Artist Spotlight: Cruza

Shot by @basqkhan

Cruza is the purest example of kindred souls coming together to create something beautiful. Fresh off the back of their first tour and their first time playing together in the same physical space, the young musicians present their latest body. of work titled ‘Dog Daze’. Influenced by the grind that young artists face in their early years, Cruza has created a body of work that reflects who they are at this stage in their journey.

Made up of seven songs, the project oozes sweet guitar riffs and soothing vocals while the production inspires and delights. Opening with ‘Big Bet’ the dreamy chords carry us away to memories of summer days while the vocals are sultry, sticky and enticing. Following the opening tune, listeners are met with the first single from the project, ‘Indeed’, infused with themes of romance and exploration, Cruza sets the stage for anyone to find solace in their universal experiences. ‘Groove Therapy’ is another standout, sporting a melody as sweet as the artists behind its inception. 

There’s an energy behind each track that hints at the larger picture - which is three people who care deeply about expressing themselves, creating something that impacts and hits home with many, while also wandering down the path of self discovery and self invention. Not only do they make soulful music but they also challenge their listeners to become the best versions of themselves through the connections that are solidified and explored through this listening journey. 

I had the pleasure of sitting down with two of the members that make up the group, Adam and Charity to discuss exactly that. 

How are you guys feeling coming off of tour? 

Adam: It was an amazing experience for us, it was crazy. It was our first couple of times performing together, period. So it was kind of magical to be on tour and performing together for the first time all in one. 

The energy that the crowd gave was so comforting, it just made it easy for me to be a reflection of the energy that they were giving me. Specifically Brooklyn, when we got up there, they were showing love immediately and we were like, man “half of them don’t even know who we are” but you would have never known it because they were so warm. 

Was there a moment on tour or while recording the project that made it click for you that this is your real life? 

Adam: The DC show, what was interesting about that was the number of people that came to the show that I knew that I got emotional because the love was so real and something just hit me that we’re really doing this and people really appreciate us. It’s not like it’s the first show, we’re three shows in and the love is still there, people are still genuine and in that moment, I got choked up on a song because I felt so full, of gratitude, of love. It just felt like a blessing and that was that moment for me. 

Charity: For me I feel like the moment was right before we were gonna hit the stage in Brooklyn where we prayed, thanked each other, reflected on everything we had to do before this moment and we realized it was a culmination of all the hard work that we put in leading up to this throughout the years. It felt like that solidified that this is what we’re supposed to be doing. 

When did you start making music together?

Adam: We started making music in 2018, but it wasn’t until 2019 that we all came together. Right, Charity? 

Charity: I think it was actually the beginning of 2020 because AJ and I met on Instagram early in 2020 before the pandemic had started. Then in March, that’s when he asked me if I wanted to be in the band and I said yes, because they already had music and I was already rocking with it. I came out in June after that and it’s when the band was officially formed. 

Adam: So we’re covid babies, haha. A different breed. 

Do you feel like you each have an individual role within the creative process or is it really a shared responsibility between the three of you?

Charity: I feel like we all have distinct roles as far as what we do, like AJ handles most of the production and our graphic design. He’s the glue for everything. I carry the guitar and Adam does all of our vocals. I’m sure as time goes on we’ll all expand and figure out other roles we can fit into but since we still aren’t living in the same area everything is like an assembly line so it makes it easier when we know what we’re expecting from each other. I’m sure once we’re all in the same area we’ll be able to teach each other things, like Adam wants to learn how to play the guitar, I want to get better at production and songwriting so I’m sure there’s going to be times where we’re switching around but for the most part we all have specific roles as far as what we contribute to the band. 

Adam: We have plans to move to the same city early in the year. The songs that we’ve made on the spot while on tour, we noticed the crowd just really felt those because they’re so raw and real. We made them just jamming together in the living room, they weren’t planned out. So we thought, if we can just get in the same space to create a whole project that way, it’ll be next level. That’s our goal. 

How did you guys come to sign with a UK based label? 

Adam: At the time, I was using an online tool to look up playlists and in doing so, I came across a label that I submitted to called Juicebox, I probably submitted to at least ten other places that day and thought let’s just see. 

So when it happened, it just worked out in a good way for us and we got linked up with our US label and that’s how we met our manager. It all worked out really well. 

Love was a theme throughout the project. How did working on these songs together help you understand your own perspective on love or your approach to it? Did you gain a new understanding of it while working on this project? 

