mak
“mak got his start remixing doki doki literature club”
mak’s music career started with a video game. After playing Doki Doki Literature Club, he wanted to remix every song he heard in it. Before that came Minecraft videos (that’s where the extra k in “wowitsmakk” comes from) and years of singing in a church choir every Sunday. Now mak has more than 60,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, thanks in part to “nauseous,” a song he almost didn’t release. We talked about the real story behind his newest single “seeing things,” the LA trip that inspired “orange county freestyle,” why he writes songs by mumbling, and the living tombstone song he could probably recite in his sleep.
Who got you into making music in the first place?
after i first played DDLC (doki doki literature club) i wanted to learn how to remix all of the songs i heard in the game, so i guess dan salvato? LOL
Why did you pick the name mak, and where did “wowitsmakk” come from?
mak is just literally my nickname, so it ended up working out really well! i think wowitsmakk came from making minecraft videos, and “wowitsmak” was taken so i ended up adding a k :)
“if you venture deep, you might find yourself feeling more melancholy or sad, or even like a goat, who knows”
Your newest song is “seeing things.” What was going on when you made it?
so “seeing things” was essentially a real story that happened to me, where i had an ex partner that would do bad things behind my back and lie, even though i KNEW about it. so during that time she literally said i was “seeing things”... LOL. a year later, i had made a couple songs with chris and this was the one that had the best sound to it :)
What’s the story behind “orange county freestyle”?
after i came back from LA, i was on my high horse a bit for sure.. a lot of people were telling me that i could only make “breakup songs” and that i was just raking in some distrokid checks, so i made that song in response. really just bragging about everything in my life atp, but yes i did get offered COKEEEE
Do you write the lyrics first or the music first, and why?
i kinda wanted to be like kanye when i started making music, and i knew that he would mumble a flow that would turn into words. i forced myself to make songs that way and it helped make them a lot more natural. very rarely will i write lyrics beforehand, but i think “2:43 am” and “bluebell ln” were written before.
How do you feel about the music scene around you right now?
i think that a lot of the people making music in the indie scene are amazing and talented! there’s obviously front-runners and people who maybe are a bit more ‘niche’, but i love everybody so much because they have their own unique quirks that make their songs awesome <3 one of the most special communities rn
What song do you know every word to that would surprise people?
when i was like 9 years old i learned all of the lyrics to “Basics in Behavior (Blue Version)” by The Living Tombstone, and haven’t forgotten them since LMAO. that or any glaive song in existence basically, i’m like a superfan
What’s something about you that fans would be surprised to learn?
i come from an extremely religious background! i was raised in a church where every sunday you stand in the pews and sing as part of a choir. i’m very thankful for my upbringing, as i was able to learn good values and also became a good singer from it ^^
If you performed tomorrow, what song would you open with?
i’d obviously HAVE to start with “lovestruck” or “nauseous” or something, but if i was allowed to do a deeper cut, i’d really want to hear “white” live :)
Is there a song you almost didn’t release?
“nauseous” was like a song i really didn’t believe in AT all... i had sent it to my manager at the time and he was so keen about us putting it out, and it ended up changing my life :D
What’s the most useful thing you’ve learned about promoting yourself?
post post post!! how else are people gonna know where to find your music? spotify and soundcloud don’t exactly deliver songs to a fan’s doorstep, so you really have to put the work in.
If your music were a place, what would it look like?
i think a really cool city, with some dark alleyways and some really bright neon signs in the center. like yes, you can have all the exciting fancy toys and trinkets front and center, but if you venture deep, you might find yourself feeling more melancholy or sad, or even like a goat, who knows
Why should someone who has never heard of you press play on your music today?
it’s the music of today :) i’m not one of those people who believe that every song has to be super deep or anything, but i definitely think all of my songs are fun and really unique <3 just give it a try, and i hope you enjoy!
// find mak
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