Puma Blue Interview
One of the hottest acts in the indie scene that hails from London, songwriter and producer Jacob Allen, aka Puma Blue has taken the world by storm. Having gone to the prestigious BRIT school and a fondness for lo-fi, the his music that he’s produced in his bedroom has given him the opportunity to travel to other countries to perform. Puma Blue has already solidified himself as an artist that isn’t tied down to one genre.
While only making music under the Puma Blue moniker since 2017, he’s made numerous songs underneath under aliases and even under his own name. Don’t sleep on him for too long because he’s guaranteed to blow up sooner than later. I discovered him on the Bedroom Pop playlist on Spotify and have been a fan since then. He’s even performed a song for COLORS, a YouTube channel that showcases up-and-coming and popular artists.
If I haven’t gassed up Puma Blue enough, just check out the interview we got to do with him. We talk about his live album, some of the other aliases he’s gone under, and what inspires his songwriting.
Favorite Puma Blue Songs: “Soft Porn, “Only Trying 2 Tell U”, “Bruise Cruise”
You released a live album called on his own. Live in Atlanta.’ What made you decide to release a live version of your songs and why in Atlanta?
PB: My girlfriend is from Atlanta and I was staying with her before my first U.S. tour in March. We thought it would be cool to do a stripped back solo set a couple nights before I left, so we booked this show last minute at Eddie’s Attic and it was really intimate. The sound engineer came up to me afterwards with a USB stick and told me he recorded the whole set.. And so, that’s the album. It just sort of happened.
What kind of feelings do you want your listeners to evoke when hearing your songs? What type of mood do you want them to be in once a song is finished?
PB: Whatever mood they want to be in. I hope they feel in touch with themselves, spiritually and emotionally open. Maybe a little sexy sometimes too.
You’ve been playing and performing music for most of your life but when did it hit you that you should take it seriously?
PB: Pretty much always. I started playing drums when I was 7 and I remember that by the time I was about 10, which was before I started playing guitar, I knew music was what I wanted to use my life for. The short term goals have constantly changed but the long term goal has been to just follow that desire and do it the best that I can.
I’ve heard that some of your songs started off as poems. Have you ever thought about creating something visual like a short film based off them or even just releasing a book of poems?
PB: Yeah, I borrow lyrics from my poems all the time, which weirdly feels like cheating... I have often thought about publishing a book of them, but i’d only want to work on one if I had the time to really make it beautiful. Something to hold and keep, not just the black words on white paper. Let’s leave that to the proper poets. I did make a little visual for a poem I wrote once but I don’t think it was very good.
Your music can’t be categorized under one specific genre and you can hear multiple influences in your songs. Do you think Butch Slims or Twisted Loco Nightclub contributed in making you more versatile in producing a song?
PB: Damn, Twisted Loco Nightclub... That’s a throwback. Those two names were actually just the previous names for my beats project Boss Nass, and I still think about changing the name sometimes... But for sure, that’s the whole reason I started putting music out secretly under those names. I’ve always been a huge lover of hip-hop and sample-based electronic music as well but I wanted to get better at making stuff so it was kinda just practice. I think over the years, just making beats in my spare time, getting away from songwriting for a moment, it’s been cathartic but also just a way of teaching myself better skills. I think that definitely came across on a couple tracks on the last EP, just those two parallel worlds meeting. It’s given me more creative freedom.
You have multiple personas with Puma Blue being the most prominent. Do you mind telling me why you've gone under different names such as Boss Nass, Ruby Bliels, Twisted Loco Nightclub, and Butch Slims, instead of just putting it all under Puma Blue?
PB: I guess they’ve just always felt separate to me. Like I said, sometimes I just want to make beats or ambient guitar loops and forget completely about songwriting or audience or whatever. When I was a teenager, I used to just make so much music across such a spectrum of styles, and that’s beautiful but it was like living in a messy bedroom. It all falls under the bracket of me, Jacob, already.. So compartmentalizing a little just helps me focus my output and be less messy. Also, a touch of anonymity has always appealed to me. I don’t even mind when people are aware that all those names are me, but it just keeps my intentions pure when I feel like i can just freely create. I can just decide where it fits in the world afterwards.
Do you think winning Oxted’s Got Talent helped you grow as a musician?
PB: Hahaha. No. Where did you even find…!? Nevermind. I will say it taught me to trust my gut instinct though, because the winner of that thing got to meet a “professional in their field”, and I was kind of shoved into the arms of this record label exec and I just instantly didn’t trust her, like in my stomach, so I turned down her offer. And then a couple of months later, it turned out she had really fucked over a couple of runners up in the competition! Oh, also my friend Chad and his dance partner totally should have won instead of me, they were way better and all I did was sing a song I wrote.
How far do you think you could get if you were on Love Island?
PB: I don’t think i’d get to the island. It’s not my kind of show.
Is there anything you usually request on your hospitality rider?
PB: We always try and get my manager some whisky to take home. I’m all about requesting clean, healthy stuff and then after a day of driving, I literally always just want a cold beer. But we’re not very picky. I still feel bad even requesting stuff, it feels like a diva move even though it’s pretty standard. For the next tour we’re requesting no paper though!
Last but not least, what do you have in store for people that plan on seeing you when you go on tour in North America?
PB: Well... Nothing made of paper. Climate change jokes aside, i’m playing four or five new songs from new the album i’m working on. The band is just so tight these days, I think it’s gonna be a really special one.
Also, bringing out some really cool special guests that i’m excited about. I can’t wait to be playing again!