Charity: Personally, I felt like the past couple years I’ve been stepping more into adulthood. I just finished college and now that I’m out of school I have more time to reflect on relationships in the past. I just had a lot of things that I needed to get off my chest. With the band and with Adam’s vocals already geared towards that, it was easy to tap into those emotions that were already there. Love and heartbreak are very universal experiences so being able to share that with each other in the form of creating things, was very natural. 

Adam: Like she said, love is a universal language and out there, doing these shows people are hearing the lyrics and my songs are all based off of previous relationships or depression and anxiety. All things that young adults, people, period can relate to. Working on this project gave me the opportunity to reflect on the things that I’ve been through, the things that I’m still working through, and a lot of questions that I have, it allowed me to tap into those feelings. It serves as my diary. I’m putting my personal shit out there but it’s beautiful when I connect with something who knows exactly what I’m talking about. I know that my art and my feelings are touching someone else and helping someone get through something that they may not understand yet. Working on this project allows me to release and reflect and I’m grateful to be able to do that. 

In terms of ‘Dog Daze’, how did you come up with that title and what does it mean to you? 

Adam: For us being in this young adult phase, we all know how this early to mid 20s phase can be - it’s full of self doubt, discouragement and overall confusion, right? So for us, it’s like we know our worth but a lot of times in this industry you’re trying to prove yourself all the time or people are not really appreciating you and the doors aren’t opening up. For us, we take it very seriously doing this assembly line or having to Uber just to get by. It’s a lot. You’re trying to juggle the emotions and feelings and struggle of making music on top of the struggle of actually struggling. So ‘Dog Daze’ just felt like we’re low right now but we’re letting people know that we’re here and we really aren’t going anywhere. 

Charity: There’s even a shift happening now almost, where we were six months ago we had no idea that this is where we were going to be in our careers so fast. It’s so sweet to know that this project is coming out, we’re entering into a new year and these opportunities are aligning themselves. It’s going to be sweet to look back on this project and remember the times where we were struggling and had no idea how it was going to come together. 

Adam: When it gets to the point when we don’t have to do all that, we’re going to be so grateful. It also helps us bond because we’re going through these things together and it helps develop our chemistry. I noticed when we were going up on stage and during the tour, the chemistry shows. It’s exciting to see how we continue to grow together and in our careers.

What was the biggest lesson that you’re taking away from the tour and developing this project? 

Charity: Trust your gut. I struggle with self doubt and wondering if this is what I’m supposed to be doing and if this is what I’m supposed to be doing then why aren’t these certain things happening in this certain amount of time but getting up on stage and having to push all of that aside, playing from my soul - it made me realize that this is what I’m meant to be doing and I don’t have to question that because all of the self doubt and criticism just get in the way of being honest and open with people. Even if you’re fucking up or it’s not perfectly developed, people like to see the journey and they care more about you being honest and raw. Trusting your gut and being open and honest goes a lot further than pretending that you have it all together. 

Adam: For me, going on stage and having the mic in my hand was completely foreign. Going up there and seeing people’s faces made me feel like, man you just have to perform from your heart. Talking to the crowd in between songs is usually such a struggle for people, I just let myself ramble and speak, trusting that they were going to connect with me. Trusting myself and having the confidence in what we’re doing and what we’re bringing to the table, each time I’ve done it it’s come back to me and let me know that it was the right thing. There’s a lot of self doubt involved, especially going into a new territory. Before we went on, Charity and I were doing positive affirmations in the mirror, I think that helped. “You’re supposed to be here” really hit because it let us know that we are. Whatever you do up there, you’re ready. You’re not going to make any mistakes because you’re doing what you’re meant to be doing. 

Do you have any words of advice for younger versions of yourself or younger artists that are just starting out?

Adam: Don’t let self doubt get in the way. Don’t stop. Create from a genuine place. Don’t try to sound like somebody, don’t try to do anything like the next person. Do what’s 100% authentic to yourself. Don’t get in your own way. From a song writing perspective, be comfortable being vulnerable because everyone feels like they’re the only person going through something but that’s not true. There’s a million people that can relate to what you’re going through. That’s the stuff that really hits. 

Charity: To myself, I say just chill out. It’s gonna happen exactly how it needs to happen. I’ve spent way too much time stressing over things that don’t even matter anymore or work themselves out. So I just tell myself to chill out and enjoy the moment. I would tell artists that are just starting to release music, just get it out there. Don’t worry about everything being perfect because if you do that, no one will ever have the chance to hear it. Like I was saying earlier, people prefer to connect with you more when they see you develop and they see the authenticity. Just keep putting stuff out there because that’s the only way your music will get heard.