”LOST AT SEA” An INTERVIEW with ROB GRANT….

Rob Grant (Robert England Grant Jr.), born in 1953, is an American pianist, composer, and entrepreneur.
Before pursuing music professionally, he worked for many years in advertising and real estate investment while raising his family in the state of New York. Music has always been a part of his life, mainly through his love for the piano, which he played privately for decades. In 2023, he released his first album, Lost at Sea, a collection of atmospheric piano compositions blending the sensitivity of classical music with a cinematic, contemporary aesthetic.

The album features several musicians, including his daughter, the acclaimed singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, who appears on the album’s title track. Grant’s entry into the music industry later in life drew special attention, demonstrating that artistic expression can flourish at any stage of life.

Today, he continues to compose and record music, exploring themes such as reflection, memory, and the quiet emotional landscapes that shape human experience.
It is worth noting that Rob Grant began his professional music career around the age of 70, which is quite rare in the music industry.

INTERVIEW with ROB GRANT…

Athenscalling.gr: To start, I want to say that listening to you play piano on Lost at Sea felt like I was traveling through sound! In my mind, I directed a documentary dedicated to the Aegean Sea… You are on a large wooden boat, playing piano, and the waves gently dance to your rhythm! Seagulls fly around you, and the mermaid from the ancient tale wonders if King Alexander still lives! Welcome to Athenscalling.gr, dear Rob!

ROB GRANT: Thank you Theodore! The fact that Lost At Sea creates such beautiful imagery in your mind is wonderful. The album is meant to take you on a dream voyage through sound.

Athenscalling.gr: Your truly amazing album Lost at Sea gives the impression of a person looking back on their life. What do you think about that—are there moments from your life that come back more strongly than others?

ROB GRANT: Lost At Sea takes me back to my youth living on the ocean in Rhode Island. I would spend magical summers sailing my 24′ sloop through the islands of Marthas Vineyard, Nantucket, & Block Island. I remember the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean. I remember the extraordinary feeling of the wind filling the sails, my boat healing over in the rolling waves, the rush of the water.

Athenscalling.gr: What I really admire about you is that you began releasing music at an age when most people feel that the major decisions in life have already been made. Was there a moment when you felt it was “time” to listen to the voice you had set aside?

ROB GRANT: I wrote Lost At Sea when I was 70 years old.

I had always felt a very powerful artistic urge from the time I was very young – I think a lot of us have this same feeling when we are young – we all have a hidden artist inside us. But life can get in the way. We spend our lives working hard and raising a family and by the time we reach 70… we’re honestly done.

But I do have a restless spirit.

My creative moment came when I was out in California with all 3 of my children and Lana (my oldest daughter) heard me playing the piano in her living room and asked me what song I was playing.

I told her it was an original piece. She asked me to play it again and she began to improvise lyrics. She began to sing about Caroline (my other daughter) who was pregnant with her first child. She asked me to create a bridge for the chorus and I did. Without really knowing it at the time we were collaborating and improvising on a song that would eventually become “Sweet Carolina”, the final track on her album “Blue Bannisters”.

That album went on to sell over one million units worldwide.

Inside all of us is a beautiful song, or a painting, or a novel patiently waiting for the right moment to come out…regardless of age.

Athenscalling.gr: That moment—how much different a person does it make you today, when you are playing piano, compared to the young Rob Grant who was thinking about his future? That he had time ahead to do the things you now generously give us through your music?

ROB GRANT: After I released “Lost At Sea” I had a feeling of great relief.

I had always wanted to create something beautiful – but I was never certain of the path.

When I play the piano now and I reflect back on my life…I feel extremely blessed that I can share something that makes other people so happy.

Athenscalling.gr: Although you worked for many years in advertising and real estate investment as a successful entrepreneur, you built a family where art became a central element of life! Your daughter, Lana Del Rey, and your love for music! Many would ask—how is it possible for investments, real estate, and art to coexist?

ROB GRANT: In my early years I did many things. I was always experimenting. I opened a gallery and restaurant in Newport Rhode Island. I started a boat building company in Warren, R.I.

I created an advertising company that utilized the sails of boats as billboards called ‘Creative Sail’. I went on to become a copywriter in New York City (writing TV commercials). After I left NY, I did a radical pivot and went to the Adirondack mountains – the polar opposite of urban living – and had to reinvent myself again – starting a rustic furniture company. From there I got into real estate and began investing in properties, eventually starting a brokerage company. In the early 90’s I discovered the emerging internet and began to invest heavily in domain names (IP addresses). There was always a creative thread to all of these ventures. Almost like art projects. Some worked, some didn’t. The same creative process that’s involved in creating a song or painting a picture. The Grants grew up around this creative energy.

