Rob Fusari’s ‘Don’t Let Love Down’ Official Music Video

Early in his career Rob Fusari was known as a hitmaking machine. He is the mastermind behind popular songs like “No, No, No,” “Bootyliscious,” and “Wild Wild West”. However, after receiving extraordinary success working with Lady Gaga on her debut album entitled The Fame, Fusari struggled to find the next big thing.

In an interview, he stated that the next artist he would develop would have to posses the talent to become a bigger star than Lady Gaga. He felt uncomfortable going to record companies and playing demos of artists who did not have the potential to reach Gaga’s level of success. In the same interview, he admits that after a two-year journey he simply could not find the next big thing. He didn’t want to phrase it that way, so he rearranged his words to say that he had worked with hundreds of artists since Gaga and he personally “wasn’t able to develop them” to superstar status.

After those two years, Fusari began to question his place in music. He was loosing confidence and had been considering working in an entirely different medium of art. He chose documentary film. When his musical inspiration temporarily went away, Fusari decided to go behind the camera and see if he could create something new. Even though he never gave up his passion for film and photography, he made a return back to music in a much different way than before.

One morning he created a new song in his mind. He went to the studio and recorded his vocal just to hear what it would sound like. Everyone in the studio heard it and thought the vocals and lyrics were exceptional. At that moment, Fusari realized that it was time for him to be the artist instead of looking to produce others. This motivated him to stay in the music industry. He goes by the name of “8-bit” for some of his music and by “Cary Nokey” for his electronic dance music.

At this point in his career, Fusari is constantly discovering new sounds and he puts them on display during live concerts. Most of his live performances are at small venues in New York. He’s opened up for Macy Gray and the RuPaul Drag Race live tour.

He enjoys the larger tours, but something was happening to him creatively when he was on the Drag Race tour. He studied the performers and gained inspiration from the way they exude confidence, break down barriers, and truly be themselves. As being a non-binary person himself, he drew major inspiration from everything that took place on RuPaul’s stage. He even incorporated some of the fashion into his costumes for 8-bit and Carey Nokey.

All of this new success and creativity took place after he had a falling out with Lady Gaga. Some music critics examine this with a microscope. They want to discuss the nature of the relationship between Gaga and Fusari, were they dating? Did it end up in a bad romance? What exactly went on between those two? As a critic, I don’t particularly think these questions are important because the criticism should be more about the music and less about gossip. We’ll probably never know exactly what happened between them, but it is a matter of public record that Fusari sued Gaga for unpaid royalties and the case was settled. It’s probably safe to say that taking your former collaborator to court in this fashion pretty much guarantees that they’ll never work together again (which is unfortunate because as a fan I would like to see them reunite and do The Fame II).

When journalist ask Fusari about the legal matters, his response is really surprising but you get the feeling that he is being honest. He constantly states that it really wasn’t about the money. After Gaga signed her record deal and released her debut album, Fusari felt like he was being pushed away. He worked with her when she was an undiscovered talent. He thought it would be great to be next to her during her rising success. He specifically recalled not being invited to the Grammy’s where he would be there to support her during such an incredible moment. The money part is important especially when it regards intellectual property, but it’s easy to see how Fusari felt during those times.

During the artist development period, he and Gaga set out to create a rock album. They recorded around 20 tracks inspired by the Beatles. One song has leaked onto the internet entitled “Let Love Down”. The only other song that was ever played publicly was a few seconds of “Blueberry Kisses” that Fusari played during an interview.

Fusari changed the song title to “Don’t Let Love Down” and released it under his real name-Rob Fusari. He wanted to personalize the song in order to make it more about self-reflection rather than romantic love. It can also be interpreted that Fusari’s version is also about interpersonal relationships. It promotes the idea that people should love themselves for who they are. In the official music video, around the second verse, you will see the woman he is singing to use red nail polish to cover Barbie dolls; there is also a skull on the table. These elements indicate that we all have mortality and we should not waste our time on people who bring us down, and instead spend it with those who will make your life better.

Live Performance (New York):