Rising Texas-born artist, A-Wall, started his career by taking a leap of faith. Choosing to drop out of college to pursue music, the self-described class clown spent the last couple of years making his way from a bedroom studio into Dallas' indie pop scene, releasing a few full-length projects on his own and with alt-hip hop group CHROMA. His track "Loverboy" even enjoyed some success on TikTok. Ahead of the release of his forthcoming album Autopilot, A-Wall looks back on his decision to leave it all behind.
"Dropout," the lead single off his forthcoming album, sees A-Wall reflecting on the life of academia he left behind and the ensuing pressure he felt to succeed. Gathering all the intrusive thoughts, anxiety and self-doubt he felt at the time, A-Wall pours his personal experiences and insecurities over a woozy lo-fi beat. “I was terrified of letting my loved ones down because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and music was definitely not an option that I was seriously considering yet,” A-Wall recalls.
Related | Lewis OfMan Is the Life of the Party
"Dropout" arrives alongside a new visual that harkens back to the artist's days in the dorm, flashing between him and his crocheted likeness before donning a helmet and speeding off into the night. Washed in cool blues and futuristic gloss, the dream-like visual matches the melancholic brooding tone of the track but ultimately ends on a hopeful note with A-Wall realizing that the dream he wants to follow is outside of his dorm room window.
Check out the PAPER premiere of A-Wall's official music video for "Dropout" below.
Photo courtesy of Devin Desouza