After speaking with SC Unplugged in 2022 about her sophomore single “Canyon,” pop-rock artist Aminta Skye has returned to the podcast to discuss her recent release “Forget It All.” This song begs the question, “Is apathy the answer to the sufferings of love?” through a retelling of the Greek mythology of Perseus and Medusa. At the same time, Skye’s sonic landscape takes listeners back in time to the nostalgia of their childhood bedrooms.
With this release, Skye closes out her first chapter of her artist project. With an approaching graduation and upcoming releases, the USC Thornton senior looks forward to her new chapter.
Annenberg Media talked with Skye about the musical inspirations, multimedia references and collaborations in “Forget it All.”
Full transcript has been edited for clarity.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: So my name is Aminta Skye. I am a senior this year at USC Thornton. I’m a pop songwriting major. I am a pop rock artist, and I’m also a songwriter for pop singers and for film and TV sync. So I write in a bunch of genres, but my personal project is pop rock.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: This summer, I decided to prioritize my artist project a bit more. So I’m in the studio a lot, and, yeah, just making new music. Hopefully, there’s gonna be a lot more releases this year and next year, so I’m excited to pick up the pace on that.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: I’m definitely spending time at the moment with my artist project and film and songwriting for artist pitches, but it doesn’t feel too overwhelming. I mean, silly enough, the kind of odd man out is school. I’m sure a lot of seniors feel like this. But when you’re working and in school, it’s kind of like, you forget, like, ‘Oh yeah, I have a GE essay due tomorrow.’ It kind of takes a back seat. But for films that I’m working on right now, it’s not too much. It’s like a song or two, you get notes, and it takes so long to do a film. So it doesn’t really compete with the fast-paced schedule of being an artist, or with an artist pitch, where it’s like, ‘Okay, they want this, you probably have a week to work on it.’ That’s maybe two sessions, and that’s even faster with other artists, so I don’t know. I think it’s not too hard at this time to juggle because they’re all in different timelines. And I’m kind of working — I’m independent, so I’m really working at my own pace, and whatever I say yes to. I’m not super accountable to anyone right now. And yeah, I’m sure, in a year, my answer will be different and it’ll be more difficult to juggle, but for now, it’s fine.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: A new artist that really inspires me right now is this artist, Alemeda, which sounds like Aminta in a way. So I was like, ‘Oh, girl, is that like?’ She’s African too. She’s East African, but she’s in the pop-rock scene. She actually just got signed to Top Dawg, which is pretty crazy, because obviously they’re known for rap music and hip hop. So to see a Black girl doing pop rock and totally her own thing is really cool. And I think she’s only the third female artist they’ve ever signed. So it’s like, her, SZA and I’m struggling to remember the first artist, but that’s you know, so incredible. So go her! And then other artists that really inspire me that I think we didn’t talk about last time. My project has definitely shifted a bit more towards pop rock and the pop side of that. So Avril Lavigne, early Demi Lovato, those are, you know, definitely artists that have always influenced me, but it wasn’t his primary and recently I’ve been really leaning into that side. So even, like the Jonas Brothers, you know. So that’s so much fun, and I’m excited to lean more into that this year. These are the songs that we would listen to as kids in our rooms on CD players. So I think just doing that kind of sound feels very full circle and just fun and natural. And, it’s like pop music is just so beautiful because it doesn’t have to be that serious. I think I’ve taken songwriting so seriously. Now I’m ready to have a bit more fun.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: I would say that “Forget it All” wraps up kind of the first chapter, which is the first three songs. So “Ring Around the Sun,” “Canyon” and “Forget it All” is kind of Chapter One. Chapter Two is going to be a bit sillier, a bit more fun. I’m really excited about that. “Forget it All” is more rock than “Canyon.” “Canyon” feels more indie. Same with “Ring Around the Sun.” I think it leans more so into the Paramore side of my sonic landscape. And what’s really fun about releasing more music, faster is having multiple influences, you can kind of showcase that moreso. Like here are different colors in my palette and a listener can kind of infer more influences than you know, obviously, if you don’t have that much music out, you can’t show as much range.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: I don’t know if since the last time we talked, I’ve played like The Hotel Cafe a couple times. That’s a core memory. That was cool. We did L.A. Times Festival of Books last year, which was so much fun, and definitely, the biggest stage that we’ve done together because I have the same band. You know, it’s an artist project, but I have the same band. That was so much fun. I think those were two core memories. Oh, we did a Sofar Sounds show that was really fun. I think that was my favorite show, probably ever, that I’ve played. I love Sofar Sounds so much because they really make the audience pay attention. You know, you can’t have your phone. You can’t talk. It’s very chill and intimate, and it feels like people are really listening for the songwriting. Which obviously a writer who writes my own songs, it’s just really special in a different way, and it’s a very unique setting. So that was a lot of fun.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: I feel very blessed. We’ve not had any challenges in this new era. It’s just been fun. I’m getting to collaborate with a lot more people, producers, and I’m producing more myself now. And working with more women, which I always love. It’s just been so much fun. Me and my guitarist, Manuel [Martinez], have started writing together. I don’t know why it took us so long. We both write, and we just never really sat down. We were always like, ‘Oh, let’s write together.’ And one day we sat down and really did it, and it was such a blast. So we’re writing together a lot more. And yeah, it’s so much fun. I’m really just excited. I think it’s gonna be just like sleepover vibes this next chapter.