We wrote about Chris Waters’ harrowing video for ‘Road To Damascus’ here, and now we introduce you to the man himself.
Thank you for speaking to us today. We’ve just watched the video for your new single, ‘Road To Damascus’. It’s quite harrowing. How do you think the gun crisis in the US can be solved?
I think we need to look at restricting automatic rifles/ weapons as they’re weapons of war. They are not meant to be in the hands of the average citizen. Stricter gun laws is a part of the equation, and last time I checked, most Americans are in favor of that. This would include stricter background checks as well. Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution and it’s very complex. Â
Looking on from the UK, and having originally come from Australia, I know how promptly dealing with mass shootings can benefit a country – in both cases, when automatic weapons were taken out of the public arena (in Australia especially the government bought back all automatic weapons in an amnesty) the injury and death toll from gun violence dropped dramatically. Why do you think it’s so hard for the US government to see this as a viable option?
Yes, I definitely look at the UK and Australia, as well as New Zealand and Canada, as four countries that got it right. The US government is extremely divided and there is a lot of $$ in many special interest groups who essentially “buy” politicians. If they continue to put $$ over actually doing what’s right for the Country, I don’t see this improving anytime soon, unfortunately. Â
“The Road To Damascus” is best known as the conversion story of Paul in the Bible. How did you come on it as the title of your single?
I had the harp loop on repeat and the words to the chorus essentially just came out of me …. Â “This is my Road to Damascus… and so I keep asking… government takes no action” etc. It’s as if I didn’t actually write the song… I mean I did, but it just came out. I would not label myself as being “religious”, although I grew up Catholic. Â
You’ve been going from strength to strength with your music, and this is perhaps your most powerful to date. What can fans and listeners expect from you musically this year? Will you continue down a political path with your sound, or will you take a different direction?
I think “Road to Damascus” is a one-off. It’s aggressive/ dark/ sad/ and political. In general, I like calmer music, and most of my stuff is pretty chill. I think it’s a one-off, and you can expect me most likely going in the opposite direction going forward. Â
What got you into making music in the first place? What is it about rap that speaks to you? What’s the Chris Waters story?
Music was always a love of mine… I just never took it too seriously. I used to always be singing/ rapping etc when I was “partying.” I did a lot of that when I was younger. The interesting thing is that all of my music came out after I got sober. So it’s almost as if this is what I was meant to do. I’ve always loved rap. Some of my earliest memories of rap were the Beastie Boys, The Fat Boys, Run DMC, Tone Loc, NWA, and Boogie Down Productions. I don’t really consider myself to be a rapper though… I’m more of a pop artist/ singer-songwriter who sometimes raps. Â
Who are your top 3 go-to artists and what is it about them that puts them on your list?
Jon Bellion – dude is a genius and a huge inspiration. It’s hard to put it into words, but he understands the human experience better than any other artist I’ve come across.Â
Ben Bohmer is also a genius and probably my favorite music discovery of all time. Â
Eminem is the GOAT. I mean come on….. it’s Eminem. Â
Finally, what question do you wish someone would ask you in an interview, but nobody ever does? And what’s the answer to that question?
Who’s my celebrity crush? And I would go with Alexandra Daddario and Margot Robbie 🙂
Watch the video by following this link and find out more about Chris Waters and his music online on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
