What seemed like one of the longest years in our lifetime finally came to an end. Say what you want about 2020 but no one can deny that it was a complete learning experience for everyone, no matter their age. The world rushed to figure out how to put everything on pause while somehow keeping the economy flowing. Every industry and aspect of society was affected and the world watched together as a select few discovered the secret to 2020: pivoting.

Restaurants that lost indoor dining turned toward food delivery apps. Brands and clothing companies rushed to produce their own sets of face masks. Musicians who could no longer tour spent the year cashing in on endorsements while expressing their feelings on projects recorded in quarantine. As the reality set in for all of us, a big chunk of the world sat under a dark cloud, wondering how to pivot our everyday lives within all the chaos. At some point between the 8 PM pots and pans clanging ritual, the inevitable thought came around, is this our only current form of “entertainment” and are we only banging these pots so our neighbors can see that we’re pot-bangers? It’s not an understatement to say that we as a collective clung to every form of amusement and entertainment to prevent us from seeing the burning room we were sitting in.

But despite the world crashing to a complete halt, the one thing artist Brandon Anderson wasn’t going to do is stop chasing his dream. Known as B.Anderson, the Greenhouse artist already had a project in the works, but once the quarantine blues hit, it didn’t feel right to put a project out that no longer related to him and the situation around us. So he hopped back into the booth to create his new project, Bellflower. Having spent many Summers and Winters with his family in Bellflower, CA, Anderson felt the year taught him a lot about re-familiarizing himself with LA and the artist LA coached him to be. Moving in full grind mode until he felt the project was complete, Anderson said this is one of his most honest projects to date. 

While preparing for this interview, I asked Anderson if I could listen to the upcoming EP to see what the Dallas-Fort Worth artist had been working on during one of the most challenging years for aspiring artists. He sent the link shortly after and it did not disappoint. From the beat selection to the lyricism to the switches in his flow, the EP is a clear representation of all the principles that he stands for, like discipline and progression. It’s almost impossible to compare the project to Greenhouse, due to the high contrast in style between the two. As I took a deeper dive into the project, it seemed like Anderson knew this all along too. Like a snake shedding its skin to prepare for new growth, Anderson prepared himself to show the world a different level of artistry. It’s the first project with a photograph of himself on the cover rather than an animated character, and Bellflower will be his longest project to date. But the most notable change was his newly adopted alias, Bando.

Bando’s Bellflower EP touches on an overwhelming, long-awaited event for the artist. He told me he no longer wants to make songs for other people who only want to hear a specific sound from him. It was time for the world to step into Bando’s world, so he invited us. “Every year’s been my year, this my year,” Bando tells his fans in “Be Cool,” and the way the artist rides along with the beats, it’s believable. Bellflower is his most personal work, by far, ending it with an honest song called “Joy” where the artist talks about his fears, realizations, and the outcomes of his choices. From Greenhouse to Bellflower and from B. Anderson to Bando, this is the type of evolution you hope to see in your favorite artist. I interviewed Bando ahead of the release of his highly-anticipated Bellflower EP, read it in full below.

SANDY MOSQUEDA: Two of the key differences that I noticed with Bellflower was how much different it sounded from Greenhouse, and your name change. All of your previous music was released under B. Anderson but now it’s changed to Bando. What made you want to switch that up?
BANDO: My name was never supposed to be B. Anderson. When I first started rapping, I remember coming out with a tape and I didn’t really have a rap name so I just went as B. Anderson because my name is Brandon Anderson.

That’s Anderson .Paak’s name.
Yeah, crazy. Whenever I moved to LA and I really started figuring myself out as an artist and really being sure of who I was, I just kind of felt like it was the time to make that apparent as my far as whole brand. Bando is already my nickname with my friends but really more so it felt like the artist part of me so I was able to separate it from Brandon Anderson.

Speaking on growing as an artist, was there any growth between the sound too? Was there a specific sound you were trying to develop for Bellflower?
For sure. Bellflower is really the first project that I’m dropping really by myself. I mean I have two features on there but beyond that like even with Greenhouse it was a feature on every song. Before that, the last project that I put out outside of my video series was in 2018, I put out another project in 2017 and that was the last one I did that was strictly by myself. I wanted to cultivate a sound that was organic to me because like I said before the projects were tailored to two different artists trying to make what sounded best as far as the relationship goes between us but with this, I wanted something that sounded organic and fresh to me so yeah I definitely had an intention of making a particular sound with Bellflower.

I feel that. You can hear it too. It sounded like two completely different artists. It’s like you’re showing the growth you’ve made with this album which is really dope.
I’m glad it’s apparent though because some people will be like yeah I’m trying to grow and make the same thing. [Laughs]

What were the key pieces that you wanted to show with this project?
Really, my songwriting skills but more so my melodies. Before in previous releases, I’ve always been a super lyrical type of person, just showing my pen but as time has passed I don’t really feel like I have as much to prove in that sense. I feel like the essence of song-making is the melodies, making it sound good, and you know ear-grabbing for the listener. That was definitely something I was intentional about. I tried to focus on making better melodies, making better retainable music for people.

