Through his music and this interview, Itz Namo brings raw feeling, lived experience and a clear refusal to shrink his ambition into something more acceptable. Here, the Grand Rapids artist opens up about the personal history behind FLATLINE!, tracing its heartbreak, lovebombing and confusion back to loneliness, emotional setbacks and the hunger to turn pain into something lasting. He also reflects on his family’s musical roots, the garage rock and 80s-leaning sound that fuels his songwriting, and the moment live performance shifted his approach to melody and crowd connection.
Welcome to A&R Factory, Itz Namo. With FLATLINE! out in the world, we’re glad to have you with us. For anyone discovering you through FLATLINE!, how would you introduce yourself as both an artist and a person behind the songs?
Hey, I’m Itz Namo, but my real name is Aiden. I’m a trans man who looks into my past or what I’m currently going through right now, and I’m the person who wrote and sing my all into these songs! I was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and from my mom’s side of the family were all mariachis. I never met them but she always told me stories about them and their gigs that they had in Mexico and now i’m trying to keep this music tradition going but not as a mariachi band but as an independent artist to spice things up!
FLATLINE! covers heartbreak, lovebombing, confusion and falling hard for someone. What was going on in your life that pushed those themes to the surface so strongly on this record?
For a long time, I felt alone. The failures that I’ve gone through situation-wise or relationship-wise I used to think that in order to be happy in life was to find that special someone but now that I’ve been alone in this journey for a long while now, I’ve realized that I need to chase my dreams and accomplish them.
There’s a real emotional push and pull in the way you describe the album. When you were writing the lyrics, how did you decide what to say plainly and what to leave a little more open-ended?
When I write my lyrics I sometimes just go with the flow of what I’m feeling on that day. I sometimes do like a Kendrick Lamar lyricism type of vibe but also a bit more of Taylor Swift because I can’t stop talking about these relationships that I’ve gone through.
You’ve said you want your music to carry a garage rock edge, an indie feel, and the spirit of 80s rock with a modern twist. What pulls you towards that sound, and which parts of it feel most natural to you?
I want people to have a nostalgia feeling when listening to my songs I feel like a lot of music back then had a ton of meaning and that’s why people listen to it still because they can relate to someone talking about the things that they went through but now and days a lot of people make songs just for a quick money grab when in reality music holds a deeper message.
Your songs sound like they’re built to be sung back in a room full of people. When you’re writing melodies, are you thinking about that live connection from the start, or does that come later?
At first, I wasn’t thinking about a live connection, but after performing for the Eastown Street Fair at the Mulligans Pub I sang “Get Loose” and the crowd was amazing, singing along the chorus but then I realized after that I need to make more songs that the crowd can get more engaged in singing along.
Some of the album also deals with people doubting you and telling you to give up on music for a regular job. How did that pressure shape your mindset, and did it light more of a fire under you creatively?
I showed My favorite teacher in highschool my music and he told me I shouldn’t chase my dream to become a music artist and to instead work in construction or work in business, it was that day that I knew I wanted to prove him wrong so I started watching steve lacy ted talk on youtube over and over again and watched twooba and other youtubers on how to make music on the Garageband app I wanted to show people that you don’t need expensive equipment to make music but to use what you can around you.
Performing at Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids must have felt huge, especially knowing the names that have played there before you. What did that moment mean to you personally, and did it change the way you saw your place in music?
Quick shoutout to Knorberg band for sharing that stage on that night! They didn’t have to bring me up there but they did! And also Driving In The Bike Lane for giving me a free ticket to watch their show at the pyramid scheme and giving me advice on how to perform, Anyways! Honestly it was a big accomplishment to me, one of my biggest idols that I listened to since I was a teenager, Mac Demarco was singing on that very stage where I was standing. And seeing the way the crowd move with the music makes me wanna do better songs that more people can feel good listening to!
With a deluxe edition on the way featuring other artists, what can you tell us about the collaborations, and what sides of FLATLINE! will those extra tracks open up?
This is honestly my first time doing a deluxe album with collaborations but we have a few collabs in there featuring Z!pt!e, Animal Fries, and Emjaay that you all will be hearing from soon! And also a few unreleased songs from yours truly! And I know that this album will open up a new wave of listeners for the audience to check out their music and be prepared to hear more heartbreaks and bangers on the deluxe album! 🙂
Stream and connect with Itz Namo on all major platforms via this link.
Interview by Amelia Vanderast
