“Even though this is the first track on the album, it was actually one of the last songs I made for the album. Originally, “boy” was going to be the opener, but since I had already teased it and it was pretty well known among my listeners, I felt like I needed something new—something that felt more like an actual opening statement.

This track shares a similar vibe with “boy,” which makes the transition between them smooth, but it tackles a completely different theme. I wanted to kick off the album by addressing something personal—like how I’ve been navigating the bit of online attention I’ve gotten. That’s why I chose to write it in third person, to reinforce the persona of the clown character I’ve created.

The song concept was inspired by the idea of me being on stage, presenting the persona to everyone. I even did the intro and outro speaker voice myself. It’s an upbeat opener inspired by the boombap hip-hop genre I started just now recently getting more into more from artists like ‘Tyler, the creator’ and ‘Earl Sweatshirt’. It’s an opener that grabs attention and sets the tone for the listeners tuning into this new era.”

“To be honest, “Boy” was the song that really pushed me to take this album as serious as i did. Clown was originally only going to have like five or 6 tracks (believe it or not), but once I made this song, I knew I couldn't put it on a project that felt mid. It came out way too good for that. Like so good to me that i replayed the song all night on loop after i made it as if i was shocked i could even make a song like it.

Lyrically, it’s my spin on that “I’m just a girl, don’t take me too seriously” trend—but from a boy’s perspective. On the surface, it’s light shit, but underneath, it’s got a lil depth. To me, it’s about being a guy in a world that expects you to act a certain way—like you can’t show emotion, you always have to be outgoing, try to fuck every girl you see , doing the most. I grew up pretty closed off emotionally and to myself often, and I still am in some ways. But I’m learning to open up more—to people at least, I’m locked in with my girlfriend and i’m loyal to her so i’m not looking to fuck other girls lol.

Fitting under that teenage boy stereotype is just something I’ve struggled to adapt to since I was like 13. I’d say i’m comfortable with where i stand as a boy and as a man now though.”

“I think “Go Home, Sarah” was probably the first track I made for this album. I remember making it while on a call with my girlfriend, Makalynn—who listeners know as “Sarah.” I gave her that stage name to protect her privacy and keep people from harassing her over my music. I chose “Sarah” because it's the name of a character from My Babysitter’s a Vampire, a show we both love, and also because it’s a name that comes up a lot in music from artists I admire, like Radiohead. A lot of people thought it came from Alex G since I use his instrumentals sometimes, but it didn’t—I barely even listen to him.

Like the other “Sarah” songs i’ve made, this song reflects where we were in our relationship at the time. When I made it, I was super in love with her—and I still am. I remember playing her the song after finishing it and she cried, lol. That moment—and the song itself—motivated me to start working on a new album. It felt like I had more to say, so I said, “fuck it,” and started letting niggas know it was time for a new project

The original version of the song had my vocals pitched up by a lot, and at first I wasn’t sure if I should keep my pitched up vocals, which had a more joyful, upbeat sound. But after shaping the rest of the album, I wanted a slower, more emotional sound overall. Even though I was insecure about my vocals, I decided to leave them raw and unpitched—showing my real singing voice. I’ve grown to really like that decision.”

-P.S Having my girlfriend in the music video was one of the best experiences ever. I love involving her in my music—she’s incredibly supportive."

This is yet another song that I felt was way too good to be left in the dirt or go unnoticed. Originally, “Mime Hotel” was supposed to be on the ‘Act Before Clown’ EP I dropped, which means it probably wouldn’t have gotten the promo or love it deserved. That’s honestly how I feel about every song on ‘Act Before Clown’, bro. Even though it’s only three tracks, I consider them some of my best songs from 2024—probably because they were the last ones I made that year.

Since I basically just randomly uploaded the EP on a burner SoundCloud account instead of my main, it didn’t get as much attention as it could’ve. “Fraud” still did really good, but I wish the whole tape thrived.

Anyway, “Mime Hotel” is a special song for sure. When I first heard the beat, I was like, “nah yeah, I gotta record on this shit now.” It had the perfect sound—reminded me of old Drake, back when that nigga used to sing and be featured on every song ever. His shit was peak then.

I do kinda regret making the song so short, but I think that actually boosts its replay value. Definitely one of my favorites on the album. Not too much substance in terms of meaning, but it’s 100% the perfect “sit back and enjoy” type of track.

When it comes to “Kids,” I knew a song like this needed to exist on the album. I don’t know what it was, but I had the idea for this song in my head before I even found the instrumental—like, I already had the flow, the chorus, everything. So when I was looking for the right beat, it was easy to tell what would be perfect because I deadass already had the whole song mapped out in my mind. Once I found the instrumental, I got straight to work.

I wanted to make a song about missing being a kid—so I did. Pretty straightforward, kind of hard to miss the meaning. What’s crazy though is that I had the most indecision with this track. Just like “Go Home, Sarah,” it was originally pitched up, which gave it a more playful, kiddy vibe with dark lyrics underneath. But in the end, I wanted the album to feel fully serious and consistent in tone, so I went with the slower, original version as the final cut.

Out of all the songs, this is probably the only one that’s made me tear up a little, not gonna lie. There’s just something about it—it’s so simple, yet it hits so heavy for me.

As much as I wanted this album to stay consistent in sound, I can’t go a whole project without at least one hard song. I remember I was digging around for some hard beats and ended up going through DMs with a producer I’ve worked with before, named Sincerely Dre—he produced a song on my last album ‘Death of a Jester’. There was this one beat he recently had sent that literally fit the whole clown vibe perfectly, and then out of nowhere, it transitions into a classic, hard-ass plugg beat. That shit was a miracle. I recorded on it right away, and that was that.

