MAY BBY (BBY pronounced Baby) and Chris Hue met in music school. The music they would soon create would exemplify the power of collaboration and coincidence. Blending electronic and moody pop music, MAY BBY and Chris Hue’s three singles are only the beginning for these creative visionaries. Hailing from the Netherlands and inspired by the likes of Frank Ocean, Martin Garrix and Kanye, they’ve created a modern, minimalistic, ethereal sound giving them an unique global appeal. We had the opportunity to talk to MAY BBY and Chris Hue and discuss their early beginnings, long-term aspirations and upcoming EP Counting Hours.
Pass The Crown: How did you both become involved in music?
MAY BBY: I’ve been singing since I was a baby. I started playing piano and the violin when I was four or five and wrote my first song when I was eight. Ever since then, I have been writing music and I’ve known that this is the only thing that I want to do.
Chris Hue: I started drumming when I was about eight years old. I did that for about five years, but then I slowly gravitated towards the electronic music scene as a producer. It all started with Martin Garrix. He was a big inspiration for me and then I started listening to Hip-Hop and that became my main inspiration.
How did you two meet?
MAY BBY: We met during a collaboration at our music school in the Netherlands. We had to form bands for a project and it was me, Chris and one other producer. The first song we ever made is the one that we released recently. We work really well together and the music we make is good, so that’s why we continued to do it.
What would you say your genre is?
Chris Hue: It’s like this new wave of electronic/pop. Sub-pop, to me, is a subgenre that consists of bass-focused pop music that has a lot of deep sounds. I think our EP has those as well.
MAY BBY: Also, the song structure is very pop. It has the bass and the modern electronic elements but it still has the verse, chorus, verse, chorus make-up.
Did growing up in the Netherlands have an impact on your creativity?
Chris Hue: I think for me it did. At first, I was really inspired by Martin Garrix and the EDM scene. The Netherlands is at heart of the global EDM scene. It still has an influence on me. I still make electronic music, but now it is geared towards hip-hop and urban kind of stuff.
MAY BBY: I grew up in England, Belgium and Hungary. I then moved to Holland when I was fourteen, so growing up in different countries really shaped me as a person and artist. My music reflects my experiences moving around, the people I’ve met and the music I was exposed to.
Are there any artists on your radar?
Chris Hue: We’ve got this guy from our school. I love his style. His name is Calunde. He’s in his third year of the program and last week he released his first indie song. It’s dope. You should check it out.
MAY BBY: It’s called, “Don’t mind that we’re lonely.”
Chris Hue: It’s crazy!
Cool. I’ll check that out. What’s your collaborative process like?
MAY BBY: Well, for the first song that we made, we sat down in the studio and Chris started making the beat and I wrote the lyrics and the chords. For other songs, I had previously written the chords and had a general idea and then I’d bring it to the studio session and we’d work it out together. Or he would start with a beat and I would write on it. But I’ve written all the lyrics.
Chris Hue: Yeah, she wrote everything. But the way each song starts is not always the same.
MAY BBY, what inspires your lyricism?
MAY BBY: I think that my writing comes from personal feelings. It’s all very close to me. Often, when I start writing it turns into something kind of dark which is why the music and the way that Chris produces works so well with it. Our upcoming EP has different themes but it focuses on deeper matters coming from my subconscious.
Chris Hue: It’s cool because the single we are releasing this Friday is a special song compared to the rest of the tracks on our EP.
MAY BBY: It’s like an electronic ballad, very slow and low energy. It’s a really raw and vulnerable song which is a nice contrast to have amongst the tracks in our EP.
Chris Hue: No one would expect it, but it’s such a beautiful song in my opinion. I love it
MAY BBY: I love it too.
Have you ever been to America?
MAY BBY: I’ve been to New York. It was a really cool vibe. I remember I really liked it. It was a long time ago though.
What is it like living in the Netherlands?
MAY BBY: It’s nice because you get to bike everywhere and it’s so freeing because you don’t have to bring anything except your bike and the public transport is well put together. It’s so chill.
Chris Hue: Yeah, I agree.
MAY BBY: I think we’re really lucky to live here. It’s a really good place to live and to be a student.
Is there an album that has greatly influenced you?
Chris Hue: The Life of Pablo by Kanye West. It’s the first urban rap album that I ever listened to. It made me change from EDM to more urban stuff.
MAY BBY: Blonde by Frank Ocean. His lyrics and his poetry are so beautiful and everytime I hear it, it hits me with feels. He’s such a cool inspiration to have and he’s so low key and just makes amazing shit. He doesn’t give a fuck.
What are you trying to achieve with your music?
Chris Hue: Well, my main goal ever since I saw Odesza and Flume live is to create a beautiful live experience with visuals. I’m really a visual guy. I make my own cover art and do my own branding. I think about everything myself and I just love the way they put together a show. I want to create those shows too. I think that’s my main goal, allowing people to see the other side of music.
MAY BBY: I’m excited to keep creating more music, develop my sound and put out things that people can relate to. I want to make music people will listen to and that I can share with the world. I also would love to create some really cool live shows with visuals and be a part of the creative directing aspect. I want to create a really intense experience for people who will leave my show and be like “woah.” I want to be able to have the opportunity to work with other people and do that for a living, without having to do something else.
Do you get scared?
MAY BBY: I’m mostly stressed all the time. I’m just like “fuck, what is gonna happen?”
Chris Hue: I love it. I love the grind. It’s so cool.
Listen to MAY BBY and Chris Hue’s new single “Leave,” released today on all streaming platforms!