Interview: Canadian Artist Justin Maki Embraces Creative Freedom on Decisive, Genre-Blending Album ‘Technicolor Dreams’ feat. Fun and Hopeful Synth-Pop Single “Hey”

Ontario artist Justin Maki unveils his sophomore album Technicolor Dreams alongside its lead focus track “Hey,” arriving together as the culmination of one of the most ambitious creative processes of his career. Adventurous, bold, and deeply rewarding, the album finds Justin pushing himself further than ever before, writing and co-writing 100 songs before selecting only the strongest material to make the final cut.

Inspired by a podcast interview with Andy Grammer, who famously writes hundreds of songs before beginning an album, Justin adopted the same philosophy. What followed was an 18-month creative marathon that challenged him to trust both quantity and quality in equal measure.

Recorded alongside acclaimed production duo VAŪLTS (David Mohacsi and Maïa Davies), the album became an exercise in embracing change and letting go of pre-conceived ideas. After living with rough demos for nearly a year, Justin found himself challenged to rethink arrangements, rewrite sections, and allow the songs to evolve beyond their original forms.

While Technicolor Dreams doesn’t follow a singular narrative thread, its collection of songs reflects a period of artistic growth and creative confidence. Rather than building around a central concept, Justin selected tracks based purely on their quality, resulting in an album that explores a wide range of experiences, emotions, and perspectives while remaining united by strong songwriting and adventurous musicianship.

Leading the project is “Hey,” a fun, hopeful, and irresistibly catchy pop single that perfectly captures the album’s spirit of possibility. Built around an infectious groove, bright synth textures, and a memorable singalong chorus, the song follows a protagonist dreaming of escape from routine and imagining a more fulfilling life beyond the daily grind.

“I think I was speaking to my past life,” Justin reflects. “Clocking in and clocking out and wishing I had more freedom and a beautiful life partner to share it with.”

The track’s playful energy is balanced by thoughtful production choices. Sidechain compression gives the synths a breathing, pulsing quality, while the unexpected inclusion of a banjitar introduces an unconventional texture that helps the song stand apart from traditional synth-pop fare.

Together, Technicolor Dreams and “Hey” embody Justin’s guiding creative philosophy: simplicity with underlying complexity. The songs are designed to be immediately enjoyable while rewarding deeper listening, offering catchy melodies, thoughtful arrangements, and subtle musical details that reveal themselves over time.

1. What did you enjoy most about the creation of this new release?
What did I enjoy most about creating “Hey”? Well, probably the recording portion of the creative process. “Creation” of a record involves many steps: writing, recording, editing, mixing, mastering, etc. My favourite part by far is being in the studio and bouncing around from instrument to instrument, auditioning and committing to different parts and different sounds. The layering of it all is hypnotic and I could literally do it for hours and hours without rest. It’s “play” for me – seeing a recording come together. “Hey” was no different. I didn’t know that we would play ukelele or banjo or 4 shakers when I stepped in the studio on the days we were to record “Hey”. It just materialized in the moment, organically, unplanned. That’s what I loved most.

2. Share a nugget of advice that has resonated with you most over the years.
Not to be crude, but “don’t be a dick”. This has often been touted, by many of my professors and mentors over the years, as the #1 rule to success in the music industry. It’s a given that one should be undeniably good at their instrument or skillset. That being said, if you are a “bad hang” (or difficult to be around), you won’t last long, no matter how good you are.

3. Who would be your dream artist/band to co-headline a tour with?
Without a doubt, Allen Stone. I love his sound and I love his vibe. It would be an honour to share a bill with him. If not him, John Mayer, or Stevie Wonder, or Bruno Mars, or Justin Timberlake would do…

4. What sets your music apart from others in your genre?
Here’s the thing. I don’t really settle neatly into any particular genre, but perhaps that is exactly what sets me apart. I describe my style of music as “Pop with undertones of R&B, Soul, Funk, and Jazz”. This theoretically covers a lot of ground sonically, but it also opens up a world of possibilities of different languages and palates I can explore. In that respect, the audience is taken for a musical journey that involves surprise and delight and I love that about the listening experience my music provides.

5. Tell us what your favourite song is at the moment and why.
On the album, my favourite song right now is probably “Old School Heart”. I really love the rock sensibilities of this track fuzed with the pop and r&b sensibilities. And that jazzy acoustic guitar solo is so cool and unexpected. Not to mention, Shirsha’s background vocals really lift the song to epic levels. I am always so moved when I hear it. I am so proud of it!