Song Exploder - Fousheé - Deep End

Episode Date: July 14, 2021

The story of how the song "Deep End" came into existence and became a hit is kind of wild. One person who really didn’t see it coming is the person who created it, Fousheé. She’s a singer and songwriter from New Jersey. You might have seen her competing on The Voice in 2018. Soon after that, she got asked to make a pack of vocal samples for the music platform Splice, where users can download samples and include them in their own songs, royalty-free. Coming up, Foushée tells the story of what happened with one of those samples, and how that led to her making "Deep End." That song has now been streamed over 385 million times. Fousheé became the first Black female artist to hit the Top 10 Alternative Chart in over 30 years. For more visit, songexploder.net/foushee.

You're listening to Song Exploder, where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece tell the story of how they were made. I'm Rishi Kesh Hirwe. This episode contains explicit language. The story of how the song Deep End came into existence and became a hit is kind of wild. One person who really didn't see it coming is the person who created it, Fouchet. She's a singer and songwriter from New Jersey. You might have seen her competing on The Voice in 2018. Soon after that, she got asked to make a pack of vocal samples for the music platform Splice, where users can download samples and include them in their own songs royalty-free.

Coming up, Foucher tells a story of what happened with one of those samples and how that led to her making D-Bend. Deep-end has now been streamed over 385 million times. Foucher became the first black female artist to hit the top-10 alternative chart in over 30 years. Here's Foucher, breaking down the twists and turns, that went into making Deepen. I've been trying not to give me a reason.

I've been trying not to go off. My name is Fouchet. When I got offered to do the sample pack, it was right after I got done shooting the voice. I was just eliminated from the voice. And I was like, fuck what now. And I was so heartbroken. But really, that ended up being,

For the better, I met someone from Splice, the sample pack company, and he asked me to do a pack of like 250 samples. He's like, if you have extra vocals on your computer, you know, anything unused, and I was like, okay, this is cool. I can make money and just release this thing. It's like a residual income. Usually sample pack is ooze as, you know, maybe a word or two. There's not hooks on there, but I thought, you know, like what do producers need to need hooks? So, you know, I'm going to make a dope-ass pack from scratch. I've been trying not to go off the deep end. I don't think you want to give me a reason.

I've been trying not to go up the deep end. I don't think you want to give me. It was like different variations of vocal samples. So the next one will be, I've been trying not to go on the day, and I don't think you want to give me a reason. And then I did some, ooh, and then probably a low. And that would be like six or seven samples.

Writing is a very intimate thing. But when I came up with those lines, I wasn't thinking about anything. I was trying not to overthink it. And I was just trying to have fun with it. And once the pack came out, I just walked away and did my own thing. My job here is done. Once people use the pack, they don't have to credit the artist. Typically, people don't make hooks.

It was just a different scenario. It backfired on me. One of my friends sent me a YouTube link and she was like, it's a shoot. And I clicked in was the deep end freestyle, a sleepy hollow. My body different. Shorty said she's trying to kick it. I'm in a mouth, son, like a dentist. Cooking up, I'm in the kitchen.

Big bro, wild and trying to catch a victim. I took an L. But now I'm back game with it. Look, and I'm doing well. I think a month had passed and it was like a million something views. I didn't really understand what was going on until I saw the YouTube video and read the comments. The way that they used it kind of highlighted the vocals. People were like, where can they find the person singing the sample?

A lot of people were like, I'm here for the girl singing. They were kind of answering the questions on their own and like tracing back to different versions of people using the sample and thinking those were the original. Someone was like, hi, I made the original. This is the original I have it right here. It was like just impossible

to cut through all this chatter because so many people were giving wrong information. So after a lot of peer pressure from my family, I made that TikTok video, just saying it was me. In the TikTok video, Foucher is playing guitar and singing, and there's text over it that reads, The irony of this is I'm actually the original singer in this song, but no one knows or believes me,

and it's legit making me go off the deep end. I posted it, I went to sleep, I woke up, and went viral while I was sleeping. Over six million views. People were surprised, and I couldn't have gotten credit without them. They caused a lot of commotion, and they were like, make your own version. supported so I just gave it a try. I saw it as a challenge to bring myself into the song while like still incorporating all these other elements. I didn't want to start it as somber and slow as the

simple was so I had my electric guitar okay I'm just gonna do like some driving strums. I don't think you want to give me a reason to see how that applies in my life. I was very fitting, I was very angry. I was like, sat with those original hook lyrics to see how that applies in my life. And it was very fitting anyway, so it wasn't that hard. I was very angry. I was stressed out. It was like right in the beginning of quarantine. George Floyd was just killed.

I did feel. like I was going on to defense. So I just used that as my diary and vented really. I got a gum flip the script, had a big bone to pick, got the short end of sticks, so we made if I were dead. So that's like my thesis statement. I'm like, okay, where am I here? I had a bone to pick.

