After taking a hiatus in 2010, Trace Cyrus and Mason Musso have rejoined forces to release Metro Station’s latest album, Gold. Founded in 2006, the band signed with Columbia Records and soon became known for hits such as “Shake It” and “Seventeen Forever”. Fans were disappointed when the group announced that they were taking an indefinite hiatus four years ago to pursue solo projects. However, enthusiasts can once again hear Metro Station’s music on The Outsiders Tour with The Ready Set, Against the Current, and Downtown Fiction.

Before their performance in Boston on Monday, Blast Magazine had the opportunity to speak with the talented duo about their long-awaited reunion.

Blast Magazine: You recently released your latest album, Gold, which included the song “She Likes Girls.” What is the meaning behind that track and where did you come up with the idea for the song?

Trace Cyrus: Mason thought of the concept actually. It’s about gay and lesbian rights. It’s about having a girl that you’re interested in who doesn’t like you because she’s more interested in girls. Instead of being upset about it, you should support her through it. Even today, we had a girl write us a card and tell us how much this song meant to her. It’s awesome that it touches people. We didn’t think it would make that big of an impact.

 

 

Blast Magazine: You both were extremely popular on Myspace before you landed your record deal. What is your opinion on social media fame and the popularity of Youtubers today?

Cyrus: I like it because it gives everyone an equal opportunity. If you have a laptop, you can release your music. If it’s good, people can spread the word about it. It’s not like the old days where you had to play bars and hope that a record label would stumble upon you. With the power of the Internet, you don’t even need a record label. You can just do it all on your own. We are doing all this without a record label because we still have a good following on social media.

Blast Magazine: Trace, you created your own clothing line SMHP [Southern Made Hollywood Paid] in 2009. Did you always aspire to be a designer or was that something that came about later in life?

Cyrus: I have trouble finding clothes that I like and I wanted something that showed a piece of who I was. I actually don’t wear it as much anymore because I like to give it out to friends. I like just making the designs. With the Metro Station designs, I thought of all the concepts and I got my SMHP designer to make it. I just have fun doing stuff like that. My brain is always working. I like thinking of tattoo designs and shirt designs, just whatever it is. I’m an artistic guy, I guess.

Blast Magazine: Have you felt that you needed to change your music or your sound based on who your new audience is? The fans have really grown up with you guys, so everyone is older now.

Mason Musso: I’ve never felt that we’ve needed to change our style. We have gotten older and I think it shows in the music. I think we are Metro Station and when you hear our music, you know it’s us. We have that kind of sound that no one else really has. I think we will always keep elements of the beginning but it’s always good to evolve.

Cryus: You can’t stay the same forever. We still write catchy pop songs but we write about different things now.

Metro Station released Gold on October 14 following a four year hiatus.

Metro Station released Gold on October 14 following a four year hiatus. 

Blast Magazine: Was it natural for both of you to start working together again? Were there any complications due to taking a few years off from writing as a team?

Cyrus: We are a good writing team and we write good songs together. We really level each other out. When we are in the studio together, we write songs quickly. A lot of times when we go into the studio, we just talk for the first few hours and then finally, we start writing. We just have fun together.

Blast Magazine: What inspires you personally and the music that you both write?

Cyrus: Mason is more up-to-date on current bands and bands that are more similar to us. I listen to a lot of hip-hop, country, and 80’s rock and roll. Just living life and the things that we do in our everyday lives, whether that’s performing, partying, drinking, or smoking. For a song, it can be a made-up story. For “She Likes Girls”, that never happened to either of us, but we just write about situations and things that we think of in our head. A song is just a way to tell a story, so we are, in a way, storytellers.

Musso: People we meet and our friends also inspire us.

Blast Magazine: You have both written quite a few songs through the course of your careers. What was your favorite song to record and why?

Musso: That’s really hard to pick a favorite song ever. I really like playing “Cool” off of our new EP. I just think that it’s a super fun and great track. I have been listening to that song a lot.

 

 

Cyrus: There are a couple new songs that we haven’t released yet that I love and are my favorites. Off the new EP, “Gold” is my favorite. It’s not even the most that I listen to the most, but it is the most meaningful to me.

Blast Magazine: What would be your best piece of advice to an aspiring musician?

Cyrus: Don’t worry about what anyone says about you. Write songs that you enjoy. Like I said before, the Internet is key. If you want to get your music out there, start a Facebook, start a Youtube channel, start a Twitter, start an Instagram. You can do it all yourself. Save enough money and get a computer that can record quality sounding demos, just like me and Mason did back in the day and still do. For “She Likes Girls”, we did it in one of my bedrooms in my little home studio. We had a laptop and a microphone and made music. Don’t let anyone get you down. Make what you love and if it’s good and other people like it, the word will spread.

 

Be sure to check out Metro Station’s new EP “Gold” and their website www.metrostationmusic.com and follow them on Twitter at @MetroStation,.

About The Author

Madeline Knutson is an Entertainment Journalist and Pop Culture Expert for Blast Magazine.

Leave a Reply