without force. Art itself is the force and it’s impact is only as powerful as the art performs. The artist must also learn to be present, in my opinion, to inspire others who are not. Eventually, everyone becomes present, and boom, there is a moment of absolute freedom in the almost-mundane existence.
Ultimately, what I’m saying is yes, big changes are coming, especially in our society, as technological advancements threaten to absorb immense amounts of energy and purpose from many people. Music and art are now at their most vital moments to inspire. Right now is the time for humans to show off what they uniquely do: to be strange, to design, and to flex what the human mind and body are capable of.
In that sense, this is all very exciting and positive, regardless of the sorrow that may come. It’s a matter of reflection, learning to love ourselves, and recognizing that we already have everything we need. I will remain present in the midst of all that is to come, and I hope you can join me. The future is Surrealistic✨️

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/surrealisticmind?fbclid=PAb21jcAOFCJhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAad0VmU34yjAnOuBLN-QCRNuRbrmAkPL6-5Lun8e52BjuNZMudKySlcKgUMExQ_aem_OpXPX_OigKiG5gFyuYPiCA
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surrealisticmind_official?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@surrealisticmindofficial?si=thfXKU3phkUzZKMc
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/54VIO47xY3Nf5FXHNsm1Ue?fbclid=PAb21jcAOFCG9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAad0VmU34yjAnOuBLN-QCRNuRbrmAkPL6-5Lun8e52BjuNZMudKySlcKgUMExQ_aem_OpXPX_OigKiG5gFyuYPiCA

Image Credits
Main photo(with plants) Manon Sabatier
Dark photo(with dog) Colleen Donovan
Black/white photo) Manon Sabatier
Close up photo(with hat) Manon Sabatier
Colorful live photo) Kim Semedo
Blue live photo) Emily Johnson
Last live photo) Alex Vasquez