‘SOS’: Dutch-Indonesian singer SIDEWAYS all set for comeback with pop-punk single
(Written by Nandini Iyengar)
Justin Maes aka SIDEWAYS is a multi-talented artist. He started making music at the age of 5. He sang with his family where his father used to play the guitar. The journey advanced from simply singing along to songs to producing music. At the age of 16, he started producing music. A year later he turned to DJ-ing and continued that till late 2020. It was only in 2021 that he decided to quit producing music and go back to his roots of being a singer-songwriter.
In 2021, SIDEWAYS fell in love with the new wave of pop-punk music. His new track ‘SOS’ is heavily inspired by Machine Gun Kelly and Blackbears' ‘My Ex’s Best Friend’. His primary music inspiration stems from the works of artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Grey, Mod Sun, Sueco, Yungblud, jxdn, nothing nowhere and Blink-182. If one were to describe SIDEWAYS’ music, it would an ambitious mix of urban pop-rock, pop-punk and rocktronic.
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SIDEWAYS' journey in K-pop
Having worked with Korean artists like SHAUN and AILEE, he gained an impetus in the K-pop music industry as well. His collaboration with AILEE in 2019 is an accomplishment that he is unabashedly proud of, along with winning an 'Immortal Songs' episode alongside Koo Junyeop, XITSUH and WJSN.
In a further nod to K-pop artists, SIDEWAYS finds his ultimate bias in Blackpink’s Rosé. He also finds interests in music by K-pop soloists like Girls' Generation's Taeyeon, Sunmi, Chungha, and also the monster rookies aespa. He is also looking forward to music by upcoming artists like Loren, Ash Island, and YongYong. Machine Gun Kelly and Taeyeon are the artists he would absolutely do anything to collab with.
New single ‘SOS’
‘SOS’ is not the only release that SIDEWAYS has under his belt. In 2021, he released a track titled ‘Show Me’. The song featured traces of R&B and trap, in addition to some pop beats. The growth from ‘Show Me’ to ‘SOS’ has been significant. While ‘Show Me’ is asking a lover to show their true feelings, ‘SOS’ is a track about a toxic ex who ruined their partner. The lyrics are quite bare and unfiltered.
Justin Maes is also the founder of agency RISEDAWN in Seoul, South Korea. RISEDAWN caters to creating a collaboration between the East and West. With artists like DJ Koo, Nickko Young, Kikano and now his own alter-ego SIDEWAYS, the agency is looking to creating great new music.
His upcoming single ‘SOS’ is a pop-punk track. The song is inspired by SIDEWAYS’ past relationship where the girl was quite toxic. SIDEWAYS dubs her as a ‘psycho’ when singing the lyrics. The song is slated to be release on March 18, 2022. It will be available for streaming on various streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music among others. Stay tuned for an exclusive interview with SIDEWAYS releasing on March 18, exclusively on MEAWW.