Singer-songwriter Gregg Maliff is back to inspire and delight with Reasons Side B, a deeply personal continuation of his debut album Reasons. Where Reasons explored vulnerability and heartbreak, Side B opens up to renewal, resilience, and rediscovery. With warm production, textured arrangements, and lyrics that read like late-night letters, Gregg once again proves his strength as both storyteller and sound sculptor. The new record is less a sequel than a reflection, offering closure, clarity, and a few surprises along the way.
Gregg talks about using his music as his mission and shares the inspiration for some of the songs on the new album with his charming honesty and warm spirit in our new interview.
Reasons Side B kind of feels like a continuation of the first album but it also, from what I’ve heard so far, its own distinct statement. How do you see the two albums connecting – or contrasting?
With the first album, Reasons, I didn’t get to quite finish the project itself. There were still a few tracks that needed to be put back on there and be finished with production, and they just didn’t make it.
I knew that I was coming out with another album at one point, so I wanted to use that as kind of like a stepping stone. [With Reasons] you’ve heard the reasons of why I am the way I am today but I wanted to create an album that explains, yes, now you know who I am, but let me explain the reasons why. I want to help you, and through all of the turmoil and troubles that I’ve been through, don’t let yourself go through that. Reach out to me. I can help you. And that’s kind of the reason, so to speak, for this album.
The idea of a “Side B” carries nostalgia, like flipping a record over to discover something quieter or more introspective. Did that concept shape the sound or sequencing of this project?
Quite a bit. I think [Reasons] was more about emotions and tapping into things that people don’t normally discuss. And I think the B side is more about, okay, now that we’ve gotten all that out, let’s sit back and chill together and let’s tell some stories and relax and just be with family and be with the ones that are important to you.
I’ve only heard the three songs, but I wanted to ask you about their origins. “Dress It Holy” is my favorite of the three. What’s the inspiration behind that one?
That one is a tough one. That stems unfortunately from my childhood and being involved in a “situation-stance” in which I was involved with a church growing up and our leader, so to speak, had a thing for the altar boys. Let’s just put it that way – or at least that’s the way I felt about it because my friend and I were approached, and I was able to not be part of that situation.
I think I was brought up maybe a little bit tougher, a little bit different. I was brought up to challenge such a demeaning and horrible thing that someone would even ask a child to do, so to speak. But I also watched my friend go through the hurt and I just never want anyone to have to go through that.
The emotional side of it, the leading to, was more of me and that comes through the song, but if there’s anything I can do to prevent someone from going through the same thing, that’s my goal. That’s where the origin for that song came from. It’s about finding strength when someone puts you in a position that you shouldn’t be in and how larger communities, whether they be a religious organization or any type of organization, you can take it however you want to. The larger they are, the easier it is to hide it, to put it away, to shun it, to put the blame on someone else, so this was my way of saying, “no, fuck you.”
Now on the other hand, we have “Wake Up, Dumbass”, which I also enjoyed. What is the story behind that song?
I’ve been channeling my dad lately. I’ve put his ashes next to me when I sleep and he’s become a bigger part of my life. He was always somebody that when we were all in a room, he would always look at everyone around and think to himself – or most of the time, even say out loud, “Why the hell is everybody on their phones? Like, what the fuck? I don’t get it.”.
And recently, over the past I want to say two months, I’ve been working with some people that…obviously, there are positions out there that require you to be on your phone all the time. But for someone like me that enjoys their peace and likes to just relax, and I’ve already been through all that, it’s time for me to relax and now, seeing everybody on their phones, it’s kind of like, are you paying attention to me? Hello. It’s one of those songs, so it’s kind of wake up, you know, put the phone down.
It’s one of those songs where if everybody can chant at the same time, they’ve put their phone down, so it’s kind of accomplishing the same thing, hopefully, if people really get into it. But yeah, that’s where that came from.
The last one that I heard was “Nuclear”, which I also enjoyed. What’s the story behind that song?
Nuclear comes from my brain. It comes from going through an a VM diagnosis years ago and having doctors and caregivers and professionals trying to tell you that if you don’t do this, then you’re a ticking time bomb and you’re going to explode. It’s an internalization of not wanting to necessarily do what the doctors had said – because I had done what they said but it just didn’t make anything better. I feel like it exacerbated things and that carries into everyday life, so when you have something like that boiling up inside of you and you have any sort of inkling that something’s just not going right around you, you want to keep it quiet because you don’t want to be that person that blows up. But eventually you’re going to blow up like a nuclear bomb. You’re building up these toxic, horrible poisons and eventually they’re going to come out and they’re going to be let out on everybody, so try and deal with it as much as you can before you turn nuclear.
Since this is your second album, how did your approach to production and/or songwriting evolve from Reasons to Reasons Side B?
I would say first thing with production is the first album was completely self-made with a few tips and pointers from some previous producers that I had worked with and some cool music talents. They give me little tips, always telling me, be true to yourself and I did.
However, a brain like mine is a little loopy and a little crazy, so I feel like the [first] album came out a little all over the place, which is kind of like my brain. With this album, it was kind of putting things together piece by piece, having the time to do it, having the resources to do it from actually making money off of the first album – and thank goodness for that. But I was able to take that money and those resources and the new connections that I’ve made and really channel that into a better production that is both professional but able to be streamed and sell worthy and have something for everyone.
Were there any particular collaborators who helped you capture the emotional tone for the songs on Side B?
Absolutely. First things first, Adam Barta because my first album was definitely about the emotions that are within me.
