Introduction
I've become friends with Ross over the past couple months. A few things I've learned about him is that he is an amazing producer, mix engineer, and great friend.
Ross Rocco is known for being an excellent mix engineer, but he is also an artist. His artist name is "Xeila," and he has released covers from artists such as Halsey, Taylor Swift, Bad Omens, and more. His covers lean into the dark pop genre. As a mix engineer, he has worked with various clients on mixing their songs.
In our interview, Ross and I discussed how he started writing music, how he got into mixing, and how his brand has grown as a musician and mix engineer.
The Interview
When did you first begin making music?
Around the end of high school and after was when I began, but I never really took it seriously and wrote a lot of trash haha. After college I decided to take it seriously. When COVID-19 hit, I decided to learn how to produce and such, just because I had all this time. A lot of that time during lockdown I wrote many songs and kept tossing ideas and starting over multiple times until I figured out not only what I wanted to do, but how to write solid pop music.
Where do you draw inspiration from for your music?
It is no secret that I love the band PVRIS haha. Her albums were a nice gateway into the pop realm. What I loved most about their albums was the pop elements mixed with rock. I used to like a few pop songs when I was younger. I really wanted to get more into it, but I loved the aggression from rock, post hardcore, and metalcore bands at the time.
How has your musical tastes impacted your branding?
I love a lot of dark themes and I suppose that isn’t separate from the music haha. I also love the paranormal. I would ghost hunt a lot (before COVID) for fun and during the lockdown. At some point, I was like why not mix that kind of aesthetic in with the music?
I’d love to go further into my brand and create more visual aesthetics of spooky audio elements in with my music. I also really like more happy pop too. Sometimes it’s weird like, “Should I write a really happy song out of nowhere and confuse everyone?”
What would you say was the most challenging part of creating your brand?
A few things. I think especially as an artist, you are the brand. I’ve never been one to go out and express myself with any kind of aesthetic, so it’s been hard. Also, you kind of have to have money to do that stuff really well too, haha. Also, a brand can be just difficult to create.
I think brands really need to differentiate themselves in a way where fans can find that person and be like, “I haven’t seen someone like this before.” Something they can resonate with and who that person is, what they stand for. I’m also learning that this artist thing can be very cultish haha.
Is it difficult to manage your musician and mixing careers?
I will say it’s a lot in the sense that they are different skill sets. I think what can be difficult to manage is that doing too much all at once doesn’t improve anything. One of my close friends told me that if I want to get better at one thing, I need to focus on that for say three months. That was how we both got good at the things we do.
This year I did that. I spent more time on writing than mixing for a significant period. I figured, “Well, I want to have great songs and to do that I need to improve at that.” And I definitely did! There will probably be another period soon where I will put a lot of focus on branding and content once I roll out some new songs!
Who would you say has influenced your musical style the most?
As per the prior question, I will un-shamefully say PVRIS again. Haha. I absolutely adore Halsey as well. I also lately have been really vibing with Too Close To Touch. I love the melodic vocal melodies that are pop, but the rest of the band brings this rock aggression I’m familiar with. Overall, I tend to find a handful of songs I just love from varieties of different artists.
For instance, I love a handful of Hey Violet songs, and a few Billie Eilish. I guess I find it hard to put a lot of energy into listening to music sometimes and listening to all the discography. I tend to just let myself feel inspired by music when I’m most receptive to it.
What would be your dream collaboration?
(hesitates to answer PVRIS) haha. I honestly never really had a dream collaboration. I mean, before 2020, I wasn’t that into pop as I am now, and I didn’t have much of a dream collaboration then either. I guess it would be really fun to work with Blake Harnage, who did the early PVRIS records. I would love to collab with PVRIS and Halsey.
I also really love the projects where Erik Ron was involved. He worked with a bunch of bands like Too Close To Touch and Hands Like Houses so it would be fun to collaborate with him as well.
Do you have any advice for your younger self?
Yeah, get your sh*t together hahaha. I always wish I took things more seriously when I was younger. I don't think there’s anything younger me would listen to, because I probably just needed to go through what I had to go through to get here.
In closing...
That was Ross Rocco! You can follow his Mixing and Artist accounts by clicking the links below. I recommend checking his music out and having him mix your music if you're a musician, he is an expert at what he does.
Instagram Links:
Portfolio links:
Thanks for reading and Happy Writing!
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