INTERVIEW: Cade Hoppe Deep Dives With New Music
New York indie-pop artist Cade Hoppe sets himself apart from others in the pop landscape with his warm, baritone vocals complemented by earnest lyricism and memorable pop melodies. In 2020, Cade spent two summers in his hometown of El Dorado Hills, California recording a collection of tracks released in October for Poor Man's Love. In May 2021, the first single from his real first chapter "Loverly High" was released as the indie-pop artist never turned back from music. In Fall 2021, Cade released his single "Afterparty", leading up to the October 2021 release of debut EP "Tell Me How It's Worth It", gaining him extensive media attention.
In 2022, Hoppe kicked off the year with a new single "Hurts", a song about what it feels like to break up with your significant other and grapple their absence - even when you were the first one to say goodbye. In March, Cade debuted his most vulnerable song to date - "Morphine" - which is about crushing the weights of life numbing you up until they eventually kill you. In May, Cade followed up with his sophomore EP "Everything That's Wrong With You". Clutching the end of 2022 were singles "Faded Love" and "Past Time", debuting in September and November.
We caught up with Cade about deep diving into his past music, new singles + who he's currently inspired by below!
SONG & FURY x CADE HOPPE INTERVIEW:
Song & Fury: Hi Cade! Thanks so much for interviewing with us today. How are you?
Cade Hoppe: I’m doing great, thanks for asking. Really happy to be here.
S&F: So you just dropped your latest single “Past Time” on November 18 and we’re eager to talk about that, but first we want to rewind to 2021 when you broke out with your first EP ‘Tell Me How It’s Worth It.’ Can you explain how all of that came about?
CH: Yeah, for sure. Before I started making TMHIWI, I had just put out a 13-song project (that I’ve since taken off streaming platforms) that was a collection of songs I’d written between the ages of 14 and 20. The project was called “Poor Man’s Love” and it helped give me a blank canvas going forward and bookend that chapter of songwriting—it also helped convince me that putting out music for real and chasing my dream was possible. Everything I wrote after that was in this new context of pursuing a career in music and that’s how it started coming together. Long story short, I connected with producer Harper James and we started turning the new songs I was writing into records, which then led to TMHIWI.
S&F: Since then, you’ve dropped a few more singles such as - “Hurts”, “Morphine”, “Faded Love” - and a follow-up EP ‘Everything That’s Wrong With You’. What had the recording process been like for you over the last year?
CH: The goal this past year has basically been to make as much music as possible. I’m in the studio as much as possible—whether it’s at Degraw Sound with Harper or my little home studio—and I’m making music. This year I’ve also started writing/producing for some other artists more consistently. I’m doing everything I can to make sure that next year there’s even more music coming from me than there was this year.
S&F: So speaking on your latest single “Past Time”, you stated that the song explores “relationship nostalgia and the selective memory that comes with it.” Can you explain what motivated you to write a song about that?
CH: I spend a lot of time self-analyzing and overthinking. Like A LOT. Relationships are so strange to me because I have every past relationship to thank for who I am today—the good and the bad—yet as you enter new ones, you’re kind of supposed to just forget about the old ones. When we’re reminiscing, we forget the bad and when we’re regretful we forget the good, but it’s really tough to look back and see it as it was. I didn’t write this song as some huge hidden message to an ex or anything like that, but I had to find a way to express these feelings and this is how they came out. It’s about accepting that you’ll never be able to see the relationship exactly as it was again, but hoping that you can somehow be on the same page as the person you shared it with and agree to twist it the same way.
S&F: The song kinda starts off slow and gradually speeds up toward the chorus. Do you think that approach with “Past Time” will instantly pull listeners in?
CH: My favorite songs are constantly evolving as they go and while it starts slow, I do think it is evolving enough to keep listeners engaged and wanting to know what happens next. It might not pull them in immediately, but I think listeners that make it through the song will find its arc rewarding. Honestly though, Harper and I just made the song this way because we thought it was cool and it made it something we love. So I hope it pulls listeners in, but at the very least, I love it.
S&F: What are your goals as an artist?
CH: My ultimate goal is really just to be doing this my whole life—and that means a lot of other goals along the way to make that happen, but every decision I make is with the intent of doing this forever. I guess more specifically, I believe that artists get that longevity from things like staying true to yourself by making music you love; building a team of people/collaborators that you trust and want to see you succeed; and having a whole lot of patience, grit, and unshakeable belief.
S&F: Who are you inspired by most?
CH: There are so many people that inspire me, but definitely the person in the industry right now that I’m most inspired by is Jack Antonoff. He’s just a guy that worked and worked for years and years for every “big break” he’s gotten and he’s also made so many of my favorite records. I’ll always listen to anything he gets his hands in.
S&F: Is there anything else you’d like to say or share with listeners/readers?
CH: If you’re listening to my stuff or reading this, thank you so much. I really couldn’t do it without you. I’ve got a lot of stuff I’m really excited about coming out next year, so stay tuned!
S&F: Thank you so much again for interviewing with us. We’re 100% supporting you and we’re very excited to see what you come out with next!
CH: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it!
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