How did you get started performing? What was it that roped you in, figuratively speaking?
SL: I started performing to get my dad’s attention as a little girl. My dad would spend time managing other artists and I would hate when he would leave home. So I entered a 5th-grade talent show and chose a song from the biggest diva herself Aretha Franklin “Respect”. I worked so hard to perfect that performance just so my dad would manage me and we could spend all the time in the world together. When I got on that stage as a kid I’m pretty sure I shocked him. I gave it my all! From that moment on I’ve been at his right side through this whole journey of music still looking to impress him every time I step on the stage with Quantum Split.
AA: I started performing in elementary school. My first showcase was not in music but in Theatre. I remember the plays that I acted in, West Side Story and Fame (LOL). It is there, where I embraced my love for the stage. The lights, camera, and action of me doing what I love made the stage become home to me. What I do best or what I strive to do as best is to entertain. To invigorate a feeling of joy to people that leave their homes or circumstances to get involve (or witness) something that makes them feel good…entertainment brings joy to people and that is what I enjoy doing most. I haven’t been off the stage since.
AR: My first experience performing was in High school. When the curtains split, blazing lights came on and lit up that stage, I heard those roaring screams and I was hooked. The feeling of adrenaline, anxiety, fear, and power running through me in unison and channeling my every emotion through the guitar was and is still priceless.
IH: I was in a post-hardcore band. That was the first band I was ever in. I was acting at the time but had a massive interest in music. Then one day someone came up to me, told me about a band that needed a bass player. Once I got in contact with them, I auditioned, they took me the studio the first day, and then within a month I played my first show at Crash Mansion and the rest is history! I was hooked to that feeling of being on stage. Don’t get me wrong, I was nervous as hell. But I didn’t let that stop me. I went up there anxious but had the time of my life. When I’m on stage, I truly feel alive and with purpose. I would say the feeling and need to be stage are the ropes that bind me to this lifestyle.
How did you form your group?
SL: I formed the group through social media. I wanted to form the baddest band out there with the right people thawerere ready to pave a new crave in music! People that wanted to be on top of the world but also make a difference in it. When I first met each member of the boys, not only did they want to be the best at what they do, but they were each a great person. Ironically all the boys are from The Bronx with hunger to bring back greatness to where they were raised. I remember first meeting with Anthony Anderson at Harlem Shake. I wasn’t vegan then (laughs). I told him “Are you ready to be the biggest band out there? Are you ready to take over the world? Because I am.” Each band member had that pressure when they came into the band. I just didn’t want my time and their time wasted but they all were ready and after a whole bunch of training came Quantum Split. We are Warriors!
Where did the name “Quantum Split” come from?
SL: My father! Lol he saw an experiment on YouTube that Adrian will probably elaborate on and he was so confident about that being the name. At first in my head I was thinking HELL NOO, but I was just being the daughter that challenged every opinion he had, it’s my job (laughs). Sure enough, that was the name destined for this band. It stands for being exactly who you are and accepting yourself when people are looking at you and even when you are in a room alone.
AR: First let me say that the name Quantum Split derives from an experiment in the world of Quantum Physics. Imagine you, in a room alone, free to make any choice in the world unjudged and unwatched by anyone. Your possibilities would be endless. Now picture you in that same room only this time, it’s also full of spectators and influencers. Would you make that same choice? On a molecular level, the experiment proves that at first, we have infinite possibilities and then we limit ourselves when we begin to be observed and influenced by others.
How do you come up with the ideas for your songs? Is there a particular method to the “madness”?
SL: There is no method at all. The songs just come to me from my experiences or the experiences of others in my life. I want all the QS music to be relatable and moving! My father told me a long time ago “The words are already written in the music.” I also think about what I would have like to hear when I was younger for a better life. When I write the music sometimes, it comes out on paper and I don’t even realize the full meaning until later in my journey.
Take us through your thought process of how you create your music.
SL: A lot of the time, the instrumental parts are already done because one of the boys would come up with a riff that connects us. After that…. I listen. I listen for the melody, I listen for the words that are popping out the most, and then create the statements and stories from there.
AA: The way I create music is simple. As a Drummer, I start with the foundation, the band then comes up with their sounds and/or melodies to create an organic union of our music. The most simplistic beats could potentially be the next song. We all take the responsibility to give a piece of ourselves in the music, but I try to begin the process and we all find the right direction.
AR: I first have to let go of everything I know, so that I can allow myself to create something new. We do not begin to write our music with our instruments. I listen to what I feel inside at that moment. What my band mates are feeling as well. And in that moment, I hear a tone that sets the mood, the atmosphere, and the emotional content for the piece I’m about to create. Putting that on the guitar is the easy part.
IH: I hear something, and reiterate it my way. It’s sporadic in a way. There’s no thought process really. Just more act on impulse but being conscious to what the song needs. It’s a fine line between discipline and going HAM.
