Kaleb Rudy Talks New Single “Mess” and Music Career

Kaleb Rudy, an indie pop singer-songwriter and actor who starred in the 2019 LGBTQ short film Old House, recently released a brand-new track titled “Mess.” It is the second single from his upcoming debut visual EP My Own Volition, following “Eighteen,” which dropped in October.

Written and directed by Rudy, produced by Deep Forest Drive, and mixed by Dryw Owens of Moxy The Band, the visualizer for “Mess” continues to follow fictional drifters Wes and Kaleb as they explore intimacy in a mobile home in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Born in Colorado but raised across Virginia, Montana, Iowa, and California by the age of 12, the rural Midwest was not the only thing at odds with Rudy’s queer identity—His father is a Christian pastor. He found an outlet through any artistic means he could get his hands on.

Rudy took some time to talk more about “Mess” and his musical artistry with OFM.

Let me begin by asking, how excited are you to release “Mess” out into the world?

I’m very excited to release it out into the world! It’s the second chapter in this story that I’m visually telling, and it’s the second single off the record, so I’m excited for people to see it, hear it, and hopefully like it.

Can you tell us more about the concept behind the track?

I wrote this song a couple years ago, and it really came out of me instinctually when I was sitting down and playing my guitar. I had a crush on somebody, and ultimately, nothing came to fruition with that person, but I think I just needed to get out of me that pining feeling you have when you first start to develop feelings for someone, and then coming to the realization that I had kind of jumped the gun a little bit before I had really gotten to know this person. So, I’m trying to express that in this song as well.

“Mess” continues to follow the story of these fictional drifters, Wes and Kaleb. What was the inspiration behind creating this story?

When I was dreaming up the record, I didn’t even know that I was going to be shooting these videos. I just had in my head, creating a record that sounded like a full narrative. A full story from beginning to end. Then when I was finally finished with the record and started to dream up the concept, at first, I was thinking of just shooting one music video. Then I thought, well, what if I were to split the amount of money that I am able to spend on this into five visualizers so that I could tell the type of story that I was dreaming of?

The story that turned out ended up being quite similar to the one that I had in my mind, and I was pulling inspiration from some of my favorite stories and movies like My Own Private Idaho, Requiem for a Dream, and Brokeback Mountain. All these movies that maybe don’t sound like they have a whole lot in common, but the inspirations coalesced into this story.

You released the first track, “Eighteen,” late last year. How has it been received by listeners?

I think people have really liked it. I think people like being taken back to that age when we felt really free, didn’t have any responsibilities, and we were experiencing some feelings for the first time. I think people have enjoyed connecting to that, and they responded positively to the Wes and Caleb love story.

Is the entire EP revolved around Wes and Caleb?

Visually, yes. There are five visualizers, and each song is a chapter of their story.

Are you going to release each single one by one?

Yes, each single will be released one at a time. By the time the fifth one comes out, I’ll put them all into a collection on streaming platforms, but I want each single to have a proper release.

Have you always had a passion and desire to be a singer-songwriter?

Definitely. When I was a little kid, my family had this Janet Jackson record, as well as Ace of Base, so I would hear that, and then later on, I discovered my own pop music, which was like boy bands and stuff. I would make up these choreographed dances and put them on for my family (laughs). Being that kind of singer was my dream at that age, and then around the same time, I also started to write little poems.

My oldest sister had Jewel’s poetry book, and I read part of it, and that was how poetry became a thing in my life. Then, by the time I was in high school, I picked up the guitar and started putting the poetry to music. Even though what kind of artist I wanted to be changed and shifted over time, there was always a dream of being a musical artist in some capacity.

How would you describe your musical style and aesthetic?

I would say I fall into the genre of indie pop, and I would describe my sound as nostalgic and wistful, but then at times, there’s a sad undercurrent to some of it. I think there’s a sadness to longing, whether it’s longing to be in a relationship with someone or longing for something in the past. There’s this element of sadness to nostalgia, so I think that’s part of the music as well.

What do you ultimately hope listeners take away from your music?

I hope it helps them get in touch and remember their innermost desires. As we grow up, I think we can start to make some compromises in the way that we live or the relationships that we find ourselves in based on practicality or fear, and we get away from those original innermost longings that we have when we’re a kid. So, I hope that my music gets people in touch with that with their innermost desires.

What would you say has been the biggest challenge of being an openly gay man in the music industry?

It took me a while to be fully comfortable enough to come out as queer. For the most part, I was out in my life to my family and friends, but it took me a while to decide to be completely transparent on social media and in my art. There was a little skirting around some of it before, and so far, I think it’s been a powerful thing to be out. It doesn’t feel like it’s holding me back.

I’ve been able to make bolder choices artistically, and I think my reason for doing this isn’t just about self-expression, but I’m encouraging other people and giving them an opportunity to get in touch with who they are. That meaning and what I’m doing is becoming clearer by being able to fully be myself, and hopefully other people will fully embrace themselves as well.

What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your musical career?

After releasing the full EP, I want to record a full-length album. I have it written, but I’m starting to dream up how I want it to sound musically, what I want the videos to be like, and the kind of story I want to tell. I would also love to start touring at some point and just keep making cool shit (laughs).

Stay up-to-date and connect with Rudy by following him on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. “Mess” is now available to stream on all digital platforms.

Photos courtesy of Genevieve Rico