INTERVIEW: Nikk Banos of Defy You Stars

Defy You Stars are an alternative-rock band from Denver, Colorado. Originally the acoustic project of frontman Nikk Banos, the group have been steadily gaining a following with their post-hardcore infused rock. With a recent appearance on the Vans Warped Tour and an upcoming full-length, the guys are in for a busy end of the year. Recently, I was able to discuss it all with Banos.
How would you describe your music to those who haven’t listened to Defy You Stars before?We’re really a hybrid of a lot of genres and bands we like. We’ve been called similar to All Time Low, Sleeping With Sirens and a few others. We take a lot of influence from pop, indie, alternative and pop-punk bands, but we have a few screaming parts here and there just because we love bands like Bring Me The Horizon, Underoath, A Day To Remember and so on.
Who were your musical influences growing up and how do you think they’ve helped develop the band’s sound?My biggest influences were All Time Low, My Chemical Romance, Queen and basically anyone who I thought could write a good song. I know Patrick (our drummer) was a huge Blink-182 and You Me A Six fan, and our bassist Scotty listens to everything from jazz to super aggressive metal. He talks about Victor Wooten and John Legend a lot.
Recently, I’ve been big into John Mayer. Patrick and I are both fanning over 5 Seconds of Summer and we all love the 1975 to death. We just really like to see how different musicians get a message across and listening to different styles and seeing different approaches has helped us define our own styles by mixing and adding up. Musicians all kind of learn from each other.
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