We recently had the opportunity to catch up with producer and artist, pluko, to talk a bit about his music and recent single “feelings”, which features singer/songwriter, Marlhy. At only 20 years old, the Hollidaysburg, PA native has released two studio albums, the most recent being his critically-acclaimed record, COLOR BLIND, which dropped in May. In addition to his rapidly growing fanbase, pluko recently launched Splendid Society, a record label, collective and fashion brand.
Check out our interview with pluko below.
BTS: Where did your name originate from?
pluko: My name actually hasn’t always been pluko. I came up with the name Pluto when I was 14 because I really liked how the name looked and sounded. It just perfectly fit the sound of the music that I was beginning to write at the time (the early pluto demos). As soon as my music started to get bigger, it became more and more obvious that I’d have to change my name because of legal issues. So after months and months of trying to come up with a new name, I ended up just changing the “T” to a “K” and that was that! It wouldn’t have felt right to change my name to something completely different, this name is like a part of me now.
BTS: Do you feel that growing up in a small town, like Hollidaysburg, has had an influence on your music?
pluko: For sure. I honestly think that if fans who only have ever heard my music would come to Hollidaysburg, they would understand where they were. My music is a reflection of the things around me, and the roots of my sound are everywhere throughout this place. As I’ve started to leave home and see the world, my sound has progressed with that. My first album “sixteen” was written when I really had never left my home yet. It’s crazy to hear the progression of my sound as I’ve grown as a person.
BTS: Is there a setting that you find you create your best work?
pluko: I really like putting myself in new and uncomfortable situations. The music that I create and the state of my mind when I’m in a fresh environment is a really magical thing. At the same time though, I really enjoy writing music in the comfort of my home. I like just waking up and having some coffee and sitting down with a fresh mind and seeing what comes out of it.
BTS: How did you get connected with Marlhy for your new single, “feelings”?
pluko: My team had first told me about Marlhy about a year ago and I loved her tracks and demos. When I wrote “feelings”, I really thought that the track would fill out beautifully with a powerful female voice singing alongside mine. Marhly was definitely the first to come to mind and we reached out! She was so pumped and cut the vocals within a day or two. She’s such a talented vocalist and I’m so glad she was vibing with the track.
BTS: You’ve already found such great success at only 20 years old, have there been any mentors that have helped you grow into the artist you’ve become?
pluko: I draw a lot of motivation and inspiration from people like Phil Knight, Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, Jimmy Iovine, etc. One of my favorite things to do is study incredibly successful people and figure out what it took to get there. This really feeds my internal flame to just chase after my dreams as hard as I can. I think that studying successful people in business is just as important as studying artists. I study people like Steve Jobs exactly how I would study artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Leonardo, Kanye West, etc. I love creating and expressing myself just as much as I love the hard work side of everything. I treat every day like it’s do or die honestly. I put an incredible amount of pressure on myself which isn’t always the best thing, but it works for me. I love what I do and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.
BTS: How have you been coping with not being able to play shows for the past few months?
pluko: Writing music is honestly my favorite thing to do so it really hasn’t been that bad. I love playing shows and I really miss seeing the smiles on all my fans’ faces, but writing music is just as much of a thrill to me. I’ve really just honed in on creating the best possible music that i can for 2021 so when it is time to tour again, I’ll be fully ready with a ton of new tunes.
BTS: Any songs or artists you’ve been enjoying lately?
pluko: I’ve been listening to a lot of Dom Fike. My friend Nate Traveller put me on to him a while ago and I really love his tunes. I also found this artist “juuku” making some pretty insane stuff, it’s got me pretty stoked.
BTS: What’s next for pluko?
pluko: MORE MUSIC. I’m also starting up a Twitch stream and I couldn’t be more stoked about it. I’m going to be writing music on stream and doing DJ sets as well. But lots and lots of new music on the way 🙂
Stay up to date with pluko !
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