Wednesday, Oct. 1, California born hip-hop artist Bryce Vine performed for FAU students at The Burrow Bar and Grill as part of the fall 2014 Trendsetter Tour. The tour showcased new, emerging artists and targeted colleges and universities all across America.

Vine’s first EP, “Lazy Fair,” came out in April of this year. The album features five  songs, with three singles currently. His single, “Sour Patch Kids,” has  been featured on various radio stations and TV commercials, such as one for Lebron James’ new television series, “Survivor’s Remorse.” Another song on the album, “Where the Wild Things Are,” saw even greater success since being featured as the summer 2014 X-Games theme song. Vine also made the #13 spot on Billboard’s Top 20 Emerging Artists list.

The UP got to sit down with Vine for a short interview prior to his stage performance:

University Press: Do you perform on stage often? Just how long have you been on tour for?

Bryce Vine: I’ve been performing for a long time. We’ve been on tour for a month now.

UP: Who else is on tour with you? Are there any other artists you get to perform with?

BV: It’s just me and my DJ here, DJ Skizz Marquee. Him [sic] and I went to Berklee together so we kind of stuck it out. My tour manager’s here too. It’s just us three in a white mini van, just touring around the country’s coasts.

UP: How do you like Boca Raton and the FAU campus? Would you come back?

BV: Oh man, it’s awesome. We got to spend some time in Miami yesterday and then we come up here and it’s beautiful. The campus is huge. I mean, that new football stadium you guys have is ridiculous. It’s huge. Let me tell you, son — compared to a lot of places I’ve been, you don’t know how good you have it. I’d definitely come back again someday.

UP: Why did you name your album Lazy Fair?

BV: It’s a play off the French term, “laissez-faire,” which means to be free from government rule. It’s also the name of a boat that my mother had in Westlake. My friends and I would take the boat out to drink, swim and jump off rocks and stuff. They were some great memories, so it’s kind of a tribute to that.

UP: What was the thought process behind choosing a minivan and surfboard as album art?

BV: [laughs] To be honest, man, there wasn’t much to it. A while back, I did a photo shoot with my friend who has a clothing line that I was supporting. It was his van and we did a shoot with clothes he was giving me. A couple months down the line, we needed artwork for the album [so] literally the night before we had to put it out, my producer and I were looking through those photos and we said “You know what, screw it. Let’s just use that.” With the vintage ‘70s van and surfboard, you get the vibe I’m going for with it and we were out of options. I thought it would look cheesy, but people love it.

UP: Who produced all the beats and effects on your songs?

BV: Everything was produced by one of my best friends and classmate, Nolan Lambroza, who usually goes by the name “Sir Nolan.” He’s a now-a-day genius, man. He does a lot of work with The Messengers, which are a production group, and they’ve worked with literally everyone. So he came to me one day and said “You know, I’ve always believed in you as an artist, so I think we should start developing you.” He brought me along for the ride and I couldn’t have done it without him.

UP: What are your thoughts on the album overall?

BV: It’s my personality. It’s who I am as a person combined into all five songs. I’m a pretty happy person. I had a great childhood, a great upbringing, and great friends growing up. I got into trouble like every kid does. I did stupid stuff, you know, which I had to learn from. All the songs are real experiences that I’ve been through or they mean something much deeper.

UP: How do you think the album has been received by the musical world?

BV: From what it looks like, I didn’t really have expectations going into it. I had no idea we were gonna hit high numbers with some of my songs. “Sour Patch Kids” alone has over half a million views on Spotify and we just put it out in April. Before the EP, no one really knew who I was. It baffles my mind. Now I’m seeing my songs like “Where the Wild Things Are” on the X-Games and “Sour Patch Kids” on “Survivor’s Remorse.” It baffles my mind.

UP: Is there any more material in the works?

BV: We’ve got a couple new songs that I’ve got to release to my team pretty soon, because people get anxious pretty quickly for new stuff.

BV: Are you currently signed to a label?

UP: We’re not signed. That’s the best part. We get to do all of this by ourselves. Obviously we’ve had a lot of deals with a lot of people, but when it’s right, it’s right and when it’s time, it’s time. We’re just not in a rush. Everything’s kind of locked into place right now. We’ve got a good team. I’ve got these goofballs here [laughs], my producer, my management, and the agency. Every step of the way has been really [snaps] locked into place.

UP: So what does the future hold for you?

BV: Up next, we’re playing a show on Nov. 20 with one of my favorite artists called Wallpaper. I’m looking forward to that.

UP: Do you have any last words of advice to upcoming artists like yourself?

BV: Listen to a lot of music when you’re writing music. Play it all and expand on what you like. Really try to listen to a lot of stuff, you know? I went everywhere from Warped Tour to jazz to rap. You also have to be around the right group of people that really believe in you. Be able to do the work too. It is a lot more work than you think. It’s not just putting out good music. It’s going to the gym [laughs], it’s having to put yourself on a diet, running, taking vocal lessons … it’s a lot of stuff. Just be willing to do it all.

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