Features : Phouelisi puts his athlete’s drive, and heart, into his latest musical release, “Crash”

His day job is college student and basketball player at a big-time Division I state university, but he also makes music, and “Crash,” his latest release, could well be his third song since 2020 to see a million streams.

In “Crash,” Phouelisi (pronounced fweh–LISS-EE) has created a joyful, quirky, intriguing love song set to headlong drum and bass beats that will harmonize the pulse with the lyrics:

You say things that you can’t take back
Wonder why we rolling down so fast
You say things that hurt so bad
I’ll stay along for the ride, don’t crash

“‘Crash,’” he said, “was part of a Valentine’s Day gift to my girlfriend. We’ve been together for three years and we had some ups and downs, obviously, but over the last six-seven-eight months, things have been really good. And I kind of just wanted to capture the feeling and how happy and how enjoyable things have been, which is why the beat is very upbeat, very happy.”

The lyrics are a story, he said. “Then there are some things in the song that only she specifically understands, but I think it’s a cool song that anyone can really enjoy.”

Naturally, he doesn’t share everything “that only she specifically understands,” but there’s one bit of information he is willing to impart.

The verse that begins “So let’s take a dive, boo / Or fall from the sky, oops” is a reference to the time they dove out of an airplane together. The rest he leaves open to the individual listener’s interpretation.

He is a junior this year, and basketball and his studies are the main focus of his life right now. Yet, since “Serval,” the first song he ever released, in 2019, he has produced a lot of music, including three EPs.

“Obviously, basketball has its own little time frame where you can be an athlete. Music is something that I do, kind of on the back burner, that I can build while I’m focused on something else. I think, eventually, it’d be cool to transition to that and see where that takes me.”

Phouelisi writes his own lyrics and produces his own music. He sings all the vocal tracks and mixes them into the final sound himself. He likes making harmonies and likes how they work, and he says that multiple voices “sound more inviting to the listener.”

Besides that, there is the pleasure he gets from the work. “Producing is something I really like doing, and learning how to sing at different pitches has made my songs more enjoyable to listen to.”

Beyond the artistic joy of creativity, music is a release for him.

“For the longest time, the only way to get out what I was feeling was making music,” he said. “It’s very therapeutic to get a feeling into sound. My lyrics complement the sound that I create, but the most important thing is the feeling slash the vibe you get from the music, more so than the words. The words just take you on the journey of the vibe.”

Phouelisi grew up listening to hip hop. About age 16 or 17, he turned more to indie alternative and pop music. Now, at 21, he listens to a lot of indie and alternative music, but hip hop still holds a definite attraction for him.

He tries to blend the sound of the music he listens to into his own music, which, pressed to describe, he calls “alternative pop with hip hop influence.” The couple dozen songs he has released so far reflect the variety in his musical interests. The rhythms, the beats, the instrumentation, the harmonies and the lyrics showcase the multiplicity in his artistry.

“I try to channel what I enjoy overall into my own music, but no one person influences the music I’ve made,” he said.

This, he believes, sets his music apart.

“I feel like my music’s not limited to one genre. It’s very inclusive.”

His songs focus on love or romance.

“I think everyone either has experience or desires to experience something romantic. So, I feel like the content of my lyrics are also very inclusive, whether you’re black, white, Asian, Hispanic, or no matter what your belief system is. I think everyone can relate to love and romance.”

He likes the idea that a third song of his could get more than a million streams, but he wants also to continue finding people who like his music and create his own fan base.

And, one day, performing live. “That’d be fun,” he said.

“I've been making music since 2015, and I think it’d be cool to go somewhere  — whether it’s a small bar, a small venue, or anything open like that like that — and take what I make in my bedroom and perform it in front of people.”

Follow Phouelisi on his musical journey by connecting with him on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

Websites:
Amazon Music
Apple Music
SoundCloud
Spotify
YouTube

Socials:
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