Mother Mother will never “pander to the TikTok era” with their songwriting.
The Canadian rockers – who have exceeded nine billion streams globally – found themselves going viral on the video-sharing platform in 2020, after their 2008 song Hayloft was used in edits, cosplay, and creative transitions.
As a result, the group dropped Hayloft II, which also became a hit.
Frontman Ryan Guldemond subsequently noticed on Reddit that some people were critcising them for going after commercial success with their music – but he insists that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
He told ContactMusic.com: “I was reading people saying, ‘Oh, they pander to the TikTok era with their new writing.’
And it’s like, Huh? I don’t think that’s true. If anything, it’s the opposite, like, yeah, you know, the TikTok thing came along and made a bunch of songs that were really unviable, commercially famous, and that was to us that sent a message like, Oh, just be yourself. Like, just write from the heart and follow your whims. And that’s the best thing you can do, is to be just totally authentic. And if that means you’re writing kind of weird, unconventional songs, then so be it.”
The ‘Finger’ singer insists the whole TikTok viral experience taught them to “reject writing strategically for anything”.
He continued: “And so I’ve sort of taken that message and really ran with it, because I agree. I think the best thing anybody can do, whether you’re writing a song or just, I don’t know, whatever in life, just to be who you are. So I’m grateful for the TikTok thing, for sending that message, and if anything, yeah, like I said, it has made us reject writing strategically for anything.”
Mother Mother returned on June 6 with their new album ‘Nostalgia’, comprised of songs old and new to mark their 20th anniversary.
Stream ‘Nostalgia’ now on all major streaming platforms.