What’s your stage name and where are you from?
I go by Faustdoesntexist, and I’m from FK, Scotland, though I moved around a lot as a kid but was mainly based there.
What’s the story behind your stage name?
It’s slightly based on the play Faust. Long story short, he wasn’t too nice a guy, so I tagged on “doesn’t exist” to relate to myself growing up. I wasn’t either, but we learn and grow.
Describe your musical journey in three sentences.
I mainly make a jazz/rap fusion, but I like to experiment with garage and grime as well. I grew up playing drums, mainly jazz, and went to music school. I dropped out to focus on my own stuff.
Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.
I’ve been recording at professional studios a lot more recently, which is a new experience for me. I did pretty much the full thing in one take, but collaboration with new talented producers and learning from them is what I take most from it.
What message do you want to convey through your music?
Self-betterment is the main thing. A lot of my music draws from my earlier life and the contrast between who I am now and who I was then. The feelings of knowing that no one is perfect and we all strive to be better.
Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.
I’d say learning how to work on proper DAWs (digital audio workstations) and that world in general. I mainly just played and recorded acoustically up until maybe two years back. It’s all so interesting, though.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
There are quite a few, but if I had to pick, I’d say Lausse the Cat, if he ever comes back. He’s probably one of my favorite artists—it’s a shame he stopped making music. The way he tells stories through his work is incredible, and the production feels almost fantastical.
Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?
My favorite thing with music is to just play live, so I’m organizing live rap sets with multiple artists and also planning my own gigs in the near future. Outside of that, music videos and working on a proper album are in the planning stages. I want to take my time with it, though. I don’t really look at music as taking me someplace; I make money separate to this, so it’s more for the love of the game.
What’s the next big step for you as an artist?
I want to try and snipe a few good features. I’m a rapper, though, and competitive, so I’m trying to outshine anyone I jump on a beat with. I already have one big name in the chamber but keeping it under wraps for now.
We occasionally feature artists on our Bird of Paradise Podcast for in-depth discussions. Would this be something you’re interested in exploring?
Yeah, I’d love to. I’ve always wanted to be on a podcast. Me and my friends used to discuss making one but never got around to it.
Are there any other promotional opportunities you’re looking for to boost your visibility?
Yeah, I mainly want to grow organically through live performances and local promotion in the areas they’re held. Online live streaming and recordings of sets are good exposure, so even just advice on how to go about that would be great.
Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?
I’m available on every platform; just look me up. Spotify seems to be the go-to, though.
What is the best way to contact you if fans want to give feedback or if other artists/producers want to collaborate?
I only have Instagram as social media: @faustdoesntexist, but you can hit up my email if it’s for collaboration: 1andonlyfaust@gmail.com.