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: It is hard when you’re first entering the music industry, especially in a creative space because that’s what I know about, that’s what I’ll speak to. I’m sure it’s hard for anyone, but as a creative it can be really hard to find people to collaborate with. I think part of it is knowing your worth. Not just in the positive, also your weaknesses, and being objective and assessing yourself accurately is hard. So, to know what kind of people and what level of people you should be reaching out to, and what you should expect, how you should conduct yourself, can be hard when you’re first entering. But also, just network you don’t know people. I was really lucky that when I first started releasing music, I, through the Eugene, Portland scene, was connected by this incredible producer, Ehren Ebbage. Look him up y’all. Ehren’s the greatest. And with my producer, Justin [Yu “Justin” Kiatvongcharoen] and literally, bro, I had no music out, nothing to my name. I sent him voice memos. And was just hoping he would catch the vibe and he totally did. He emailed me back, like, ‘Oh, you must listen to, like, Paramore.’ — named, all my top influences. And I was like, ‘Yes, yes, I think you’re getting the vibe.’ And he really just took a chance on me, and invested time into me for no reason, because he thought that the songs were good. So I really just got so lucky. I don’t know what I would have done if we hadn’t met. I mean, I guess I would have met someone else, but, yeah, I’m really lucky to have him as a key collaborator. Just going to USC is such a cool experience to meet different people and make a network of musicians and producers and whoever you know, that’s really special. I think just moving to a city, trying to get into the music scene, I’m sure, is so daunting and way harder. So I feel lucky that the Trojan community is genuinely tied together, at least in Thornton. Our alum do come back and give master classes and help us out and give us advice. So, that’s really special.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: In [popular music major], I think our professors in the program do a great job of getting different kinds of people to create our cohorts. So we all really do different things. I don’t feel a sense of competition at all. And I’ve heard in other university pop programs that can be a big part of the social dynamic. When you’re freshmen, you’re kind of trying to see where you fit in. Of course, there’s an element of that. But in general, I feel like we really just do different things, and, you know, just want the best for each other, and we’re not competing against each other. So I love that, because it’s so collaborative. And I’ve gotten jobs because people have recommended me. I’ve recommended people for jobs.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: I was very grateful to work with Charlie Hallock, speaking of the alum community. He is a production alum from Thornton who graduated a couple years ago, very talented, and he was just down to help me see this song to life. So I came to him with the first draft, and he helped me, like, finish it, make it what it is, you know, produce it, just see it to a whole new level. So definitely, so, so grateful for him. It would not have been the song it is without him as a collaborator and creative, bringing his vibe to it. For example, the outro was completely Charlie’s idea. We have this joke that he has to give me an idea, and I have to argue with him until I realize that he’s right. I have to object to it first, and then be like, ‘Okay, wait, that does make sense,’ and kind of be convinced or something. So at first, the outro was just a drum solo, and I, for some reason, was very passionate and adamant about that. And he was like, ‘No, you need to write lyrics to this. I don’t care if you like them. Just try it. I’m gonna give you 10 minutes. Don’t think too hard. Just write lyrics and then come back and we’ll see what you have.’ So I was like, ‘Oh, whatever’ and I wrote the outro. What it is is exactly the first draft. I Didn’t think too hard on it, and came back to it and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I like this, whatever,’ and it’s literally my favorite part of the song. I really stand by that outro. I love it. I’m so very thankful that I got over my attachment to whatever it was before, to honor that idea and oh my gosh, it was so genius. Love it.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: So anyway, that was Charlie producer, co-writer, collaborator extraordinaire. Romél Veal Jr, played drums, incredible. Angie Faith played bass, incredible. And we had Manuel Martinez on guitar. Shout out, Manny. Love him. Co-writer, guitarist forever, like he’s played for me, I think, like since the jump, basically years ago. And then Justin, who produced “Canyon” and “Ring Around the Sun,” did the mixing. And, yeah, that’s how it all came together.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: Then the last guitar element that we added was in the outro as well. The like, high — I don’t know if this is perfect pitch, people don’t come for me. The like [sings guitar part] whatever. That line was probably the final element of the whole song. And something about the outro just didn’t feel finished, didn’t sit right. And I woke up in the middle of the night. Well, my other guitarist, Alex [Shaw], when we would do it live, would do something in that register, and it sounded cool. And yeah, I woke up in the middle and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the melody I want,’ and sent Manny this deranged voice memo, like voice note in our text. Like, ‘Okay, bro, so you’re gonna be like….’ Somehow, bless his heart, we made sense of it. And yeah, he learned, whatever crazy, weird thing I was thinking and it ended up being what it is. And now it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, that makes the outro. It would not hit without that line.’ So yeah, I love, I love the guitars on this song.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: So the song at its core, it kind of evolved. Initially, the idea was the person who self-sabotages. The person who pushes people away. And, you know, at the end of a romance, a failed romance, you’re sitting there, like, ‘I don’t know if I gave that my all. I don’t know if I really committed to that. Maybe things would have turned out differently if I had humbled myself and been brave.’ You can have regrets, even if it’s not technically your fault. There can be regrets due to that. That was the inspiration, and then it kind of evolved into what it means, or what it looks like when someone basically chooses apathy. I really relate to this, and probably a lot of people do where there’s times. For me, it was like years of my life that I was so disconnected from my own emotions that I truly did not know what I was feeling. And even in relationships like wasn’t emotionally open, and it was an issue, and I took that feedback to heart, and was like, ‘Oh shit, let me get my ducks in order,’ and figured out that the reason I wasn’t communicative was because I myself didn’t even know what I was going through. And later, through therapy — love therapy — learned that that was a trauma response, and it was disassociating and basically just going numb to avoid the pain of your reality. But also, you don’t feel all the joys of life either, when you’re just in the twilight zone. So that’s kind of what this song is about.
