Lafayette Louisiana Artist, Hunter DeBlanc Makes National Buzz With New Album Titled, Daydreaming
Synth pop hooks like Chvrches and The 1975 blended with the piano driven sensibility of Elton John or Billy Joel would be a very accurate description of Louisiana’s own, Hunter deBlanc. As a pianist and singer-songwriter from Lafayette, Louisiana, he has been performing live for the past 5 years, and has now started to explore his inner song-writing muse. He just completed his new album titled “Daydreaming” released September 8th 2017.
His music video for the song ‘Night Noises’ is on its way to 200K views – it was made with a zero dollar budget, with all original filters, made entirely with Snapchat. The video and album captured the attention of outlets like Huffington Post in this review; https:// www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/59f6155ee4b05f0ade1b5817
Said Hunter about the album, Daydreaming,
“Daydreaming is a concept EP,” said DeBlanc. “All the songs have to do with day, night, time, and space. It’s all a metaphor for the dark time I went through after my younger brother Alexander overdosed and died in 2014. I was on top of the world right before it happened. I had just self-released my first EP, I was living it up, and had never really experienced loss before. Then it happened, he overdosed, and I found myself spiraling into the darkest place I’ve ever been. It felt like an eternal nighttime, and I began struggling with my own addictions, which is what ‘Back 4 More’ is about in particular– the repetition of addiction, and continually returning to the same places night after night with a fear of being alone.
The album was originally going to be called ‘Night Noises’ due to the initial darker tone of the first few singles, but at some point, I found the whole writing process to be very therapeutic, and I began to see things in more positive light. I battled my demons, and I decided to call the album ‘Daydreaming’ in order to end things on a more positive note, and shine some light on the recovery process, as opposed to keeping it hidden in the closet with my ‘skeletons’, as talked about in ‘Night Noises.’ That’s also why I made the decision to release the album on Alexander’s birthday, August 31.”
With the success of his solo career, Hunter has landed a performance spot on a cruise in the south pacific near Australia and plans to have an Australian tour in 2018.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
I grew up in a town called Opelousas, but moved to Lafayette, Louisiana to attend college. For the past 10 years, I’ve been playing music for a living, but I started writing my own songs back in 2013. I just felt like I had things I needed to say that could be best expressed through music.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Follow your heart, always trust your instincts, but don’t be afraid of constructive criticism.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Normally just brush it off, try not to dwell on it. If the audience is engaged enough and invested in the show, they’ll forget about it in the next few moments.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
I’m planning my first proper tour for Spring of 2018. I’m currently contracted as a performer on a cruise ship in Australia until February.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
I just recently discovered Ableton, and have been using that and a Launchpad.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Playing shows and connecting with the audience, and watching the music spread organically has been a huge step foreword for me this year, after countless years trying to promote via Facebook and social media. The best way is to just get out there amongst the people.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Andrew McMahon. He is my biggest inspiration, and it is one of my goals to open for him one day. I also want to play Hangout Fest in the upcoming years.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Currently writing material my full length LP, and planning the logistics of the tour.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
I graduated with a degree in politics, and should have ended up being a lawyer. I’m sure I’d be doing some sort of entertainment law had I not ended up taking the musical route.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in the next year or so?
I truly believe 2018 is going to be a humongous year for my music. There is a lot of momentum going right now, and if it keeps up at this rate, who knows what could happen next.
Exposed Vocals: Any Shout-outs?
Tim Benson at Wave Theory studios, and Paul Broussard at Leap Studios.
