Connecticut-based singer-songwriter LIT. MAJOR finds himself entering more personal territory on his new song “Not Even Crying.” The song explores an intimate moment at his grandfather’s funeral, where he realizes that he had no relationship with the family patriarch. “He remained rather unknowable and uninquisitive, despite being very present in my world for my entire life. It’s weird when family passes away and you feel almost nothing; makes you think about your own mortality.”
In our interview, LIT. MAJOR tells us more about his influences and how coming out has made him feel freer in his songwriting.
Name a perfect song and tell us why you feel that way.
“Esme” by Joanna Newsom. It’s a perfect song because it is only harp and voice, yet so full due to the scope and beauty of its lyric and melody. Joanna is a master songwriter – really no one writes songs like she does – but “Esme” just has that perfect mix of utter delicateness and profound weight, a melancholy that suffuses everything but doesn’t leave the song feeling sad. The melody is winding, ornate, and unpredictable, and the lyrics are full of impossibly rich detail and imagery.
Do you start off with the music or lyrics first? Why?
I usually start off with lyrics, though sometimes I will do them sort of at the same time. I almost never write simply music first to go back to later and create words for. I can’t operate like that most of the time. I am very much a “creative writing person,” so my songs often start with just one verse or a line or even a single phrase I like, and then I let things grow sort of organically from there. I’m not the best guitarist or keyboard player, so I do what I can with that, but words are where I really think I come alive as an artist. Give me a three-chord song any day; if it has great lyrics, that’s what matters most to me.
Do you play covers at your shows? Why or Why not?
To tell the truth, I have only ever done online/live-stream shows. I have always been far too scared and anxious to do a real-live show, but I have recently begun considering it for the first time ever (maybe later this year?) Either way, in my “sets” that I have done, I almost always throw in a cover or two. I find it to be sort of a comfort zone – I know the song well, it isn’t mine. It’s takes a bit of pressure off of me as a performer, as well as some of the vulnerability that comes from playing my own songs. It kind of gives me a moment to breathe and relax. I often use them as openers so I can get used to playing/singing in front of people that day without going straight into my own work. I find it soothing.
How do you feel your coming out journey plays into your music?
My coming out journey was rather standard, in a way. I came out to my mom at 17 I think, but she had known for a few years (and I knew that she knew, of course). I actually wrote a song about that called “Mothers” from my album from last year. I think, more so, my coming out led to a slow but steady acceptance of self that has helped motivate me to keep writing and to get more and more honest with my work over the years. Only over the past 2 years or so have I started inegrating stuff relating to my queer identity into my songs. It’s never the dominant theme, but it’s there, and there’s even a throwaway line about it in this song, “Not Even Crying.” I never would have done that in the beginning, but I feel good doing it now. It’s a fun way to stay authentic and honest, and I am happy that I feel comfortable enough to do that now.
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What’s the first concert you ever attended? What do you remember about it?
My first ever concert was Rasputina, with my sister and mom and some of their friends. They’re a sort of gothy folk rock band fronted by cellist and singer-songwriter Melora Creager. She has an ever-revolving cast of support players on her albums and tours, but she’s the constant. When I saw them, I think they were touring their great Southern Gothic record, ‘Frustration Plantation’, and she was playing with Zoe Keating, another cellist (who, by the way, makes amazing solo music you should check out). It was a great show. Melora is funny onstage with her banter and stories, keeping things light and romantic, in a sense. They played a cover of “Baby Got Back”. I’m so happy they were my first show. At 13, they were very indicative of who I was and what I listened to. I still listen to them from time to time (seriously, their record ‘Oh Perilous World’ is one of my all-time favorites), but it does take me back, like a metaphysical time capsule, when I recall that first concert.