PEOPLE

Aidan Bissett on dressing his alter ego

The Oregon-born musician talks songwriting, style and life on the road.

Aidan Bissett has been leaning into interior design, and he is as surprised as anybody about it. ‘I love Mid-Century Modern’, he says. ‘Muted colours, walnut browns. I like mixing that with a little bit of a beach style. Which is weird – I didn't think I would like that, it must be my Florida side coming through.’ The 22-year-old singer-songwriter’s interests also include cooking, reading, watching movies and hanging out with friends, hiking in local Malibu or Topanga Canyon. ‘But being from Oregon, I am loyal to the Pacific Northwest’, he adds, conspiratorially – ‘Columbia Gorge is beautiful to me.’

It’s wonderfully ordinary – and a turn towards the domestic makes sense. After all, Bissett spends weeks, months on the road – his recent Supernova tour took him on two consecutive orbits around the US, he and his band living largely out of a van for the duration, playing to venues every night or two. A minute at home in the comparative calm of his LA base offers a kind of respite.

Out of these recharge moments, new music emerges. Melodic indie pop, underpinned by guitar, tinged with heartache and anticipation. The kinds of catchy songs you’ll find yourself singing days after you first catch them – without realising, they’ll soundtrack your summer. Right now, he’s in the midst of writing his debut album. It comes after a handful of EP projects, and another tour will follow. We sat down with Bissett in the middle of it all to talk songwriting, style and life on the road.

‘I don't know how I do it – I think it's a piece of me that's suppressed in the back – but as soon as I step on stage, I'm a very different person.’

THE MUSIC COMES FIRST; WORDS FOLLOW
‘A lot of the time I start [the songwriting process] here in my house. I have a setup here, and I have a little bit of background in production, so I like to be in my own space, my own world, and to develop a sonic palette. That tends to help me articulate what I want to say. I’m very much sonically driven – I like to put it into music first, and the words will follow quickly after that. Most of it comes from real-life experience. I try and live life.’


LIFE ON THE ROAD
‘Tour is very polarising. Artists either love it or they absolutely hate it, I don't think there's an in-between. I love the grind. We're in a van, not in a bus – we're not living glamorously. There's no sleep, we're getting down dirty, but I have an appreciation for that. Nowadays with social media and other forms of validation online, I think touring is the best way to build a long career. All the best artists did it that way, and do it that way. I think touring is the best part.’


DRESSING TO FEEL GOOD
‘I always feel most confident when I'm in an outfit that looks cool. For me, there aren't any rules to it – you throw on what you want, and if you think it's cool, other people will believe it's cool. I feel like that's the way to be the most free. [When I’m dressing to perform] I like to feel a little sexy, you know? I’m introverted, and it makes me feel more confident. I play a bit of a character. Normally I'm the king of awkward, but I don't necessarily want to be the king of awkward on stage. I don't know how I do it – I think it's a piece of me that's suppressed in the back – but as soon as I step on stage, I'm a very different person. The style that we bring amplifies that 100%.’

HIS FAVOURITE THRIFTED FINDS
‘When we're on tour, we try and make a point of going thrifting in at least a couple of cities. Honestly, the best thrift is when you're staying in a small town in the middle of nowhere, on an off day. That's where you find the greatest stuff. Leather is a huge thing for me. I love a good trench, even though LA is so hot. Any knitwear. Vintage jeans – I'm a big fan of baggy denim. I really love shoes; recently I'm wearing these brown boots with shorts a lot, which is weird, but I think it looks sick.’


THE NEW ALBUM
‘It took a while for me to find my feet, because it is a scary thing – you only get one debut album. But I'm feeling good. I'm pretty deep into it. Supernova was about me placing the last pieces of what my sound is, and this album feels like doubling down on that. Putting out me, which is a cool feeling. Going into this, I was very sure of what this project needed to be, for my creativity. It deals with mental health and the things I go through on a daily basis with myself, my family and my relationships. It is a maturation, lyrically and sonically, but it still feels very much me.’

‘It is a maturation, lyrically and sonically, but it still feels very much me.’

QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS

What do you collect?
Shoes. I have too many – I want to say 30 pairs?

Your all-time favourite record?
It constantly changes. Right now, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.

The last book you bought and loved?
I'm a sucker for sappy, tragic romance stories. The one that I read that struck me most this year was called If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin.

And the last movie?
I don't know how I avoided Almost Famous for so long, but I finally sat down and watched it this past week, and I loved it.


Words by Maisie Skidmore
Aidan Bissett wears the Autumn Winter 2024 collection for COS. Photography by Karim Sadli. Styling by Jane How.