Cody Lawless, formerly recognized as KNOWN, has been making waves in the industry with his new becoming as an indie rock darling. From his early beginnings as a young rapper, he honed his craft and emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the Canadian hip-hop scene garnering over 30 million streams. I sat down with Cody over a Zoom interview, broadcasting live from his hometown in Mission, BC, to chat with him about his debut LP Sunshine State of a Happy Camper, to breakdown the inner workings of his upcoming release, and bond over our mutual appreciation for our suburban upbringings. 

Below Cody James Henn talks about how he claimed back his name in music through his new alias Cody Lawless and is ready to show the world a more authentic version of himself as an artist and person.

How did living in the suburbs shape your career as a young musician?

Mission, BC is an interesting place because we are far removed from the greater Vancouver area. We are unique because we have had quite a few successful musicians come from this city—LIGHTS, POWFU, Carly Rae Jepson.  Being from here challenges you in a way that you have more opportunity to craft your sound since there are few local influences to follow here. I still live in Mission and commute up to 3 times a week into the city to make music, but I am proud to be from here.

You have undergone a name change, from your previous stage name being KNOWN, accompanied by a sonic shift. How did your established audience react to these changes?

When I transitioned from rap to a more indie-rock type of sound, it was a 50/50 split. There was that fanbase I had gained from when I was KNOWN. and this new audience that I had built once I adopted Cody Lawless.

When I was touring and rapping, I was involved in the underground grimy rap scene and gained notoriety. People knew me as the guy yelling and bouncing around on stage. Soon as I switched over from the hardcore rap sound to this dream-like pop and singing in falsetto, a lot of people were like, “What is going on?” and there was an adverse reaction by a small group of people but more or less, a lot of people did vibe with it and supported the shift.

I felt like KNOWN. was a URL that people could look up, and that’s where they would find my music; it did not feel genuine. I had wanted to switch my name and tie my legal name Cody to my music. As for the Lawless portion—I am obsessed with cowboys and [their] lawlessness. I have two tattoos on both of my arms, one cowboy is Jimmy Rocket, and the other is Willy Wishbone. I was inspired to create a character that felt true to myself, and that carried a piece of me in it, and that character was Cody Lawless.

In what way are you hoping to tie your previous stage name to your new alias, Cody Lawless?

My team has pointed out that my voice is quite deep, and it comes through when I rap. It’s funny that I sing in a falsetto as Cody Lawless these days. However, there will be a few rap verses on my, Sunshine State of a Happy Camper, where KNOWN. can be heard, and this is where this alias will act as a feature. I don’t want to abandon KNOWN. Ultimately, I want to carry that influence into my new music.

What inspired the sonic shift in your music, from rap to dream-pop?

I was brought up listening to heavy rock and metal—Slayer, Metallica, and Megadeth, to mention a few names. When I heard rap music when I was 12, it opened my eyes to a whole new world and concept of music that I identified with. I constantly told myself that I only wanted to make rap music. Still, as I got older and began exploring new kinds of music, especially indie and psychedelic rock, I could and wanted to do more with music. I just wanted to make music that was entirely me. 

It was in 2020 that I made an album called Paradise Parks with my producer, KULTARGOTBOUNCE. This album was my last rap album, and around this time, I was listening to a lot of psychedelic rock and indie pop. We got into our last session, which happened to be during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, shows were not happening, and I wanted to take advantage of this time and do something new, which was to create an indie pop record. I made my first song, called “Candyland”, with this unique indie rock sound that featured dreamy synths, jangly guitars, heavy bass, and me singing in a high falsetto, which I had rarely done before. As soon as I explored this side of my voice, I wanted to create more music like this.  The fact that I can bring all my influences together in a medium of music that makes the most sense to me is a dream come true and can be heard on my upcoming album.

What was the recording and writing process like for the album?

Most of Sunshine State of a Happy Camper was recorded in the studio with my producer and colleague, KULTARGOTBOUNCE; only three songs on the album were made at my home studio. We would have a studio session every Friday—we’d make one song in every session—the entirety of the album was recorded from September 2021 to early 2022.

Almost every song we made in those weekly sessions made it onto the album, and each song only took about 2 hours to complete. It is essential to me not to overthink the process of music creation. Otherwise, it loses momentum and the feelings I was experiencing in the initial recording sessions. This album was made quickly, but it is entirely authentic to what I felt when I recorded these songs.

At what stage in your creative process would you say that collaboration is most important?

Collaboration is most important when I feel like I am starting to lose inspiration, and the process of bouncing ideas off someone else or hearing someone else’s take on what I might be working on brings me back to life again. I love to work with my friends Elijah Blonde and POWFU regularly because we are friends first and foremost. We can connect personally and musically, and making music with a friend is much better.

Is there a specific moment from the recording/writing process that sticks out to you?

There was a day when we were recording when I started to lose my voice, and I got frustrated after multiple takes, so we just ended up scrapping the session and creating something new. We ended up coming up with this song called “I’m So Lucky”. This particular moment sticks out to me because making it come to life was so intuitive and reaffirmed that this was the right move.  Another moment that sticks out to me was when I was recording “Grace”, one of the three songs I made in my bedroom. I had wrapped up working on the bassline and jumped on the mic to record vocals. I was jumping around the room because I loved the process of not overthinking and just going with the song’s flow. I just started mumbling a bunch of things to develop a vocal melody.

What is your key takeaway from this album’s creative process and development?

I did get into the groove of making the music for this album. We nailed down the processes and only made songs that fit what we felt in the moment, not overthinking anything. I just found out that this process works for me, and I would love to replicate this for the next album and bring more live instrumentation into my future releases.

What are you hoping that fans take away from the release of your latest album?

I hope that the people who used to listen to my rap music give this album a chance and feel a more personal connection to me as an artist. I hope they can understand how much I’ve grown musically from my previous project and continue to support me in this new part of my life.

Embark on a musical journey this summer filled with sunshine, positivity, and the joy of exploration as Cody Lawless presents his highly anticipated album, Sunshine State of a Happy Camper. With his signature blend of soulful lyrics, catchy melodies, dreamy vocals, and infectious optimism. Throughout my time with Cody, I was able to understand that the songs on this album are an ode to the power of optimism and finding joy in life’s smallest moments. With his soulful voice and infectious energy, Lawless effortlessly weaves stories of love, self-discovery, and the thrill of new beginnings. This album is an invitation to join Lawless on a musical road trip, basking in the warmth of the sun and reveling in the freedom of the open road.

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