Rapper, writer, artist, actor, content creator Marcus Orelias is used to being introduced in many different ways. He began his music career with the album “Rebel Of The Underground”, went through a period of searching and experimentation with “20s A Difficult Age”, and then revealed a new side of himself in “Marcus Orelias”. Recently, he released his fourth studio album, “Maybe It’s Somethin’” – layered, personal, and at the same time strangely universal. We spoke with Marcus about music, doubt, exploration, inner multiplicity, the influence of literature on sound – and, just a little, about what it’s like to be someone whose days seem to last longer than everyone else’s.
Hey Marcus, great to meet you! ‘Maybe It’s Somethin…’ is already your fourth studio album after ‘Rebel Of The Underground’, ‘20s A Difficult Age’, and ‘Marcus Orelias’. Along with your music, you’re also writing, creating art, acting, and producing content. How do you balance all these creative projects and keep moving forward with so much energy?
Thank you, it’s great to be here, nice to meet you too. Honestly, I had a moment where I realized something: artists pull from the “ether” to make their works. Many before me have spoken on this same concept – that they go to a “place” to create. I acknowledge that I have been given spiritual access to that same place where there’s information that allows me to pull ideas and turn them into tangible stories. It’s a responsibility I’ve embraced over the years but it’s all connected, it’s bringing me to the ultimate space I’m supposed to occupy. Whether I’m writing a script, drawing or making an album, it’s all about telling stories and offering value to the world, even if they don’t “get it now”…they will. I just try to stay consistent, curious, and remember that every day I get to create is a blessing. That energy comes from knowing there’s always more to learn and more to share with the world. It keeps my work at a level of quality that people can write essays and build curriculums around 100 years from now when I no longer exist in this form.
When you approach a new project, do you let the music lead the story, or do you build the music around a story you already want to tell?
It changes project to project. Sometimes a melody will spark a whole concept; sometimes there’s a story inside me that needs to come out, and the music builds around it. With Maybe It’s Somethin…, it was definitely a combination because for songs like Givin’ It All Away, I wrote the lyrics and build on a beat that was a skeleton, the intro to Maybe It’s Somethin’… was written in 2014 as a joke we were riffing on in the studio, I actually had an early demo I held onto for years where I singing the lines you ended up hearing. I was talking about something, everyone experiences when entering a relationship and thinking “Maybe this will be something, maybe it will result in being nothing at all” – a 50/50 roll of the dice. The songs had to reflect these real, sometimes messy feelings before anything else but I have a lot of music that has sat with me for over a decade. I like to let my music mature then release it.
While listening to the album, I caught myself thinking that it sounds like a whole, but within it, you’ve hidden a bunch of different “selves.” Which one of them feels closest to you right now?
Forevermore is closest to me. I won’t revisit the other selves because they’re really just moments in my journey but I love that you picked up on the different selves. I love hearing people’s theories and interpretations of my work. When I held the album listening, this was actually a common theory that was presented, the theory was that Maybe It’s Somethin’… is actually a concept album that starts at the question/initiating the dating phase Maybe It’s Somethin’.. and ends at finding someone who is your Forevermore. Legend has it that if you listen to Forevermore on repeat enough times the frequency will help you attract your soulmate. At least that’s how I planned it [laughs].
The intro to an album is like the first handshake: it determines how the listener will perceive everything that follows. You start with the track ‘Maybe It’s Somethin…’ gentle, minimalist. Why did you choose to open the album like this?
I wanted the opening to feel musical, sexy, like you’re eating home cooked food. I’m of the cloth that your music should respect the listener, not overstimulate and overwhelm them. Sometimes less is more. Music is very digital now which I understand but I’m not really a fan of synthetic instruments and I wanted to also show musicians love by adding them all throughout the project.
On the album, you mix R&B, hip-hop, pop, and something completely elusive, making it at times hard to pinpoint what genre you’re in. How do you manage to switch so smoothly between different sounds without losing yourself?
I grew up on so many different sounds – rap, soul, classic rock, funk, electronic – it all blended into how I hear music naturally. Genre to me is just a tool, not a rule. I stay grounded by always asking myself: Is this honest? If it is, it doesn’t matter what box it fits in.
The line “Maybe It’s Somethin’…” leaves a lot of space for interpretation. Were you thinking that listeners, guided by their curiosity and personal experience, might come up with their own interpretations of the title?
Absolutely. That was intentional. “Maybe It’s Somethin…” is like a doorway – you can walk through it and find your own meaning. It’s not about me telling you what to feel; it’s about you feeling whatever you’re ready to confront. That ambiguity is where a lot of the magic lives.
During the recording of the album, you brought in an impressive team of guests – Jamila Thompson, Dnalkao, Tay Walker, and others. Each of them added their unique touch to the album’s sound. How did you go about choosing these artists?
Choosing collaborators is very intuitive for me. When I’m creating depending on what needs to be expressed. I’m respectfully drawn to artists who bring something I can’t create on my own – a certain vulnerability, a tone, a voice, an energy. With Jamila, Dnalkao, Tay – they’re all people who understand emotion at a deep level. It wasn’t just about talent; it was about connection. This lowkey was like a joint album between Mila and myself, she contributed a lot and so did Tay. We have some unreleased songs together.
I’ve heard you’ve written science fiction, and I’m curious to know how you see the connection between creating fictional worlds and exploring uncharted territories in literature and your music?
Well my second album 20s A Difficult Age came from the idea that I wanted to make films so I decided to create an “audio film”. When you listen to it, it sounds like a movie so I decided to build out the story I was telling there and turn it into a universe / sci-fi story. 20s is sonically my best album to date.
Science fiction and music, to me, are two sides of the same mission: expanding imagination. Sci-fi asks “what if?” and so does good music. Some artists take it too far to where they themselves are si-fi [laughs]. Whether I’m writing about distant planets or inner emotions, I’m trying to open up spaces that didn’t exist before, open up the mind of the world like I said in the first question.
You’ve built a whole creative universe around yourself – music, books, visuals. If someone was stepping into your world for the first time, where would you tell them to start?
A goal of mine is to be magic, Magical Marcus [laughs] like Willy Wonka or Michael Jackson. The magic is missing in certain spaces and you can see it but I’d tell them to start wherever they feel most pulled and go down the rabbit hole. If you like music, start with Maybe It’s Somethin… or Rebel of The Underground that can be your entry. If you love to read, check out my writings. If you’re visual, watch my short films or look at the artwork. Everything’s connected not literally but you can start to see the vision, but it’s also meant to be explored in your own way. If you do that, I guarantee, afterward you will be a fan.
After Maybe It’s Somethin’… turned out to be so multi-layered, it feels like you’re always looking for new ways to express yourself. Considering that you’ve already explored so many creative paths, are there any new ideas or directions you want to explore in the future?
I’m always getting better and would like the people around me to do the same. My business partner, Akhil and I have been working on merging storytelling with technology – a more immersive experience using interactive art. He’s amazing and I’m excited about what we’re working on so I don’t want to limit the mediums we use – telling honest stories in new ways is my main priority.
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