But collaborating a little bit more with Adam on this one as Aquetra Media has a little bit more beef behind this one. They helped me produce as well. He was able to remind me that the songs, yes, they are for me, but they’re about other people wanting to listen to them and that kind of reminded me to set the tone for someone to enjoy it as opposed to listening to a story all the time, so I wanted to come up with songs that were easily relatable and somebody can put on replay.
I also worked with Roman Molino Dunn, who is a Grammy award-winning artist and composer. I had worked with him in the past with a rewrite for the song “Nightmare” by Tuesday Knight. I remember the collaborations, I remember the work that was put into it and how to get things done – and that was something that definitely helped me with this. He didn’t necessarily collab with me on this, but using his teachings for this helped me quite a bit.
I have not even put it in front of him completely yet, but I’m looking forward to putting it in front of him and saying, “Hey, how’d I do?” Those are the two that I would say right off the bat.
But other than that, I didn’t really collab too much other than with my husband who did a lot of the backing vocals and he helped challenge me to create songs that everyone would want to listen to, kind of the same thing Adam did but my husband was much more forceful with it since he helped me produce it and he did help me write quite a few of the songs as well.
It’s been a team effort, but again, I’ve had the time to sit down and talk with these people and send my music back and forth and say, “Hey, what do you think?” And based on the feedback, that’s where I am now. I feel that the complete package is well worth waiting for and I’m super excited for it.
You’ve got lyric videos for some of the songs. Are you going to appear in actual videos for any of the songs on Side B?
We’re getting there. I’ll be honest with you, I like sharing stories that nobody wants to talk about. I had recently gone on the Ozempic diet after my dad passed. I wanted to get myself in tip-top shape so that I can promote my album and started working out like crazy and pretty much got what I wanted. However, the toll that it was taking on my body was not something known until I ended up in the hospital and was not necessarily on life support, but I was very close. It didn’t agree with me, let’s just put it that way.
So, getting back in the gym is something that I struggle with. I know that that doesn’t necessarily answer your question, but I would have to say pure and simple vanity. I want to look my best because it’s something that’s going to encapsulate the moment forever and I think we’re all hardest on ourselves.
Making a video takes more money than I have. I can start by saying that, and if I had that backing, if I had the next step, the next producer that could take it that far, where I could just focus on myself and just focus on the artistry in music, then I would come out with a video tomorrow. It’s just trying to create it myself. The vision goes crazy and then I start picturing myself and how I would be in it, and then I am looking at it through the inside eye instead of the outside eye. I know Adam can help with that. I know that we can get through to moving that way in Aquetra Media. It has been talked about.
Is there a lyric or a track on Side B that really feels especially, especially meaningful to you?
Very much so. “My Little Dragonfly” is a song that I believe will touch a lot of people. It’s a song that was based off of the first album, going through loss of my daughter and being able to kind of put that into a story that’s worth telling, where someone could listen to it without sobbing. I made it more in a positive light, remembering the spirit that she left behind.
More into the point, I would say is the fact that I felt like her spirit moved into somebody that I was mentoring, and it was somebody that I became their drag father and they were my little dragonfly. They were always around and they carried my daughter’s spirit. They gave me the presence that when you’re outside sometimes and you’re all alone, and you look up and all of a sudden you see a dragonfly, you instantly smile. You have that appreciation for what’s around you, and I feel like she always made me appreciate those things and she always slowed me down and made me smell the roses and I missed that, because unfortunately my drag daughter passed away as well.
It’s a long story of passing and I feel like there’s a spirit that is trying to stay with me, but I don’t know if that spirit is just not in the right bodies but it’s the same spirit and I feel it, and I always refer to it as my dragonfly because whenever I’m outside enjoying anything, whether if I’m taking a phone call or just outside in the garden and I see the dragonflies, I mean, that’s the best feeling in the world. It just makes me smile and reminds me of my kiddo.
Do you see Side B as the conclusion to a chapter or is there still more to explore in this overarching story there?
This is the conclusion to the Reasons album. Funny enough, there is something that we’re calling the Reasons Sessions which is just going to be on YouTube for now. It’s collaborations between my husband and myself, taking some of the old songs that I’ve written that I never produced and taking some of the old stories from the book that I was trying to create way back when and put those to a sound. I can get the story out there, but people want to listen to it and repeat it and repeat it and repeat it, so those Reasons Sessions are going to be more of that kicking back in a lounge. There aren’t a lot of lyrics to it. There are poignant phrases here and there, but it’s more of just that chill out vibe that I want to express through my music. But I feel like if I don’t tell the world the story, they’re not going to understand it, so that’s the reason for the albums. But this YouTube project is more of how I actually feel on a daily basis. It’s how I want to feel. We all have stories but we like to kick back and relax and enjoy the day too.
Lastly, what are you hoping that people will take away from Reasons Side B?
What I want people to take away from this is knowing that no matter what battles you have, whether they are internal, external, political, religious – whatever’s out there that you’re dealing with, know that the answer is within yourself.
There are reasons for everything happening in your life and the answers to those reasons are within yourself. Take a look in the mirror and really ask those questions. That’s something that this album helped me discover. I think it put me in a completely new light. It helped me through my own grief and I think it could help a lot of people out there. I really truly do.
Making some of the lyric videos myself, continually listening to the music, I’m always in a positive mood. I’m always in an inspirational mood to help someone else, and that’s what I’m hoping and praying that people get from this.
Reasons Side B will be released on October 18, wherever you stream your music.. Keep up with Gregg on Spotify and Instagram.