I got the short end of the stick for too long, and I decided to do things my way. things are my way and make a fire with it instead of accepting this little bone. Not only was it a familiar feeling, it was just like being a woman in the industry, being a black woman in the industry, there's so many experiences that we have. We're like constantly fighting for our worth or for opportunities or for acknowledgement, but the story was about following through and demanding your work. So it was a different energy, like less of the victim more of the victor.

It's more of a success story. I wanted it to be like razor. I wanted it to be like danceable, motivating, like a happy anger. I thought of a drum pattern and I did the little tch-t-t-t-tch-tch. Then I found the sound, the little water drop. And I sent it to Etai Shapiro. He's a producer.

And I wanted different drums, but he was like, this sounds great. Let's keep it. I was like, no. And I was like, okay, fuck it. I'm already used to. Itai added the synth elements to, like, those cool sounds. I try to add a little weirdness in my song. So when he added that, I was like, that's perfect.

A lot of my inspiration comes from rap. Secretly, like, in my head, you know, I would be like, okay. I thought like I didn't have the content, the type of perspective that I would hear other rappers had. And then there just came a time where I just didn't care. And I was like, I need people to know that this is a part of me. Please go see to light this bitch up. Life ain't fit. You fight for your cut.

Think I spy your eye on my bucks. Great look. Not a lion woke up. You eye in my shit, crying my shit. Live for the money event. I finally slipped. Built on my body's your men. Nobody went in.

Contained what I'm bottling in, it's gonna be done. We finished the song, but I didn't know if people would like it because they already fell in love with the other version. But I knew that I was brought of it, so love and I hate it. This is me. I came and I got my victory. I got my things. This is for me to get what I deserve. and in the process, I was an example for other people, for black women, and, you know,

whoever I had went through anything similar, or just feeling cheated in any way, or settling for less than their worth. It's like the underdog moment. Come on. I love those moments. And now, here's Deep End by Foucher in its entirety. I've been trying not to go off the deep end I don't think you want to give me a reason

I've been trying out to go off the deep end I don't think you want to give me a reason Had a gun flip the script Had a big bone a pick Got the short end of sticks So we made if I were dead Let it burn to a crisp That's a short fire flip

She's a boss, she's a bitch I take that as a compliment I see I'm moving real up But leave I'm on a high I know I've been love You mama red with up Niggas on the way up

You ain't fin to play her My tits and makeup But never hit that label Beho I've been trying Not to go off the deep end I don't think you want to give me

reason I've been trying not to go off the deep end I don't think you want to give give me and I don't think you want to give me I'll need to go on the deep end please no seat to like this bitch up life ain't fair you fight for your cut think I spy your eye in my bucks great look now the lion woke up you eye in my shed quiet my shit live in money revent I finally slipped built on nobody's your men nobody went in contain what I'm

bottling in it's gonna get that paper surely don't rip like razor sure they got wick flavor part of my tits and makeup um sure then hit that layup shorty ain't with them games ya sure he gonna get that paper bear I've been trying not to go off the deep end I don't think you want to give me a reason I've been trying not to go off the deep end I don't think you want to give you You'll find links to buy or stream Deep End, and you can watch the music video. I have a new album of my own coming out on April 24th. It's been about 15 years since I last put out a full length, and this is the first one that'll be out under my own name, Rishi Kaysh Her Way.

I started making Song Exploder when I was feeling lost in my own music career. And then for over a decade, I've gotten to have these incredible conversations about the process of making music, talking to other artists, and it made me completely rethink my relationship to music, and my way of writing songs. And this album is the product of all of that. It features contributions from some of my favorite artists, including some folks that you may have heard on this podcast,

like Iron and Wine, Kevin Morby, Vagabon, Fenlily, and the producer Phil Wine Rope. I'm gonna be on tour playing in cities across the US starting in April, and I'm trying to bring the spirit of the podcast with me. So every show that I'm playing will begin with a conversation about the album with a different amazing guest moderator in each city,

Like Adam Scott, Samin Nasrat, Jason Manzuchas, Josh Molina, Minjin Lee, Ken Jennings, John Roderick, Austin Cleon, and more. They're all going to be my conversation partners on stage, and then I'll play with my band. The album is called In the Last Hour of Light, and the first couple songs are out now. You can listen to the music and get tickets for the shows on my website, rishikash.co. Or just go to songexploder.net slash live. That's songexploder.net. slash live. Thanks. This episode was made by me

with editing help from Tini Lieberson and Casey Deal, artwork by Carlos Lerma, and music clearance by Kathleen Smith. Song Exploder is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX, a network of independent, listener-supported, artist-owned podcasts. You can learn more about our shows at Radiotopia.fm.

You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Rishi Hereway, and you can follow the show at SongExplore. You can also get a Song Exploder t-shirt at Songexploader.net slash shirt. I'm Rishi-Kesh Hereway. Thanks for listening. Radiotopia.