Brendan Baldwin, also known as Puppet, is an electronic rock artist based in New York City. After his debut and consistent releases with Monstercat from 2014 to 2017, he quickly became known for his stand out sound, blending pop-punk vocals, rock focused song structures, and real instruments with electronic-focused production. In 2019 he released his ‘Give Up The Dream’ EP independently, which showcased an even deeper fusion between traditional rock and electronic music. The following year, he released his debut album ‘I Know You Know Who I Am’, which cemented his status as a pioneer of the rock / EDM fusion. Over time, he’s impressively garnered over 30 million Spotify streams, in addition to boasting over 120k monthly listeners via the platform. 2022 began with a mini Puppet tour which showed off the talent’s unique live set in front of hundreds of fans across the country, setting an exciting glimpse as to what can be expected with ‘New York Family’.
Hi there ! Where can we find you right now? How did you start your day?
Hey! I’m in Brooklyn right now in my apartment. Sitting on my couch watching playoff hockey. Not that surprising for me, but I guess it might be surprising to hear that I actually started my day by playing hockey.
When did the idea of starting a project start to take shape? Has it always been something you wanted to do?
I’ve been producing and writing music for 10 years now. Since the beginning I always wanted to be an artist. But at the beginning I never thought it would have turned out like this. When I was younger I wanted to be a DJ.
How would you define the sound of your latest work? What is the concept behind?
Electronic rock. I used to describe it as a combination of EDM and Rock, but with this album I’m starting to see it finally as its own thing. The album is dedicated to my friends. I wrote a lot of my previous works about nostalgia and used to reflect a lot on the past. This album is about living in the moment.
What artists are you interested in these days?
The only music I really listen critically to a lot is pop-punk. Microwave, The Story So Far, Trophy Eyes, “Into it Over it. But my favorite artist I’m really obsessed with is Zachary Lucky. A country singer songwriter from Canada. His voice blows my mind.
How do you manage to combine such disparate genres? How do you manage to give them unity and harmony? What do they have in common for you?
Years and years of practice. When I first started adding rock elements to my music, it was only in small doses. Each year for about 7 I’ve come closer and closer to finally getting them to mesh together. From about 10/90, to an even 50/50. I’d say what they have in common is their energy. EDM and rock both bring it in the choruses. The moment where you get to challenge yourself to be the loudest possible
Can you tell us something about your current or future projects?
I do almost everything for PUPPET on my own, so now the next project for me is… designing my summer merch haha
Puppet
https://www.instagram.com/puppetmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialPuppet
- Over 30 million streams on Spotify
- Over 100k followers across all platforms
- Debut album I Know You Know Who I Am released in 2020
- Frequent collabs with Eden
- 100+ tix sold in Denver, Chicago, and New York