Was this the first project where you were able to play creatively about where you wanted to take it?
Yeah, for sure. I had more of an input, not saying that I didn’t have an input with prior releases but it was more so of a cut and dry type of thing. You get the beat, you write to it, you get it mixed, and then you put it out. This was the first time I really was in close proximity to the point where the intro, you hear the intro, that initially was a double-timed beat but when I was with Alexander Lewis when he was making it, I had the input of nah slow this down, add these vocals behind it. Even with beats like the song “Be Cool” my homeboy Super Miles made that. He made the beat and I rapped over it but he was like nah let me add these saxophone elements which completely brought the song to a completely different level than what we first made it. Having that input really just helped me organically cultivate a sound that I was comfortable with.

How long have you been working on this project?
So I’ve been working on an album for a really long time but it kind of felt outdated to me. With Bellflower, I started that in the middle of a pandemic because I had this album and I really wanted to get it off the ground, get some support behind it and then the pandemic hit around March and everything just stopped. I was in a depression musically because I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted to make something that felt more current and not dated. I started working on just songs around May or June and then it was just like I kept knocking out songs that I was happy with. Once I got to like the third song I was like nah I need to make a project to kind of encapsulate this moment that I’m in right now. I had about one or two songs from my old album that made it onto Bellflower but the rest is brand new. It took me about five months.

This year specifically was very tough for all artists. It was very unusual and a strange time to go about it. What kept you inspired throughout those times?
Honestly just the fact that I’m blessed. To be able to survive in this pandemic. A lot of people lost a lot, for me I wasn’t hit as hard as other people so that made me very grateful. We’re in a year where no one can expect what happened so I kind of took things in the perspective of damn I’m glad to be able to live in LA and continue to make my music. Some people have to wake up in the morning and they have to put on their boots and do something they don’t want to do. Some people lost their jobs completely. That gave me the inspiration to act on those opportunities. Just being blessed to be able to do it gave me the inspiration to do it.

Did you feel like it affected the way you write songs or work?
Yeah definitely. I think getting older too and seeing time pass kind of gave me more perspective of how I wanted to make my music. Creatively, just being intentional with everything that I’m doing as far as people listening to my music in the future. You know your music lives forever. It helped me be more aware of what I was saying, the type of music I was making, and the type of music I was happy with.

I always hear artists talk about never knowing when they’re finished with a project because there are always things you can add or touch upon. How did you fully know when it was complete to show the world what you made?
After kind of putting it together. You know with artists they’ll make a bunch of songs and then play with a tracklist and things of that nature. Once I put it in the order that it eventually ended up being and I listened to it, it just sounded like I didn’t have anything else to say as far as encapsulating the whole moment. It seemed like that particular order of songs that I did it, it sounded right. Once I went back and looked at it, it was seven songs. Seven is the universal number of completion. Not that I’m super big on it but it kind of was a sign that this was the right amount. It sounded right. It was the right amount of time. With music nowadays, it’s real microwaves. I wasn’t trying to have an hour-long project especially with this being my first offering for a long time. I just felt right.

Where does Bellflower come to play? What’s your connection to it?
My mom, her side of the family is all in the East Compton area so I was conceived there, my sister was born there. We were pretty much there all throughout my life from like Christmas break, Summer break, Thanksgiving breaks, all that. I was either in Texas or in Compton or in the Bellflower area. When I decided to move to LA, I moved to Bellflower. I lived with my cousin and my aunt so I kind of just felt like with this moment and coming back and re-familiarizing myself with LA it was the perfect name because it was the moment I was in. That’s what the project is doing, it’s telling you how I got back into the fold of living in LA, being around my family, and really just finding myself. It’s the benchmark of who Bando is now.

Would you say there are any differences that you saw in making music out in Dallas vs LA?
I don’t think it’s necessarily a widespread thing to where everyone will feel it but for me, it kind of takes that comfortability away in a sense. I did feel a little bit comfortable in Dallas where I was.

Why is that?
It’s definitely a slower-moving environment. It’s definitely more relaxed and with it being my hometown, I have no choice but to be more lax. That’s where my family is, I know where everything is to where from here a lot of things are familiar and I have family here but it’s more so feel like I’m here to do a job. I’m here with a mission. It’s good for me because it gives me a sense of urgency.

Who do you want to work with?
Blxst. He’s super dope, an artist from LA. Outside of him, I want to work with the G.O.A.T.S, the Kendricks and the Coles. I want to work with anyone that’s willing to work with me and really sees the vision of where I’m trying to go.

One of the songs that stood out to me the most was the last song, “Joy.” That song reminded me of you being inside a booth and just spitting, speaking on what’s on your mind and however it goes, it goes. You touched upon your fears.
Yeah, that’s just a benchmark of how I’ve changed as far as how I’m growing my music because it’s definitely a personal type of song that I just wanted to get off. I’ve never really told people how I feel, in previous music I’ve just told people how to feel. It was something new for me but at the same time, it was like a *takes a deep breathe* type of moment. That’s why it’s the last song. That’s what I want to leave you with like I have fears just like everyone else but in the same sentiment, I’m not going to give up.

What can we expect from you next?
More music and seeing my face more. I’m trying to do better with my branding and stuff like that. But yeah, releasing more music. I have a couple of partnerships down the way trying to bring those to fruition. Expect to hear more Bando and you’re going to get tired of me at this point but I hope you continue to listen.