ABOUT:IN SIGNS

Where are you from?
I’m Arsen, I’m originally from Ukraine. 13th of February 2022 I had a flight to Berlin that changed my life because on February 22nd the war started. In Ukraine, I had a band called In Signs but we can’t continue all together due to obvious reasons, that’s why I’m making songs on my own.

Who are your biggest artistic influences?
I tend to be a huge fan of post-grunge so Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin meant a lot to me as a amateur musician. Now I’d specify Architects for sure, Bad Omens, and also some pop-punk stuff.

Tell me about how your creation part begins, and how is your workflow.
It depends, but usually, I have a few lyric ideas on the paper that could be defined as a predecessor. The first step is making a skeleton of the song and after that, I just enhance it with additional instruments, sounds, etc. The vocal melody is the last one for me. I simply play the instrumental idea and try to find a good and catchy melody. The lyrics are a fully separate process. I can’t write lyrics right in that moment so it comes later when there’s an inspiration.

Where do you find inspiration?
Any intense feeling is equal to inspiration. Mostly, I find inspiration when something goes wrong. I don’t remember the time when I wrote the song because I was happy. I feel an inspiration listening to vinyl. I have a pretty big collection lately.

When is your favorite time of day to create your music?
The late evening is the best. The low light is the best atmosphere for me to create the music.

Describe how art is essential to society nowadays
Right now we need it more than ever. There was a lot of bad news in the past 5 years so I see music and any other type of art is kinda a place of recharging and feel yourself in safe. The ’Creator’ has become a hype word nowadays but I think that we’re losing quality sometimes. Happy to hear a lot of good music from my generation in different genres.

What motivates you to create?
I’d be honest in saying that I create music not for myself but for everyone else. So happy to hear feedback, when people pay attention to the lyrics, and when my songs somehow resonate with their lives.
The ’time for myself’ is when I just play an acoustic guitar and sing.

How do you define success as a music artist?
Sounds foolish, but it’s not about the total number of streams. The success to me is a very good connection between my music and listeners. I came up to this after lots of talks and chats. So I’d say that from this point of view, I’ve already succeeded in music because it gets heard.

Does art help you in other areas of your life?
100% because apart from music I’m connected to the IT world. Can’t say a lot of things because of NDA but I can see some audio interfaces, guitar processors, and software before the release.

How do you develop your art skills?
It’s a never-ending story. I practice guitar every day but most of the time I spend with audio plugins, tutorials, and searching for a good sound. In 2023 I spent a lot of time with Universal Audio plugins and how I can use them in a very creative way.
Also, I have a few subscriptions to the resources, where I can learn from professionals.

What is your next move?
I want to keep going with music creation. Would be great to get back to live music but it will take some time for me. Honestly, I don’t want to organize a band anymore, maybe in the future, I will work with the session musicians. But I already accepted the fact, that I need to rely on myself in making music.
In 2023 I played a few acoustic shows and probably I’ll do the same in 2024.

Where will we see you in 5 years?
I don’t want to make a prediction. My life changed 180 degrees and then a few times more, but in the end, I’m on another path now. So in 5 years, I hope to be alive, and live in peace, especially inside my head.