A few weeks ago Alex Seaver aka Mako released his sophomore album, Fable. The album is incredible and I can’t stop listening to it! I didn’t know much about Seaver, so I reached out for an interview. I wanted to know more about his sound, how he’s matured since releasing his debut artist album, Hourglass in 2016 and what it was like working with Ultra Music. I encourage you to listen to Fable while reading this interview. According to Seaver, “Fable is a thrilling, terrifying, and deeply meaningful record for me. I’m so grateful to have yo on this journey with me.” The album really is a journey filled with 11 tracks that will keep you coming back for more. In the meantime, it is an honor to introduce you to Mako.
Your real name is Alex Seaver. Where did the name Mako come from?
Actually, from a video game called Final Fantasy, funny enough. My old partner Logan came up with the name, and I remember thinking, “Oh, sure, this won’t stick with me for the rest of my life or anything.”
You’ve worked with several labels including Ultra, DOORN Records and Interscope Records. How does the experience compare from one label to the next? And are you out there looking to work with these other labels or do they come to you?
I was really lucky to get my foot in the door with all those guys without too much trouble. Being on a label is complicated and frustrating and fascinating all at once. The confluence of art and commerce is just one of those forever-ongoing collisions that makes for a lot of interesting, rewarding, and discouraging chapters in your creative/professional life.
Your single “RISE” has over 126 million streams on Spotify. Incredible. When you released that single did you ever expect it would be this popular?
NO WAY JOSÉ. I’m forever blown away looking at those numbers. Also, the numbers of it all is hard to properly wrap your brain around. I remember playing a show in Saudi Arabia last year, putting that record on, and hearing a small stadium start screaming along with it. Stuff like that really hits me like a ton of bricks… Wow, people all over the world have heard this piece of music. It never gets old!
What is your songwriting process like? Do you sit down with a pad of paper or do songs just come to you?
I’m never “pad and paper” guy, though I do have a note-app of a few song titles I find sticky in interesting ways. I generally veer into a song in about two to three different ways, and I also make a dedicated effort to mix those up so that I’m not getting stuck building tracks the same way. It will either start at the piano, with a bubbling instrumental, or off of another producer’s material. I get different results depending on which pathway I take.
Who are some of your biggest influences? Curious about who you are listening to when you’re not writing or recording.
My biggest influences are definitely within the classical music world, film music, and then on through electronic and indie rock. Lately I’ve been getting pretty attracted to analog synths and stuff… So my playlists right now look a lot like those type of artists that marry lovely analogue electronic music with organic stuff (Moderat, Jon Hopkins, Olafur Arnalds, Bonobo, etc.)
You worked with Sander van Doorn on the single “Into the Light” featuring Mariana Bell. I’ve always liked him. How did you connect with him and what was it like working with him in the studio?
That was a label connect through Interscope! It was a very “internet-age” process, in that we never once met in the studio. I built the vocal with Mariana, we sent the stems across the internet… And next thing you know, Sander and DubVision!
Fable is amazing. I can’t stop listening to it. Tell me more about the new album.
Thank you so much!! It came at a period for me where I really wanted to branch out and invent a bit of a fresh sound. Something that people might say, “I haven’t heard anything like this”, or, “Oh, that’s clearly Mako.” I feel like I’ve spent the right amount of time copying people and learning through emulation. It felt like time to take some chances? If that makes sense. It’s a proper marriage of all my influences throughout my life.
Fable is full of great songs, but I think I like “Coyote” the best. What are some of your favorite singles on the new album?
Those first three off the album are really magical for me… “Parable”, “Coyote” and “Peregrine”. I’m also a huge sucker for “Chameleon”.
You have a lot of merchandise for sale including hats, shirts and hoodies, but I love the facemask. What are some other items folks at home can buy?
We’re getting ready to print a round of vinyls for Fable! Very excited.
COVID-19 put a damper on live music in 2020. Curious if we will be able to get back to normal this year… And what a live show might look like. Where are some of your favorite places to play?
Ugh, I know. I was so excited to announce that I was touring with Lindsey Stirling, right before COVID started. We had a date at Red Rocks Amphitheater and that’s gotta be my #1 right now.
You went to school as a musician. Tell me more about your time at The Juilliard School.
It was very wild! Sort of like Hogwarts for music. (Laughs) I was a French horn player (super weird, I know). Paradise in a lot of ways, also fucking terrifying and emotionally intense in others. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything in the world, and yet I’m very very very happy I left the classical music world.
I love the photo on your home page. Where did you take that and who took that? Also, what is on the wall behind you?
Thanks! We commissioned a lovely artist to paint a tapestry for us in the style of the artwork for Fable. It was an awesome experiment and it turned out so much better than I expected.
What’s next for Mako?
I’m scoring a TV Show! More news to come on that in the months ahead!
Thank you for doing this – I feel like I could ask you questions for hours! In all of the interviews I do, I always like to give the artist the last word. Any final thoughts to share?
THANK YOU SO MUCH, I truly appreciate the support and a massive thank you to anyone that ends up spending some time on Fable, it means a lot <3
Connect with Mako:
Website: https://itsmako.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itsmako
Instagram: http://instagram.com/itsmako
SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/wearemako
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/wearemako
Twitter: https://twitter.com/itsmako
