Humility isn’t necessarily the word that best describes many musicians and singers, but it perfectly describes Twin Cities-based producer and songwriter Landon Conrath. The humble Bethel University graduate from Reno Lakes, when you talk to the 23-year-old, you wouldn’t believe he has nearly a million monthly listeners on his Spotify.
Conrus releases first song “piece” The song was featured in some of Spotify’s algorithmic playlists such as Discover Weekly and Release Radar. It introduces the listener to new music based on what is already in the playlist. However, his monthly listener count has grown exponentially. “acetone” Added to Spotify’s Good Vibes editorial playlist with 2 million listeners.
At first, Conrath found it difficult to even translate (or feel) that success into real life. He and his band weren’t playing shows (due to the pandemic) and Conras had only a small presence on Instagram and other social media platforms. Or was it just shuffling through curated playlists on Spotify?
“Is it really that I’m doing well? Or have I been really, really, really lucky?” said Conrath. “It was a strange exchange. I don’t do a lot and I’m not very successful, but people seem to see my internet presence as successful.” And I don’t think it’s right.”
Numbers mean a lot in the music industry, but it’s not numbers that drive Conrath. In fact, he appears to be moving away from his Spotify success. His long list of monthly listeners seems illegal and can’t be transferred into his daily life, even though he’s built a loyal following of local listeners.
Regardless of where he’s developing his audience, Conrath’s breezy indie pop songs are catchy, ultimately uplifting, and true to his personal style.
“Starting my songwriting career is the most banal story ever. Like everyone in the world, I just wrote a song about a stupid breakup.” Conras spoke about his song “Pieces.” He is getting married next year and thankfully jokes that he has to write something new. Lately, he’s been spending time writing about his experiences with mental health and lockdown over the last few years. “not give a damn about” It’s all about tackling the unknown and finding hopeful optimism despite the nihilistic title.
“We all deal with a lot of the same things. For example, when you’re struggling and you have a big downfall in your life, it’s not bad. It’s normal. It’s going to be okay in the end,” Conras said. . “There is a sense of camaraderie.”
Conrath tries to be as involved in the production process of his music as possible, even working with fan-favorite Jake Ruppe at Hippo Campus. “Trader Joe’s” While on tour, he serves as music and production director for Ber, a songwriter from Minnesota. Since he is primarily a drummer, the guitars he plays on the songs are all simple. But Konlas doesn’t mind it.
“It’s also born out of necessity. Like, I don’t know how to make a really clean pop song,” Conras said. “I probably wouldn’t have been able to do that if I had been hired by someone…so I’m kind of sticking to my guns.”
But for artists striving to make music that feels like themselves, it works.
“The more artists get involved in their music, the more it sounds like them,” he said.
Like any Minnesota artist, Conrath dreams of one day playing with his bandmates and “best friends on earth” in the main room on 1st Avenue. He hopes to use the platform he’s learned from his success on Spotify to highlight the Minneapolis music scene and give back to the community.
“Part of me has this weird pride of wanting to stay in Minneapolis and see this city become a music capital,” Conras said. “I just want to stay here and do everything I can to legitimize Minneapolis…the more music we play here, the more people will ultimately see Minneapolis as a great city.” You will find that.”
catch Landon Conrath performing at 7th St. Entry Ber, Creeping Charlie, TYSM! and DJ Qani will open.
