Anthony Rausku
In this interview, Anthony Rausku reflects on “Goodbye,” exploring quiet heartbreak, creative evolution, and the freedom of independence, offering insight into subtle storytelling, personal process, and future possibilities.
1. “Goodbye” captures the quiet heartbreak of two people growing apart rather than falling out—what drew you to explore this more subtle, emotional kind of separation?
Well, not an easy question because i don´t actually know why. Not any personal drama here that would be current but of course i have had my history in relationships, some of them have ended exactly how the song tries to describe.And some don´t. We all have our history, haven´t we ?
2. The song opens with a sparse, piano-led arrangement, which you’ve described as something new for you. How did that creative choice shape the mood and storytelling of the track?
I wrote this song with guitar just like every song i have written. And the vocal lines were simpler. So making arrangement for piano changed vocal lines because i had more room to try out what i can do with the melody. And it is very satisfying to find out that i succeeded in that. Maybe it’s something I’ll continue in the future. I’ve received more comments about this song, perhaps because of my more sensitive approach. That could be a direction worth exploring.However, I’m a guitarist at heart, so you’ll definitely hear them on my future albums.
3. As an artist who writes, records, produces, and engineers everything yourself, how does that complete independence influence the emotional honesty of your music?
I got to admit that i don´t really understand what is emotional honesty. I have played in bands and been in studios and what i do now is that same. There´s not much difference. Difference is that i can do things just like i want to do them. Am i honest to my self ? Can anybody answer to that ? There is no record company whose ideas influence what I do. So I am responsible to myself and then it pays to be honest.
4. You’ve said this song is about leaving without wanting to hurt anyone. Was there a particular moment or feeling that sparked the writing process for “Goodbye”?
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5. The track is accompanied by a music video—how important was it for you to visually represent the story, and what did you want viewers to feel when watching it?
I have published now 17 music videos for my solo career songs. So it is just a thing that i want to do, and it´s fun. Although it takes time to arrenge space, lights, backgrounds and so on. And of course i have to have an idea for the video, which is the the hardest thing in planning. Video must go hand in hand with the dynamics of music and that affects the viewer’s emotions, i hope so.
6. You don’t currently perform live—do you see that changing in the future, or do you prefer focusing entirely on the studio as your creative space?
No plans for live gigs at the moment. But you never know if my music goes viral then it´s possible. I’ve put together a few bands from scratch so I know it’s not easy.