LOS ANGELES—Small Hands taps his musical roots and his inner rage and frustrations with life during the coronavirus pandemic in “Age of Regret,” the first single of his upcoming EP of the same name.
“It’s a necessary part of me that I always have to write music and write songs,” he said. “It’s the first song in the new album dropping in June. I wrote and recorded this record, like everyone else, in quarantine.”
Releasing music under his musical alias Empty Streets, the repeat 2021 AVN Male Performer of the Year is pleased to see his new single gain traction after its release last Friday. To download "Age of Regret," click here.
Playing all the instruments on the single and EP, the rocker/adult performer said he relishes the control and creativity behind his musical process.
“It’s quicker for me to record a song this way than if I had a band,” he said. “I don’t have to explain and make someone understand where I’m going with something. I just do it and it works out.”
The song has been featured in blogs and publications like Loudwire.com, which focuses on the heavy metal market and its top personalities. The publication debuted the song’s music video featuring Small Hands performing in a run down warehouse.
“We shot it in downtown L.A. in an undisclosed location and the crew that I used were all from the adult industry,” he said. “It was directed by my good friend Chris Alessandra, with photography by Eva Gala who works with Holly Randall, and make-up by Glen, who is amazing. This was a full industry family shoot. I wanted to show how talented people are in my industry.”
The music video features the artist in an industrial warehouse wearing his preferred black apparel, jeans and a black leather jacket, as he reveals his restless and frustrated passion for better days.
“Music videos are great. I love them. It’s one of most entertaining things to do. Whether it's interesting, grotesque or whatever, I love them,” he said. “I had to shoot this during COVID and I produced it myself and I didn’t have millions of dollars and have it be so visual. It’s just me. I didn’t want to clutter the video ... I didn’t want a bunch of girls. It’s not what the song is about.”
The forthcoming “Age of Regret” EP will feature six or seven songs, most of which have already been recorded and feature the artist’s rock-and-roll roots which have been a part of him even before his arrival in the adult industry.
“People don’t realize that I was playing music and touring the world way before I started in the industry, so it’s my first love,” he said. “I’ve never stopped recording music. I’m still onscreen performing, so don’t get me wrong, but I’m also focusing on music.”
As the new single starts getting traction, Small Hands is also looking forward to his next single due out next month, titled “All You Deserve,” which he co-produced with rocker Ben Weinmann, of Dillinger’s Escape Plan and Suicidal Tendencies.
That single will come ahead of the EP's June release, which depending upon the current health crisis, would be supported by live shows and a possible tour down the road. But for now, the veteran rocker is focusing on the final two songs that will be included in the album.
“I love creating music and writing these songs that pop in my brain,” he said. “I just hear these notes and melodies in my head and I start writing. I used to have a tape recorder that I used all the time and nowadays I just sing ideas into my phone when they pop in my head.”
As one half of the power couple whose Nancy to his Sid is award-winning director/producer/performer Joanna Angel, the rocker is grateful for her support and business savvy.
“I’m a musician, but she knows business and she’s amazing at it,” he said.
As for the future, Small Hands is keeping his outlook bright: “My hopes for this year after the record comes out and live events come back is that I can tour the world again and simultaneously make amazing porn for as long as the fans want me to.”
View the music video for "Age of Regret" here.
