CTRL X Band released their long-awaited album “Coração Jovem” on music platforms on May 17th. With 11 original tracks recorded at the renowned WR Studios, in Bahia, the project reflects the band’s dedicated and meticulous work. The standout track, “Se Play Ness Vida”, arrives today on YouTube with a music video that promises to win over the public with its infectious melody and positive message.
The album recording process was divided into two stages: creation and recording. During its creation, the band dedicated itself to the development of each song, from composing the lyrics to finalizing the arrangements. In the recording stage, each instrument was recorded individually, bringing each track to life in detail. The production was carried out by Apu Tude, a renowned music producer, whose expertise added value to the project.
In addition to the music, the band stood out for its innovative album cover art, created entirely by artificial intelligence. This choice reflects the band’s contemporary and pop identity, always attentive to market trends. With the release of “Coração Jovem”, the members of CTRL X celebrate a special milestone in their career, full of pride and excitement.
“Coração Jovem” is your first album. What was the creation and recording process like for this project?
“Coração Jovem” is more than a simple project; It’s a life journey. We dedicate our time and energy to it, from songs created in 2019 to those newly composed in 2024. Although its spirit is young and solar, it encompasses many different themes and musical genres, the results of our constant experimentation and musical discoveries. Our creative process follows a consistent dynamic in all songs: one of the members brings an idea for lyrics and melody with some simple base behind it on the guitar or simple beat and then together we continue to develop the song as a whole.
The work song, “Se play in this life”, has a contagious melody and positive lyrics. What was the inspiration behind this track?
The main inspiration for “Se Joga Nessa Vida” was when the three of us were talking about how much we wanted to make a living from music and how fulfilling it was for us. The lyrics came with the intention of inspiring and motivating people to live their lives to the fullest, seeking to convey a message of encouragement, encouraging listeners and our fans to embrace new opportunities, overcome challenges and follow their dreams and their loves with determination and enthusiasm. .
The music video for “Se Play Ness Vida” was recently released. What was the experience of filming this video like and what do you hope fans feel when watching it?
To tell the truth, recording this clip was quite a hassle! We changed ideas and locations several times, but when we found a concept that matched the music, everything worked out. In fact, it was one of the most fun clips to record, especially the sea scenes. We hope our fans feel a sense of freedom, literally the feeling of “throwing yourself into life”, you know? Because it’s an open clip and in very beautiful landscapes, that’s what we feel when watching it.
You recorded the album at the famous WR Studios, in Bahia. How did this location influence the sound and atmosphere of the album?
WR was the place that opened the doors for us to work professionally. Nothing would be possible without this historical space that drives us towards music. Recording there was another opportunity to continue the work that has been gathered over the last few years, with WR being the birthplace of the creation of practically all the songs on this album, from conception to the final take. It is very gratifying to be able to count on the support of the artists who work there, who directly and indirectly contribute to our work and the day to day life of our second home.
Apu Tude was the project’s music producer. What was it like working with him and how did he contribute to the development of the album?
Apu is our Master, literally. Although everything on the album was created and produced practically solely by the three of us, everything on there went through Apu. What remains in the songs is the final product of a long process of musical choices. Apu is our guide to try to better understand our musical identity. A lot of what we know about music today is because of him, so, directly and indirectly, he adds a lot to our album.
The album cover was created by artificial intelligence. What led you to choose this approach and how does it reflect the band’s identity?
We believe that it was a choice that arose, firstly, from the attempts to create art to our taste, even though we were not graphic artists, and from being able to decide the direction that the drawing would take. We started with ideas and references in our minds that we couldn’t put into practice, but we knew they connected with the songs. Despite being art made by artificial intelligence (AI), the prompt and the decision-making and post-production process for this art were made by us, and certainly reflect the identity we wanted for the songs.
What were the biggest challenges you faced during the production of the album and how did you overcome these obstacles?
During the recordings, the biggest challenge was transforming the songs we already had in demo format into something concrete, and understanding the general concept we wanted to bring to the album. As each song followed a different musical style, we first needed to identify the link that would unite them, before starting recording.
Each track on the album seems to capture different phases of the band. Could you talk a little more about these phases and how they influenced the sound of the album?
As we mentioned before, “Coração Jovem” has been on our minds since around 2019, and since then there have been many transformations both personally and in our dynamics as best friends and band. I believe this has had a lot of influence at every stage, as we had the opportunity to literally grow together with these songs, which became part of us and our history.
With the release of “Coração Jovem”, what are the next steps for CTRL X? Do you have any touring plans or new projects in mind?
We have all of this in mind, and even, so as not to give too much of a spoiler, we have been going to the studio a lot, both individually and alongside other artists from Bahia. We think good things come out of there!
Reception from fans and critics so far has been very positive. How are you dealing with this success and what are your expectations for the band’s future?
All fans who listen to our album with affection contribute to the construction of our history. We are extremely grateful to the people who accompany us. We recognized the potential of our album and were happy to see people have the same spark when listening to the songs that we had when creating them. The reception has been incredible, and we believe that we will take this album very far. It has been a work of many years and we are looking forward to what lies ahead.
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