Athenscalling.gr: Let me say it again—your album Lost at Sea, besides the music, is a beautiful aesthetic presentation—I mean the entire package: the cover, the booklet, the photographs. Everything, Rob, leads us to say… very carefully crafted work! Do you agree?

ROB GRANT: “Lost At Sea” was crafted to be a beautiful aesthetic project.

I wanted people to become immersed not only in the sound, but in the powerful visuals. The album cover was shot on the Pacific Ocean aboard a fishing trawler. We were able to capture the exact moment where seagulls suddenly appear and begin to fly in circles around me – almost like a scene out of a Hitchcock movie.

It conveys a sense of drama and excitement. The inside of the vinyl album includes an image that feels like something out of a Zane Grey or Hemingway novel. The vinyl jacket itself is carefully put together with vintage images from old family photo albums. The back of the album cover was shot in Newport, Rhode Island and captures a distant sail on a glittering sea. All of it is meant to convey a deep love for nature and the sea.

Athenscalling.gr: Lost at Sea—how did the title of the album come about?

ROB GRANT: The title of the album “Lost At Sea” has a deep spiritual meaning for me. At its core the title describes the feeling of angst and melancholy that we all feel. We live in a period of great change and disruption. Extreme politics, civil unrest, wars. Along with great technological change and the advent of AI and all the uncertainty that brings.

Athenscalling.gr: The album was released in 2023. How long did it take to complete?

ROB GRANT: “Lost At Sea” was released in 2023 through Decca Records in London. The project took several years to complete. I recorded a number of the songs in Los Angeles at various studios including Conway and Henson. There were a number of well known producers who worked on the music including Luke Howard (Australia), Jack Antonoff (NY), Dan Heath (LA) and others.

It was a remarkable project involving a number of very talented people.

Athenscalling.gr: Is there a melody in Lost at Sea that was written not just with notes but inspired by a specific memory or feeling you’ve carried for years?

ROB GRANT: The melody for the title track “Lost At Sea” came about when my daughter (Lana) and I were recording in LA. She was listening to me play the piano (behind the glass enclosed studio) and she asked for a microphone to be set up so she could start singing. Almost spontaneously she began to create lyrics along with my chords. The song was very beautiful but melancholy and it took shape on its own in a very emotional way. We both knew we had created a lovely song when we listened to the playback later that evening.

Athenscalling.gr: The album includes two songs sung by your daughter Lana Del Rey. How was the collaboration between father and daughter?

ROB GRANT: The collaboration with my daughter Lana was remarkable. We share the same love for a particular sound – for me it’s the minor keys and the unexpected and mysterious sounds those chords can produce. She responds naturally to that sound. There is a deep melancholy to our music. We both have a love for Irish and Scottish music. It can be dark and brooding but beautiful.

Athenscalling.gr: Which track stands out to you among the 14 songs on the album, and why?

ROB GRANT: One of my favorite tracks on the album is “Hollywood Bowl”.
I remember when I first played those chords and how beautiful they sounded. You know instantly when you’ve discovered a special melody. When we finally recorded the finished song several weeks later at Henson Studios – I remember the moment the song ended – with that incredible vocal performance that left us all stunned.

Athenscalling.gr: Three years have passed since its release. What messages have you received from your audience?

ROB GRANT: It has now been almost 3 years since the release of “Lost At Sea”.

The messages that I continue to receive are very personal and emotional. The music has struck a deep chord with people from around the world. And I am truly grateful.

Athenscalling.gr: Regarding your audience and your family, what were the words they shared with you after listening?

ROB GRANT: I remember how surprised my friends (and distant family members) were when they learned I had released an album. There was a great deal of disbelief. I had deliberately kept the entire project under wraps. I’ve learned over the years that when you do something different, it’s best not to share what you’re doing until the project is fully formed and finished. Once people had listened to the album – the messages I received were very heartfelt and positive.

Athenscalling.gr: Traveling back in time, I’ll tell you that the first 45 rpm record I bought at age 9 was Speedy Gonzales by Pat Boone. Do you remember the first record you bought and at what age?

ROB GRANT: I don’t really remember the first record I bought (it’s been a long time). However I loved James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens and Bob Dylan. I feel their sound defined a generation.

Athenscalling.gr: And speaking of the past, at what age did you start playing piano?

ROB GRANT: I began playing the piano when I was a teenager. I had no formal training and played entirely by ear. In the early years I played only for myself. I would often play for hours and go into an almost hypnotic trance. The music soothed me. I discovered that I could create lovely melodies by improvising and experimenting. Even now when I sit down at a piano and begin to play.. it’s a deep mystery where this music comes from.

Athenscalling.gr: Just before we say goodbye, please send your message to Planet Earth…

ROB GRANT: My hope (and my message to everyone reading this) is that my music can bring some sense of peace to an anxious world. I wrote “Lost At Sea” for a troubled world. I believe that beautiful music can help us find our way.