Meduza

Celebrating their smash "Phone" going #1 on the Billboard dance charts, Meduza shares how the song was born w Sam Tompkins and Em Beihold, how many Vs there were, and what the major difference was between the original demo and the final song.

Meduza also talks ADE, as well as their upcoming no-phones policy at their "Our House" shows w James Hype!

Follow: @AmericasDance30 on all socials!

Count down the biggest dance songs in the country every week with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30; listen on stations around the world!

Follow: @AmericasDance30 on all socials!

Count down the biggest dance songs in the country every week with Brian Fink on America’s Dance 30; listen on stations around the world!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
How are you guys. I didn'tknow it was going to be all of
you. Yeah, surprise, Wellcrap, I need to completely change all
my questions because I thought it wasjust going to be mad. It's an
honor after all this time to finallyget all of you guys. I probably
let the guys talking and we havea usual conversation. Yeah, I'm tired

(00:25):
of mad, Matt, can youjust leave dance counting down the biggest dance
songs in the country. This isAmerica's Dance thirty. By the way,

(00:49):
if at any point my eyes crossand it doesn't look like I'm looking at
you, guys, I got abrand new prescription last night, and I'm
seeing like six of you guys rightnow. Now, Oh cool, this
is so I mean, that willbe amazing as a producer. So we
are six, so we can domore. You mean, you guys haven't

(01:10):
cloned each other yet. I willlove to a man, so sometimes I
can stay home chill in that wholetouring. We're thinking about that, Amen,
Meduza. I know you guys areinsane in Amsterdam at ade right now.
I really appreciate the time. Yeah, yeah, well, nowhorries,

(01:30):
it's always a pleasure man, youknow that. Yeah, and this is
actually the first time I'm chatting withall three of you guys, so thank
you so much. It's an honormeeting you guys now. Actually, either
I don't know what it's like inAde. I don't know how crazy it's
been because I've never been. Howhas ad been for you guys, Allen,

(01:53):
Yeah, it's always like you know, it's like the conference, the
Miami Conference, but it's just forfor Europe. So you see friends,
you see promoters, you see allthe people coming from the industry that you
usually like see only for two minutesin festivals and club like, hey,
hello, how are you all good? Thank you bye? And now here

(02:15):
you have time to talk with them, to share ideas, to see what's
going on around in this world,in this industry. So it's it's really
interesting every year. The big differencebetween Miami is in Miami that a sun
Yeah there's no sun. Yeah yeah, rain is coming rain and cloud Yeah

(02:36):
you're not selling it. Well,welcome to America's Dance thirty. It is
so great seeing you guys. Congratulationson phone going number one on the Billboard
chart. That is so awesome.Wow, Wow, Yes, another one
to celebrate, another one from Medusa. I can't wait to find out how

(02:59):
this song was born with Sam Tompkinsand m buy Hold. But first,
have you guys started your new showwith James Hype yet. Yeah. We
did a couple of shows in Ibizathis summer and it was really interesting because
the most interesting thing is that wedidn't prepare anything about the set that we

(03:23):
played, so it was just followingeach other, following the vibe and just
leaving the moment. So that's whyit was really interesting, and there was
a good chemistry between us two andI really can wait to play again.
Yeah, it seems like it's gonnabe an amazing show, especially with the

(03:43):
no phone policy, which I absolutelylove. How have fans embraced this,
Ah, That's that's a hard question, that's the question. There are a
lot of fans. They they alwayswanted to leave the night, and maybe
they, especially the most young funds, they didn't have the chance because every

(04:08):
time they go to the club,they used to film every drop and this
is kind of bit a little bitboring. I'm not saying it's wrong,
because there are a few shows,for example, like Tale oz Anima that
kind of show with visuals, obviously, what is the feeling is that you
need to just have a memory ofthat show and you start filming every drop.

