'gouda' stems from deep roots of love for gastronomy, colors, & smells. the project represents the identity of Joey Heins, his first project as a solo artist. inspiration for music comes from a wide variety of creative sources, so why not showcase them all? from Philadelphia, PA, 'gouda' makes music from real-life emotions & experiences, as well as publishing carefully & emotionally developed recipes, poems, and various forms of music/food content. Who is ‘Gouda’? My name is Joey Heins, I’m from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, & ‘Gouda’ represents my personal & creative identity. Currently, I release music, food content, & recipes under the name ‘Gouda’. More is to come- I’m working on a podcast & Youtube channel to further my realm of cooking & music content. When and why did you get into music? There is no part of my memory where I don’t love music. As a kid, it was mostly just singing & performing for myself, and maybe whoever was in the living room. I absolutely loved Wicked & Lady Gaga. The first instrument I learned was guitar, where I discovered Nirvana. Ever since middle school, where I started my first band & ended up playing bass, I haven’t looked back. I learned more instruments & continued to dive into different genres & forms of writing. Today, writing music is sort of a form of socialization for me. I’m quite an introverted person & have a lot on my mind- writing & releasing music is how that comes out. You mentioned that your inspiration for music comes from a wide variety of creative sources, what are some of those and how exactly does that feed into your creative process? I am absolutely obsessed with music, cooking, poetry & prose, film, stories, & photography. I’m blessed to have so many passions, and the desire to act on all of them. They feel so interconnected, music being at the top of the chain/web, whatever the fuck you want to call it. I guess music feels innate to me, living inside of me, while these other interests hold more opportunity for discovery & musical inspiration. Often times if I’m writing a poem or essay, a song will come out of it, thinking to myself “I have to capture this idea in a musical medium!” Different mediums of art allow me to showcase a feeling or moment in different ways, highlighting different details. In everyday conversation, I get severe anxiety if I don’t mention every single detail of whatever it is I’m talking about, I guess that this is the manifestation of that. If I take a photo, write a poem, whatever, that tickles this creative part of my brain, I feel like I have to use that idea in every medium of art I can. You mentioned that ‘Anne’ covers the feelings of co-dependency, & lack of self-esteem, elaborate on that. Co-dependency, depression, body image issues, alcoholism, and a lack of self-worth have all ruled my life in the past few years. I have never been or made an effort to be happy for myself. I relied on alcohol, being outgoing & never spending time by myself, & my band in high school that was lucky to be pretty popular within our local music scene. I had no reason to generate my own happiness because I had everyone around me’s approval. One, myself included, often thinks that a significant other will solve their issues, though that is absolutely not the case. I stepped into a relationship as a total drunken mess & had no reason to change. I loved her, I still do, but I was so incredibly miserable & overall mentally sick. I never felt like I was enough for her, making me more and more reflective of my issues, which is really just a spiral effect. I think the lyrics in this song speak for themselves, I was living inside of my own pain- inside of every detail of that pain, & what made that pain so painful. To be honest, I was ruining both of our lives. So, right now, I’m working on being my own lifeline. Generating my own happiness. I write, record, & create all day because that’s the only way to get that intoxicating feeling of self-approval. The self-disgust that comes where you rely on a substance or significant other for approval is much too dangerous. Your music is very emotionally driven, is it difficult for you to put yourself out there? Ever since I’ve been dealing with all that’s going on in my head, I have become extremely introverted. Weird, because I still feel this dire need to share & put myself out there. It’s difficult for like five seconds before I click “post” or “upload”, but I see it as my form of communication with the outside world. I get to say “hey, I’ve been dealing with this, it’s hurt me, and I need you to listen & hear what I’m saying”. For me, that is best done through music & art. I communicate best that way. What is your ultimate goal as an artist? I want others who feel like me, like they can’t get their voice heard, to find their method of communication. Ultimately, I want my music to empower those to do so. Yes, the music is emotional & very honest- I want others to feel comfortable being their true, honest, self. As a young artist, what advice do you have for aspiring musicians? Do. Everything. The internet is your oyster. You do not need an agent, manager, or any of that shit to hit up venues to find shows, blogs to review your single. Do it yourself. Keep doing it & you will be noticed. You must believe that you are incredible, 1) because you are, & 2) because others will if you show that confidence. Live inside of that confidence everyday, & make sure to daily further yourself in three ways- creatively, professionally, & personally. Every single day. You will be successful if you consistently move in forward motion with all aspects of your life & artistry. Anything else you want to say to your audience? Go stream ‘Anne’! Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, Napster, yes, Napster. Go. You can find 'Gouda' @goudabuzz on instagram 'Anne' comes out on Sept. 18 2020, available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, and Napster. Originally published on September 3rd, 2020.
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