Manny King John
Just as an introduction to the band for those who still may not be hip, who is Phony Ppl? How did the group come together? Why was that name chosen for the group, seeing that being ‘phony’ isn’t really a good term? And what genre would the band itself to fall under?
Phony Ppl is a band from Brooklyn. We met in high school. The name was chosen because Aja and Elbee were kids, and thought it felt right. “Phony” is a play on different things. (Pho = For NY = New York PPL= People) or symPHONY Ppl. We wouldn’t fall into any one genre and we never will! Read the Twitter handle! We’re on a mission to destroy all genres!
Who would the band credit as their biggest influence in music, in terms of sound and style?
We wouldn’t credit anyone influence more than any other. There are five of us, so I would imagine on average all five of us have at least one-hundred influences so, five-hundred plus… Quadrillions.
I was introduced to the band through a friend who played me, ‘Why iii Love the Moon’. How much did that song, which I seen had a placement on ‘The Chi’, as well as the co-signs you guys received from Tyler, the Creator and Childish Gambino, affected the band’s career so far?
Anytime anyone with a platform shares our music, we’re especially grateful. We make this music mostly to satisfy our standards so, to know it resonates with other people and even more so, is being promoted to a wide audience at once is truly one of our childhood dreams.
The band has seem to have gone on a hiatus after the 2015 release and success of ‘Yesterday’s Tomorrow’, what’s been going on for the past three years? What has the group been working on either together or individually?
The band has never been on hiatus. As soon as ‘YT’ came out, it wasn’t long until the next round of songs started being written. Being independent means that you usually have to take the time you need to create with what you have. We had to make sure we got all the resources we needed to make this album, and all of our albums, to come smoothly without sacrificing quality. If anything, we locked into each other more and shut everyone else out, so we could focus. Individually, we’ve been working with more and more people but we make sure it never interferes with PPL.
The new track, ‘Before You Get a Boyfriend’, is coming out, what’s the message behind it, what is the group telling the ladies?
‘Before You Get a Boyfriend’ is about expressing yourself to a girl you’re feeling before they commit to someone else.
Last question, are the fans to expect a new album before the year is over?
Yes, sooner than you probably think! 😉
