This week’s artist spotlight focuses on singer/songwriter Former Vandal, who has written several songs about the hit MTV supernatural drama, Teen Wolf.
The Artist’s Spotlight is a new Hypable weekly feature that will focus on someone who has caught our attention for fandom-related art, whether it be drawings, songs, crafts, or more! Every week you can expect a new talented artist we think you should be aware of!
This week, we’re talking to Former Vandal, whose real name is Quinn Wentz, the singer and songwriter behind “War” and “War: Pt. II,” a pair of songs inspired by the events of Teen Wolf season 3.
If you’re wondering where the name Former Vandal came from, Wentz has a pretty clever back story for it:
I go by Former Vandal when it comes to my music. I understand it can be a bit confusing, because I make vlogs and YouTube videos under my real name, but as far as music goes, it’s Former Vandal. I chose the name because it seemed to me every other musical endeavor I had pursued with previous bands ended pretty abruptly and I felt as if I was the one who kept messing things up. So I started Former Vandal with the idea that I was no longer going to “vandalize” my own chances and just try to trust in myself and take responsibility for both my success AND my shortcomings. And from that idea, Former Vandal was born.
Hypable: What inspired this song?
Former Vandal: “War” was inspired by the Teen Wolf trailer for season 3B. I had loved the show for a long time, and was pretty passionate about it. I was kind of in the middle of a dryspell with my own personal music, so I decided to draw inspiration from one of the things that I would distract myself with, which was Teen Wolf. I watched the trailer and just picked up where last season left us, combined with the trailer, and came up with “War.”
Tell us about the production of the song and music video.
I knew I wanted a very cinematic composition with some drama and creepiness. A lot of time was spent just playing with different sounds and finding what sounded most like it could be a part of the show. I record everything on my own, so I had time to mess around with plenty of different ideas. As far as the music video goes, most of it was inspired by the black light party scene. I wanted it to look as creepy as the trailer did, so I kept it really dark and simplistic. I painted my face with some neon paint, set up some black lights, set my camera on a tripod, turned off the basement lights, and just went wild. I was stoked with the result!
What was it like to be featured in an MTV TV spot for the show?
It was completely surreal. I was so honored to be noticed and supported by the very people that inspired the song. It was one of those moments where you just step back and say, “Is this even really happening?” It opened so many doors for me, and I am forever grateful for the amazing people at MTV.
What made you decide to write a second part to the song?
I knew about halfway through the season that I wanted to somehow make a slower, ballad version of “War” because I saw the way a lot of people connected so deeply with the lyrics of the original version. It wasn’t until after season 3, episode 23 that I knew exactly what I wanted to do. The words came pretty easily, and it all came together pretty fast.
Do you think you’ll be writing more songs for season 4?
I’ll DEFINITELY be making more Teen Wolf songs for season 4. I have so much fun with them, and people seem to really like them, so until everyone else stops having fun, I’ll keep going.
You’ve got a new album coming out! Can you tell us a little about that?
Yes! I have a new album called Feel Something, coming out June 17! I’m so excited to release this stuff; I’ve been working really hard on it and I can’t wait for people to hear it. The album is mostly based around a series of events that happened between two of my then best friends and I at the beginning of 2013. Some really shady stuff went down, and I was pretty hurt for a long time, but when I finally came out of all the rubble I had some of the most passionate and real songs I’d ever written. The general topic of the album, Feel Something, is about people lacking emotions or a conscience, and dealing with the fallout of other people’s decisions. It was definitely an album I needed to make in order to work through it all and rediscover myself as an individual, instead of living through and for other people.
What inspired your first single, “Storage Room”?
“Storage Room” is about realizing that someone was using you for the sake of convenience. They would only pay attention to you and needed you when it was beneficial for them to do so. However, a lot of times you only realize this after that person decides they don’t need you altogether. I picked this as the first single because it’s a really energetic song, and it’s also the opener on the album.
I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me thus far. It’s been a crazy journey for such a short amount of time, and I can’t wait to show you Feel Something. I’m looking forward to June 17, and I hope you guys are too! I love you all!
You can find Wentz on YouTube, where he posts music videos for his songs and vlogs about Teen Wolf.
Speaking of songs, if you like what you heard here, feel free to hit up his iTunes and Bandcamp pages to purchase his music!
And if you just want to follow him on his various social media pages, you can find him on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook.