Grabbitz on Curiosity, Storytelling, and Creative Direction
Grabbitz (@grabbitz) opens 2026 with “Blood On My Hands,” a bass-focused single released via Breakaway Projects / Sony, and it marks a clear reset in how he is approaching his work moving forward. After several years exploring vocal-driven and rock-leaning material, this release brings the focus back to low-end design, detailed production, and the technical foundation that first established his name. The shift also comes with a full visual reset, including a wiped social presence and a new identity that aligns with where he is taking the project next.
That reset connects directly to the ideas discussed in this interview.
Grabbitz discusses curiosity, creative input outside of music, and the role of discipline in expanding into other areas.
Film, visual storytelling, and structured thinking all feed into how he builds sets and records, and those influences are evident in his descriptions of pacing, immersion, and long-term development. With “Blood On My Hands” as the starting point, the conversation focuses on how he maintains direction while continuing to evolve his process.
Interview With Grabbitz
What interests outside of music keep your perspective fresh?
Most definitely film.
It is one of the most complete artforms and I draw endless inspiration from it. As an artist, I’m always in pursuit of perfecting my storytelling. Those stories can live through music, live shows, or videos. Studying movies is a great way to learn how it’s done well using all mediums.
Has exploring another discipline ever influenced how you approach DJing?
Yes. I think DJing in its essence draws from a lot of the energy in the room, which is very fun, but I’m more drawn to the curated and immersive experience.
The visuals, lights, lasers, smoke, all combine to take you on a rollercoaster. The pacing and experience within that rollercoaster can be sharpened by different disciplines.
Do you see parallels between DJing and other creative practices?
DJing helps a lot with chord, key, and tempo recognition.
All of which help in the creation of music. I think the more references you have to draw from, the closer you’ll be able to get to the idea in your head. All I do is constantly borrow different parts from an imaginary library of all the music I’ve resonated with over my lifetime.
Are there habits that help you keep expanding your taste?
My most important habit is clearing off time for nothingness in the studio. In the nothingness, there are no expected results. Tinkering and digital crate digging is welcomed. These are the moments where inspiration can strike from any angle, and you might discover something you didn’t quite know before.
This can come with a moment where your current taste is solidified, refined, or detoured completely.
What kinds of experiences outside the club end up shaping your sets later?
I pay close attention to my experiences enjoying art, and how other people enjoy art. It greatly influences my choices in how to present things. How does the collective internet enjoy music? How does that differ from how they enjoy it live?
These are all things I can observe just by living my life and being open to these questions.
How do you absorb new influences while maintaining focus?
This is where I think authenticity is key. If you’re making what is true to you at any given time, you don’t need to give second thought to this question, because it will all come naturally.
Musicians sometimes become far too influenced by something they’re loving and almost start to emulate it, and that’s ok because it’s how we learn. Then, when you reign it back in, and when your tools are sharp enough, you can pluck out exactly the amount of influence you’d like to take from that particular sound.
How important is curiosity beyond music to your long-term growth?
Curiosity as a whole is incredibly important. It’s the backbone of any skill.
The second you give up being curious about music, you’ve stopped growing, and you’ll slowly but surely have less control over your output. So, I follow my curiosity blindly and wholeheartedly. I allow myself to pursue things like chess, video editing, and writing to preserve a constant state of growth.
DJs today need to be cross-disciplinary thinkers to keep pace or even just stay inspired?
It’s certainly different for everyone, but it really helps me to have baseline knowledge in other fields, so that I can always offer guidance to others when bringing my vision to life. It helps me with inspiration as well, simply allowing myself to be inspired by a broader range of things.
I do believe that for the best results and the best art, up-and-coming artists / DJs should really master their craft before moving on to the next discipline. It teaches about the level of dedication it takes to earn your 10,000 hours. Then, maybe you can apply it to something else while you refine.
