The character of wishlane
You watch the sunset fade into an array of constellations through a pitch black sky. A soundscape forms as you pass through street lights and tinted sidewalks. A stern, yet soft melody, begins to take shape.
A comforting ambience through distorted garbled words, before it all falls to a sudden standstill through filtered static. Soon after, a new direction fades in, as a lone guitar begins to form.
“Throw the cards off of the table.”
You wonder how you even got here, but at the same time, you’re not complaining. A familiar feeling grows inside you, and you can’t quite tell what it is, but it’s comforting.
For the past year, wishlane has been further cementing his place as a beautifully eccentric musician with an exceptional catalogue, whether it be his music with FORM, the debut webcage album, peer2peer, or his defining debut EP, slow down,. With every project his hands have touched continuing to soar in popularity, it’s safe to say that he isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.
Welcome to Azura Mitsuda. I have the pleasure to sit down with Lane Mercer, also known as the prolific wishlane.
Introduce yourself.
Hey! My name is Lane, and I’m a 19 year old artist making music under the alias wishlane.
How would you describe yourself as a person?
I’m honestly just a person who people can talk to and have a good time with, or at least I hope that’s how people perceive me.
And how would you describe your musical process?
My process, in its most literal sense, is just fuck around and find out. Like I don’t go into a song knowing what I’m gonna come out with, I just mess around with sounds until I find something I like.
Your debut EP, slow down, is your biggest work to date. What was it like developing it?
Honestly, it wasn’t really a big deal to me. I just wanted to tell a bigger story than I thought a single could really get across. And that was that.
You’ve had some high-profile collaborations as of late; ‘nowhere fast’ with Aaron Kusnier as part of FORM’s All Nighter Vol. 6, ‘rearview’ with Lunamatic, who recently produced a song for glaive’s latest project in collaboration with Travis Barker, and webcage’s debut album peer2peer being featured on Grindr’s New Music Frigay playlist. What’s it like working with these influential figures?
I really don’t think of them as huge influential figures, they’re just friends of mine that I’m very grateful to have. Like with rearview, for example, Lunamatic and I got put together for a beat challenge purely by chance, and that song was the best possible outcome I could’ve ever imagined. My friends and I came from nothing, and now we’re here, and it’s honestly surreal to me that I’m in the position I’m in.
Your music seems to reflect on yourself and your past experiences. How do you gain the courage to write about such personal subjects?
I have a sort of universe in mind with my music, and each release is from the perspective of a different character in that universe. Each character is based on a different part of me, and I sort of write my music as though these characters are speaking to me directly, from their own past experiences, which are based on my past experiences. It’s just a matter of putting my music outside of myself.
How do you believe your musical identity has connected with your personal life?
It’s honestly kind of weird to think that it even has. I started making music in my room when I was seven years old, and my family didn’t know about it until I started singing in it. I went through hell in high school for it, since nobody I was there with seemed to really get it, so I essentially just got poked fun at for not playing a sport or whatever, but I’m happy with what I do, so I’m not too pressed about that. I’ve made basically all of the friends I have now through music, whether that be directly (i.e. hearing each other’s music and developing a friendship through that) or indirectly (i.e. meeting new people that know my friends that I know through music and getting to know new people that way).
What is the most difficult setback you’ve faced in your life since you started making music, and how have you worked to overcome it?
My biggest setback was being in the wrong communities. I used to be a part of a community that never really felt like a good place for me, and I feel like being there for so long set me back a bit from being really true to myself and what I wanted to do. That’s part of why I’m so grateful for the friends I have now. They’re a lot more supportive of what I do, no matter how different it might be from what they’re doing. This isn’t to say I think I’m making something nobody else is making, because I don’t think that, but it feels great to be a part of a community that welcomes new styles and new ways of going about music.
What would you say to someone just starting out in music?
Don’t stress it too much. Just because there are 15 year olds blowing up and getting major label deals doesn’t mean that’s the new standard that everyone has to reach. No disrespect towards them at all, they’re getting their own bag and it’s really cool to see that, but there are artists I know that are in their 20s and just starting to gain traction. Basically, no matter where your starting point is, you can make it work if you just keep on trying. For example, at the beginning of this year I had 19 monthly listeners and now I’m getting close to 1,000 for the second time. Just keep on finding your niche and working toward it, and people will start to see you for what you’re doing, whatever that might be.
Over the years, I’ve watched you grow into an exceptional human being, with a talent unlike any other. You’ve come such a long way from where you started, and it’s obvious you’re not done yet. Where do you think you’re headed next?
I really don’t know yet. I know that I want to make a second EP, and I’ve made some headway in that regard, but as far as the bigger picture with my direction as a whole, I’m not exactly sure, since there are so many avenues I could take and have thought about taking. I’ve had phases where I wanted to make punk rock, and then the next week I’d want to make what I can only describe as midwest drill. I think it’s important to not force yourself down one path, and just let your ideas come to fruition on their own, because then you’ll be happier with what you do, and you’ll be a lot more confident in yourself for doing it.
Listen to sink or swim, wishlane’s latest single, available on streaming services everywhere.