The metaphor is Perseus the hero instead of slaying Medusa, comes to her defeated, rejected, heartbroken and is like begging her for mercy. And is like, ‘Please, just make me a statue. Just take it away. You know, I want to forget it all, even the good parts.’ So that’s the chorus. Like, I would sacrifice even the joys and the good memories to just not feel the pain that I’m feeling. Which is, you know, I don’t necessarily stand by that as a solution, but I’ve definitely been there.
And also the sentiment behind it is this is the first brick in the wall to protect yourself. This is the critical moment where that lover who’s just open and in love, trusting, when that person becomes a fighter. That person loses their innocence, in a way, loses their trust, which is really what chapter one, like all three of these songs are about I think, deep down. Because, as you know, I went through a tricky breakup before college. It’s so emo to say but truly, I was so heartbroken. I was in so much pain that I would think to myself, I don’t even know how I’m gonna get through this. I know logically that I will get through this, but I physically feel so ill. I don’t even know how I’m gonna wake up tomorrow. Somehow it’s just gonna happen I guess. It was that bad. I was just like, ‘Okay, time is the only thing that I have on my side right now.’ And I definitely came out of it feeling so much older and definitely jaded, and it took a long time to get past that jaded vibe to be like, ‘Okay, I can trust someone again.’ And then also, to get to the place eventually of like ‘It’s okay to be heartbroken.’ I’m willing to risk that to fully commit to relationships, whether it’s friendships, romantic relationships, familial, whatever. No, I’m gonna be fully present, and I’m going to give it everything and honor it fully. And if it doesn’t work out, that sucks, but I know that I did everything that I could do, and I was fully present and really gave it a chance. And I don’t have regrets, because, you know, I think we all have in the past when you’re like, learning and making mistakes, whatever. Ideally, that’s the place you get to at some point. That’s where I feel like I am now. So hopefully this little guy, Perseus, figures it out. But yeah, that’s kind of the story. So it kind of flips the story, the traditional myth around.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: I was such an angsty kid, and when I discovered pop rock music and post-punk music it really changed my life. I really felt saved by that, and saw so much of myself in that. And like I said earlier, being able to make that kind of music is so full circle and so much fun and feels really fulfilling. I guess a memory for me would be like as the youngest sibling, I would always get hand-me-downs of my siblings, and at some point, I got my sister’s iPod, and that’s literally how I discovered Paramore. She had “Brick by Boring Brick” and like “Brand New Eyes” on her little iPod. And I would ride the school bus with my earbuds in, leaning against the window. This is Oregon, so it’s like raining “Twilight” vibes, listening to Paramore and angsty music. Yeah, I think that’s what’s in my soul that came out in this song. That’s where it brings me, and I hope that it brings everyone there. I want everyone to think back to like 2007. What were you doing listening to some emo song about heartbreak, relating to it, despite the fact that you’ve never had a boyfriend like I hope that’s where it takes everyone.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
Skye: For me, personally, songwriting is very cathartic and it’s therapy like it is for everyone, but it’s really like an interrogation of yourself. I feel like I go into songs and I leave songs with more clarity and less confusion than I went into it. And a lot of that is just being honest with yourself about how you feel, even when you don’t look the best due to that. I think this song speaks to that, and in the future, it’s something I plan to lean into even more. Because like, it’s embarrassing to be that down bad that you’re, like, ‘I would like to forget everything.’ You know it’s embarrassing. “Canyon” is about, like, cannibalism. That’s embarrassing. But I think when you’re just that brutally honest, not only do you connect to yourself and unlock all of these doors in yourself and you get to know yourself so intimately. But I think people really resonate to that, because it feels authentic and true and like, ‘Oh, are we allowed to confess this? We’re all gonna say, okay.’ You know, it kind of bonds people together, and people feel seen in that. So moving forward this next year, post-graduation, I think that’s a main mission of mine as a songwriter that I want to commit to.
[Musical Interlude: “Forget it All” by Aminta Skye]
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