The Musician with a Mega Flare for Melodies
Pun fully intended, Mega Flare has quite the knack for producing music with vibe-inducing melodies that will send you straight to a 90s dance party. He first started under his current name in 2010 and has since released a number of singles, including his track “Where We Wanna Be” which just reached the big million hit marker. I sat down to congratulate him on the milestone and to discuss his latest collaboration project and upcoming release “Thinking.”
First off, congrats on the million – you feeling famous yet?
Haha. Honestly, I don’t really focus on numbers. I didn’t even know I hit a million until some friends pointed it out to me. I’m just happy that people are enjoying the song.
We love a humble millionaire. For those that aren’t yet familiar with your work, how would you describe the type of music that you usually make?
Oh man…where do I start? A mixture of everything, really: rave music, electro, chiptune elements, Latin, Jazz… Most of my inspiration comes from 90s dance and 80s pop music. Just a lot of chiptunes all combining to make something with a funky melody and fun vibe.
What was it like when you first started producing? How did you get involved in making music?
When I was going to community college, a lot of my friends had chaos pads, synthesizers, and keyboards that I would sometimes play around with. I remember watching a video of someone with a chaos pad and slowly started to get involved with that community. Then I really started digging into FL Studio and just learning and growing from there.
How about the process itself – do you have any specific routine for starting a new song?
I usually start with a reference. I’ll listen to a song and like the melody and decide that I want to make something like it. That said, if I can’t make an 8-bar section that I’m happy with in the first hour or two of starting a project, I know it probably won’t be worth continuing. But if I feel really good about that 8-bar section, then I’ll take as long as I need to develop it into a full track.
This new release “Thinking” is a collaborative project. Did you approach this track the same way you would a solo project?
Collabs are super cool because you get to see everyone in their element. Maybe one person is really good with structure and another person is really good with sound design. You each kind of find your role and see how you fit together. You also get to see how other people approach the project and see all their ideas – you can learn a lot.
“Thinking” is a collab between you and arthurxmedic with Slyleaf as a featured artist. How did this project come about and what was it like working with them?
I’ve worked with Sly in the past, so it was fun to work on something again. Arthur and I never fully worked on something together before this. Usually, I’d just send them some stuff, and they’d give some feedback. This was our first real project together. This track was first started in 2018 before it landed in “Collab Purgatory.” Arthur and I had worked on it and gotten the full structure and vocals figured out and then…sat on it. That happens a lot with projects, though. Sometimes stuff never comes out. It wasn’t until 2020 when Sly messaged me to see where the project was at that I was just like ‘Oh yeah, we should probably finish that.’
What was it like going back to an unfinished project after two years? Any advice on how to handle that situation?
Going back to it, we changed the structure and added a completely new section. It was originally a two-minute song, but then we added a whole new bridge. The entire piece after the 01:50 timestamp is all new. I like this version of the track. Could I nitpick some stuff? Sure. I think you could always try and tweak stuff and just never release anything. But sometimes you just gotta reach that point of “good enough.” People will like the track regardless of the things you think need to be changed because you’re the only one who will notice those bits.
Solid advice. So for “Thinking,” which parts specifically did you contribute to? Any favorite parts of the song?
I did the structure and all the melodic elements. As for my favorite part? Haha. We wrote a pop hip-hop song with a 90s influence. It’s such a strange tune…I just..oh man. I almost don’t wanna say it. Hyper Pop. Hahaha. It’s genre-bending, not sticking to one thing but still has those typical pop elements of a continual chorus, the bridge, all that.
Well, it’s great to see it finally getting released! Are you happy to be working with Tiny Waves?
I think I was one of their first releases a few years ago. I like what they’ve been doing over the past couple years. They’re really artist-centered and keep a good atmosphere. A lot of genuine people here. They are what they say they are and do what they say they wanna do, and they stand by their word. I appreciate that.
Anything you’re really looking forward to with this release?
I just hope everyone enjoys it, honestly. Everyone wants that 1.5 million on Spotify, and it’s certainly something to work towards. But just having people enjoy the tune and getting the same joy out of hearing it that I felt while making it – that’s all I hope for.
What are your plans for after this release? Are there any other projects that you’re currently working on or big goals you have set for yourself?
I try not to plan out really big stuff. I feel like I would like to have one of my pop tracks really take off, but I just wanna be good at what I do and make good songs. I’ve got an LP on the way, a couple pop tunes, another single coming up. Lots of songs in the vein of this release.
Where can people find you and your work?
On Twitter @MegaFlare0 – DM me, @ me, follow me. I’m on Spotify, Bandcamp, and Apple Music as Mega Flare. Oh! I stream on Twitch Monday through Wednesday. We’re on break for now, but on Tuesdays I usually DM a DnD stream. I also have a Patreon, but it’s super low-key.
Any final words on “Thinking” or the collab? Any final thoughts for our readers?
None at all. Hahaha. Seriously though, I really enjoyed working with Slyleaf again and officially collaborating with arthurxmedic. Definitely enjoyed working with Tiny Waves, as always. I’m proud of this track. I hope you put it in your playlist and dance around in your house!!
Full of smiles and melodies in equal measure, Mega Flare brings 100% of the vibes that we’ve all been needing. With “Thinking” set for official release on May 31st, be sure to stay tuned to the Tiny Waves blog for interviews with Mega Flare’s “Thinking” collaborators arthurxmedic and Slyleaf. And be sure to follow Tiny Waves on all our social media for upcoming releases and incredible music.
- Charming H. Thomas