Interview: My Twisted Heart - Heartbreaker

My Twisted Heart (AKA MT Heart) is a singer/songwriter and member of the creative collective Outsiders Entertainment. Born and raised in Hong Kong, My Twisted Heart’s music was originally inspired by Asian music genres, namely Canton-Pop, J-Rock and K-Pop. My Twisted Heart developed an interest in singing at an early age and he would perform cover tracks at school talent and singing contests. Later during his College years in Ireland, My Twisted Heart officially became a member of the Outsiders and was introduced to Western music genres such as Hip-Hop, Electronic, R&B etc.

By Kamil Bobin

Discovered via Musosoup

What first got you into music?

I first became interested in singing when I was in primary school. At the time, I could hit higher notes than the other boys in my class and my teacher really liked to give me all these harmonies because of it, as well as at times giving me a leading part. Having the teacher single me out because of my singing skills really boosted my confidence and made me want to pursue singing further and to see what else I am capable of.

How would you describe the music that you typically create?

I have been told by family and friends that I am one of the most pessimistic people they have ever met. That’s why my music often deals with negative emotions, which reflects my feelings. I would say my music most definitely checks the Emo-pop or Emo-Hip Hop category.

Your latest track is ‘Heartbreaker’. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?

Back when I was working on the EP, I had some Pink Pantheress tracks on loop. Most of her songs are short but her unique executions really got my attention. Listening to her tracks has encouraged me to jump out of my comfort zone and try something different.

What are you focussing on right now?

At the moment, I am planning to work on some music videos for the Heart Leak EP. So far, I have shot the music video for the track ‘idontneedyou’ that’s coming out soon and hopefully with more videos and content to come in the future.

What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist?

In my opinion, it is important to be creative and daring to experiment with a new style of music. In my case, I would always try to mix different genres into my tracks. It is also important to take inspirations and learn from other artists/musicians. And last but not least, practice makes perfect, something as simple as doing vocal training daily could help so much in the long run.

Have you ever participated in any music competitions? Did you win any prizes?

When I was in Secondary school, I participated in my school singing contest. I made it in the finals (around 8 participants left) but unfortunately I didn’t win any prizes at the end.

If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?

It would be amazing if I could open a show for the band One Ok Rock, which originated from Japan. I have been listening to them since I was in secondary school. Most of their songs are very impactful and motivational. It would be an absolute honour to have the chance to be on same stage as them, let alone being the opening act for them.

What is the best advice you’ve been given?

I suppose the best advice I have gotten is to “Do it because you enjoy it”. There is nothing more painful than doing chores or being forced into doing something you do not enjoy.

If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?

I would truly hope that the main stream music industry could be more open minded and give more chances to underground/indie artists. It is very unlikely for the public to get in touch/hear about these less known but very talented artists through TV programmes, radio and other main streams channels. In my opinion, the underground/indie artists could benefit so much with the aid of any main stream media.

What are your plans for the future?

First and most important, I will be working on more music in the future. In fact I have already recorded a few songs after I had finished the ‘Heart Leak’ EP. I haven’t decided yet, if I wanted to drop a few singles or jump straight into a new project, but one thing is for sure, that I will keep on making more music in the coming future and hopefully my songs can reach more people. I hope slowly but steadily to grow my fan base and if possible it would be awesome to go full-time in art/music and live off doing something I enjoy.