(04:35):
But as a DJ, as anartist, you want people to live
the night, even with the visuals, Like visually is part of the show.
So you just go to the concert. You just go to the show,
and you just leave the moment andremember for just what you see,
not from subway that you watch againon your phone. So I just want

(04:57):
people to have that feeling at theend of the show you just were there
with friends, you just having funwith them, You just were connected with
the music and had the best time. And I got to be honest,
going to a lot of shows myself, I find myself guilty of that too,
where I have to say to myself, Okay, put your phone away,

(05:17):
you got enough stupid footage, putit away, enjoy the show.
Yeah exactly. I mean, I'mnot saying that because otherwise people think that
we don't want phone at all duringthe show. I'm not saying that because
even me, when I go tosee someone else shows, I just do

(05:38):
a couple of videos in two threehours. It's just because I love the
moment. I just want to filmthe vibe there is in the room,
or maybe there's a special song Ireally like it or something like that,
but not standing for the entire showon every drug filming everything that in that

(06:00):
moment you lose the vibe of theshow absolutely, And it's not like you
go back and look at the It'slike fireworks. You you get it that
one time, and then it's notlike you go back and sit there and
watch the video over and over again. Yeah. Well, speaking of phones,

(06:27):
let's talk about this number one.How was this song born with Sam
Tompkins and them by Holed. Ofcourse we have we want to do the
No Foond party, but I willtrying to hold phone. Yeah, No,
it's been it's been not a longstory, but really interesting because I

(06:49):
remember the last summer I was inGermany during the summer tour and when I
was at the festival. But Iwas there really early in the morning and
the festival was already on and therewas there were other stages, so I
was just trying to look in atthe other stages and the other artists,

(07:11):
and in one of these stages therewere Sam Tomkins with the singing and I
didn't know who he was, honestly, and I immediately sent the video to
the guys in the group chat ands these guys really interesting, we need
to do something with him, weneed to make something with him, and
they thought the same. So webrought him to the studio in March in

(07:35):
March, and then the magic happens. It was amazing because with him,
you know, he's our guy,like us, was the perfect vie vibe
where everything we had done was amazing, you know, the keyboard, the
computer, his voice, everything wasfun. Yeah, natural, No,

(07:55):
natural and natural, I mean acouple of hours, yeah, and we're
done. Wow is magic? Youknow how? I don't know. It's
just thrive that when you when youyou can have like a hundred obsessions with
artists and songwriters. But then whenyou have the right chemistry, the right

(08:16):
magic in the studio, in thatmoment, you can make a song in
ten minutes and in thirty minutes.So was the original version of Phone just
Sam? Or was em always apart of it? No? It was
just Sam. Yeah, the firstone is just was Sam. Then comes
in a second time. Yeah,we think about our girl for the lyrics,

(08:37):
for the meaning of the song.So I think a couple of weeks
after the first demo. Yeah,we heard her voice. We were talking
with the label. They showed ussomething from her and when we said she's
the one, yeah, she's amazing. Yeah, she's amazing. She's really
interesting and so not and tilented.I have to say that now, Matt,

(09:01):
we've talked about this in our pastchats, but something that I love
to find out is how many differentv's there are of a song from when
you start working on it, allthe tweaking to when you finally put it
out. What was the final VA phone as always like V sixty B
seventy, Yeah, and then thefolder is full of bounce hundreds. It

(09:28):
was crazy because on this song,I didn't hear the any version, but
they just sent to me to testit out. Probably was the like V
twenty So for the V one untilV nineteen, I didn't know anything about
the song. So we just theyjust said, okay, this is betweeny,

(09:50):
test it out, make few changes, and then approve it. Thank
you. Yeah, it's good becausethe song was I mean, it was
just to write the song and fourmonths to you know, this is a
conversation between us because obviously we don'tsee each other a lot of time,
as you know, so when weare together, we just have like five

(10:13):
minutes. Okay, this, thisand that. What do you think any
adjustment? That's it? That isso crazy. Well, one of the
singature Medusa sounds is obviously pitching vocalsdown. I hopped on YouTube and I
was checking out Sam Tompkins videos andhe's actually got a surprising falsetto voice,

(10:33):
which shocked me. Have you guysever run into it with artists where they
don't want their voice pitched down?Oh man, they love to leave to
us, you know the vibe.So he said, this is my voice.
Do whatever you want, make itbetter, just make it better.

(10:54):
Okay, let's try. So thisis the fitting. Well, it turned
out amazing, just like every Medusasong. Congratulations on the number one on
the Billboard charts. Congratulations on theEP that just came out from Adusa,
Thank you very much. I mean, I was just following the charts scenes
we were when we were on NewEntry, and I remember that I was

(11:18):
on Twitter like leaving a comment everytime, come on, let's get it
there, let's get it there.It was me, Oh my god,
that is hilarious. Well, congratulationson all the success. Again, it
is an honor having all three ofyou with us. Thank you for your

(11:39):
time on America's Dance thirty. Thankyou so much, you and to all
the fans. America's Dance thirty Countingdown the biggest dance songs in the country.
America's Dance thirty