The lyrics on this one are probably the darkest and most unfiltered on the album—but that was kind of the whole point. I’ve gotten criticism before that some of my songs aren’t super strong lyrically, or that they’re a little plain and repetitive. So for this, I wanted to say something—something that would stick. Just to clarify though: I’m not suicidal, and I don’t support Satan. The lyrics are more for shock value, to catch people off guard just like the beat switch does.

I had a lot of fun recording and mixing this one. Plugg beats are so easy to flow on—I love ‘em.

Nigga, don’t even get me started on this song. Hands down one of my best songs as of writing this. I honestly don’t even remember how it came about or what led me to take it in the direction I did. The first influence that comes to mind is all the music I used to bump as a kid—and honestly still do. That radio-era, Tumblr/Pinterest-core sound from artists like Lorde, Melanie Martinez, Troye Sivan, Twenty One Pilots, and especially The 1975—probably my #1 favorite band ever. The 1975 had a huge influence on this album overall, so big shoutout to them.

When I was making this song, I was just in the mode. And once I finished it, I knew Clown was gonna be my best work yet. I previewed it on Instagram not long after and my supporters went crazy for it, just like I expected. Out of every track on the album, “The Party” is easily my favorite—the one I wanted everyone to hear first.

As for the meaning, it’s a mix of how I navigate my relationships and this constant feeling of alienation. Feeling different from everyone—my dad, my siblings, my cousins, old friends—it’s that same “alone in a room full of people” feeling that’s always lingered. I really tapped into my mainstream bag with this one. So proud of how it turned out.

“Hair” is another older one-off track that I decided to throw onto the album, once again produced by Dre. I think it was actually the first song I teased to my listeners after dropping DOAJ then going ghost for a while. A lot of people fucked with it, so I was like, why not add it to Clown?

It’s just another hard song—probably the only one that isn’t fully on-theme, since it wasn’t made specifically for the album like the rest. But I still think it fits. It gives listeners one last taste of the harder sound before the album fully shifts into the more mellow, somber wrap-up with the final three tracks.

Even though it’s more of a hard-hitting track, there are still some lyrics in there that touch on the themes of image and insecurity—just blended in with some more typical rap lines. Overall, it’s a cool lil song for the people who might not wanna sit through too much of the slow, depressing stuff. I get it. I like to keep my listeners intrigued, but never too comfortable.

Now we’re getting to the near end of the album where shit really starts to wrap up. This one was another fun track to make—it’s a little experimental. I was just messing around with vocal effects, layering different stuff. That “HEY” sound you hear is actually a sample I pulled from “Wild” by Troye Sivan.

Originally, Clown wasn’t gonna have any features at all, just because I wanted the focus to be fully on me. But I also wanted at least one of my niggas on the album—even if it was just in the background or a small part. That’s how a lot of mainstream artists do it, right? Background vocals, ad-libs, little touches from other mainstream niggas. I was like, why can’t I do that too?

I really only had two people in mind: my niggas Kushbabykeys and Ja66. I wanted both of them on it doing background vocals, but Keys never ended up sending his part sadly—I know fans were expecting me to keep the tradition of featuring him on every album. But it ended up just being my Ja66, and that was more than enough.

It was fye as hell cooking this up with him on call. He’s never really done something like what he did on this song, but it came out so fire. I love that nigga. Him and Keys are honestly two of the most talented dudes in the scene right now—genuinely. Everyone in our collective, Finesse Cult, is.

The song is also a nod to the creator of the cartoon “The Oblongs”, Angus Oblong. I love that show dearly, and he’s also the inspo behind the clown makeup idea.

Something I really wanted on this album was a song that featured female vocals in some way—highly inspired by the song “About You” by The 1975 (told you they were a big influence on this project lol). I fuck with that song heavy, and the whole Being Funny in a Foreign Language album too.

So yeah, I wanted woman vocals, which was mad hard to get since there aren’t many women artists in the scene I’m in—let alone ones who can actually sing. Plus, my girlfriend didn’t really want me working with a girl. She’s that type of girlfriend lmao.

In the end, I asked a friend who i wont name for privacy, and she did her thing.

The meaning of the song is about the flaws in a relationship. Some of it could be taken from things in my relationship, I guess, but this one was more of a storytelling track—not fully based on myself. I also really tried to sing on this one. I think it came out nice, but of course there’s always room to improve.

The original title was “quiet + naked = pretty,” but I figured people might take that the wrong way, so I asked my girlfriend if I should change it—and I did.

The final song on the album, “Joke,” felt like the perfect wrap-up to me. Not too many lyrics, but the ones that are there kinda hit. Every time I’d relisten to the album to check it over, and it ended with this song, I always felt like I’d just sat through a whole movie. Even my manager Harry said it felt satisfying after listening.

It wasn’t the last track I made for the album, but when I found the beat, I knew it had to be the closer. Shit felt cinematic as hell—the buildup and everything. I had to do some arranging, though, ‘cause the original beat had a shitty beat drop. But I fixed it up to my liking.

The title is a little homage to the second Joker movie that came out. Disappointing movie, btw—I don’t know why they made that shit a musical. But yeah, I had to pay respect to THE clown himself.

I also added the text-to-speech voices throughout the song to make it feel like you had voices in your head—‘cause, I mean, we all got voices telling us shit we don’t wanna hear, telling us the brutal truth. It’s like when you’re praying and there’s that random voice in your head that says, “Fuck God.” It’s harsh, outta nowhere, but it’s there.