What were you doing at age ten? If I had to guess, it probably wouldn’t be producing singles that make it to Billboard‘s Electronic Top 40. That’s where most people and Aiden Jude differ.
Shocked at his young success? Don’t be. The now 14-year-old Aiden Jude is proving his early success is here to stay. He’s released music on Armada, Crowd Records, and CR2 and has support from heavy hitting EDM influencers including Tiësto, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, W&W, Above & Beyond, and Gareth Emery.
Not satisfied with single-faceted success, Aiden has branched out into all areas of the music industry, starting a promotion company and founding a record label. His newest single, “SubZero,” was released on Lowly Palace and showcases his growth as an artist.
We had a chance to talk to Aiden about his young success and what he has planned for the future.
Congratulations on your newest single “Sub Zero”! Can you tell us a little bit about it and what the process was like making it?
Thank you! Over the past few years, I have really been trying to expand my music collection and knowledge past just electronic music. One genre that I had really gotten into this past year was indie/alt rock. I had gotten inspired to merge the two genres together and create something a little different from what I had been doing in the past and what I was planning on doing in the future.
On the production side, one thing that was very interesting and new for me was the amount of live instruments, mainly guitars, that I was adding into the song. It allowed me to experience music production from an entirely different lens, oppose to just using electronically based sounds.
Your dad was a jazz musician. Would you say he’s influenced your decision to become a musician at all? How about your sound?
My dad has been a big influence on me, even at a very young age, not only in music but in a number of my artistic and professional endeavors. Ever since I was born, there was always music playing around the house. Artists like Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, John Scofield, and numerous other infamous and lesser known jazz artists. In fact, when I was around eight or nine years old, my dad took me to a jazz club in New York for the first time called… I believe the name was Smoke, if I’m remembering correctly.
Being surrounded by complex music theory and melodies at such a young age really opens your eyes to the multiple genres and categories of music, apart from just top 40. I think that has had a large influence not only on my sound and how I arrive at musical ideas, but also the way that I perform live, and the types of music that I choose to play on stage.
You hit it huge at the really young age of ten on the Billboard Top 100. Would you say your music has changed much now that your older? Where do you see it progressing?
As an artist, my sound is constantly changing as it reflects what my musical interests and inspirations are in life. At the current moment, I’m very happy with where my sound has landed with “Sub Zero.” I feel that it is one of, if not the best song I’ve ever made, and I am even more ecstatic about the follow up tracks that are coming up real soon.
Do you have any difficulties performing at clubs and 18+ venues at your age?
No, it has rarely ever been an issue. Every now and then it might be a problem if the state or country laws are specifically extra strict with that sort of thing, but generally as long as I stay away from the bar and leave after my set is over, most people don’t seem to have a problem with it.
What’s your day to day like when you aren’t making music or performing?
Music, and everything surrounding it, have really become the majority of the way I spend my time. Whether it’s managing my record label or event company, preparing for sets, editing content together, promoting and marketing the music, or working on a number of other music related projects, I’ve always got my hands full with something.
Aside from music though, I am always keeping updated on the latest in the news, economy, and markets. I also often listen to a number of podcasts and talk shows like the Joe Rogan Experience, Waking Up With Sam Harris, and the H3 Podcast while I work. Another thing that I’ve gotten involved in this past year is the trading of cryptocurrencies, so I also spend a good percentage of my week reading and learning about everything going on in that space.
Do you have anyone you can’t stop listening to right now? How do you discover new music?
Haywyre, Flying Lotus, and Lido to name a few. I just can’t get enough of the sheer creativity and originality that they implement into their tracks.
I am constantly on the look out for music, new or old. I get a lot of it from SoundCloud and Spotify, just by searching and searching through all of the different artist profiles, playlists, and mixes, as I really try to find eclectic music that not everyone may have. But I also find music when I’m listening to the radio in the car, sometimes at shows and gigs when the other artists are playing, occasionally in coffee shops and restaurants, and a lot of the time I actually find music from films and TV. I love a good soundtrack.
You’re transitioning to something more multi-disciplinary in the music world. Can you tell us a little bit about what you have planned for the future? What’s in store for 2018?
All I can say at the moment is that I’m working on a bunch of projects. Not necessarily all song related, although some of these new tracks I’m finishing up I just cannot wait share, but I have a ton of things in the works that, once finished, are going to be really, really awesome.
