Artist Spotlight is a segment that we started to introduce our readers to some deserving up and coming artists/bands. They have made an impact on us for all of the right reasons. We think they kick ass, and we hope you do too! Let’s shine the spotlight on a group of Raleigh, North Carolina’s unique electronic pop-punk musicians better known as ColorMeKrazy!
The brainchild of a bedroom-pop artist & an ex-scene kid, ColorMeKrazy! is a collective of musicians/maniacs hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina.
In 2023, vocalist & producer Mia Brunal teamed up with guitarist & recording engineer Tom Detrick to meld the saccharine aesthetic & sensibilities of modern hyperpop artists (Brakence, 100 Gecs, Charlie XCX) with the powerful, dark, scream-crying-in-the-rain-angst of yesteryear’s emo titans (My Chemical Romance, Senses Fail, Taking Back Sunday) into its own unique flavor of electronic pop-punk music.
The band hit the ground running with the inclusion of their second guitarist/manager/band dad, Drew Hutchins. Beyond a rotating roster of additional friends, these three are the brains, brawn, & pretty, pretty faces that make up ColorMeKrazy! at its core.
We sat down with the band and had a short, but fun Q&A session.
Every superhero or villain has an origin and a band is no different minus the radioactive spiders and secret government experiments. What is the origin of ColorMeKrazy!?
Mia/ColorMeKrazy!: So basically, where I used to live there was no real scene for the kind of music I wanted to make. Because of that, I worked a normal job for a little while and kind of got caught up in survival instead of chasing my dreams in music. Once covid happened, I was kind of like “oh god life is really short.” So I saved and planned to move away to an area where I knew there was more of a scene for what I was trying to do. And that’s how I ended up in Raleigh. Probably 6 months after the move I was itching to get started, and I often suffer from insomnia because I worry and have a hyperactive brain. At 3am I messaged Tom on this ancient looking site called bandmix, and to my surprise, he answered right away because he worked the nightshift. He already had a project going and after making him a demo, he let me in. We found Drew the same way, scrolling through profiles on bandmix. He had pics of him performing and I thought he looked like he had great stage presence. I’m glad to report I was right!
Band names can have a meaning or it can be a name pulled out of a hat. What’s the story behind ColormeKrazy!?
Tom/ColorMeKrazy!: “ColorMeKrazy!” was originally “Color Me Crazy.” The origin behind that is simple, I overheard it in conversation & thought it had a nice ring. However, there is a hair salon in a state hundreds of miles away that, admittedly, had the name first. Somehow, the owner of that business caught wind of us using the name, & she went BALLISTIC. We got everything from threats of legal action, to literal mention of “hexing” us & witchcraft (She sent a picture of some crystals in a circle with candles? Still no clue what that was about.) So of course, we thought it’d be hilarious to outright keep the name & change it just enough that she couldn’t really say anything anymore.
What are you currently working on?
Mia: Right now, we have a single coming out on October 14th called “Bittersweet”. It’s got a whole different side of us in it since it’s more of a ballad. It’s also the first song mainly written by Drew, which is pretty awesome. We’re also filming a music video for it which will come out shortly after. Then on November 14th we are playing a show in Raleigh at Cannonball with American Theory, FoundiT, and The Wild. Other than that, we’re always demoing and always writing. I’ve tweeted this a few times, but keep an eye out for EP2 next year!
Who was your first celebrity crush?
Tom: Kat Von D.
Mia: When I was 4 or 5 I was determined to marry Prince Harry because my #1 goal in life was to become a Princess.
Drew: Kelly Kapowski. Need I say more?
What are your 5 favorite movies?
Tom: Pulp Fiction (Or anything Quentin Tarantino, honestly), Isle of Dogs, MTFKZ, Juice, & Enter the Void.
Mia: I’m going to have to go Office Space, Goodfellas, Donnie Darko, Scott Pilgrim and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Drew: The Social Network, Remember The Titans, Dumb and Dumber, Zoolander, Joe Dirt
Connect with ColorMeKrazy! online:
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