Interviews With Other Artists

DANA LUNA

Hi Dana, it's good to grab a moment to catch up with you; congratulations on your new single and forthcoming EP releases! ...

Thankyou so much :)

... I'm lucky to have had early previews and loved all of them, some excellent work there.. Could you tell us a bit of background regarding the tracks, such as their style, how/when you wrote and managed the recording of them?

So I grew up as a huge Taylor Swift fan and I absolutely love her. When I learnt how to play guitar it was because of her and on a songwriting level I’ve always resonated with putting your soul into a track as if it’s a chapter from your own diary. She was a bit of a guilty pleasure for me throughout high-school because I got really into scene stuff and then more indie & rock which is pretty much what I listen to now; I was that girl who at 17 lived in 42's [Manchester alternative nightclub] and knew every single word to every single song. In my own music you kind of get a reference of Taylor’s lyricisms with the punk tones but then I guess the genre is indie rock... but then it’s also inspired by the likes of Billie Eilish & Olivia Rodrigo who are huge pop icons at the moment. I wrote the EP after a pretty turbulent end to a relationship; I was really mixed up emotionally and pretty angry about what happened... annnd he was a musician and I’d lived with him and his band for a bit - he almost gave me a sense of discouragement around music because he had to mansplain everything to me all the time! If I wrote something I was happy with he would make me feel stupid about it. If I learnt to play a song he would tell me to learn a better one (and to be honest I have a really good music taste, tell me that Paulo Nutini is bad to listen to, I dare you!). Anyway, eventually some stuff happened that really called me to just pull the plug and I channelled all my frustration that had built up and wrote the songs that I’m currently in the process of releasing. My producer, Tayte, fell clean out of the sky, I put that down to manifestation. It was mad though because he did actually know the guy and thought he was incredibly arrogant (which he was).. That helped me bond with him as a producer more because I felt that I could be more vulnerable and open about what I was writing about. As a solo artist you need that rapport with your producer to keep the synergy and understanding together on the project.

Definitely - that's some fuel for creativity! Is there anything random that stood out for any of your tracks that's stuck in your mind, such as something going disastrously wrong in the recording studio or moments of inspiration?!

Oh my God ok. So there’s this one song that’s on the EP & the name is still a little undecided but it’s about a girl who started going out with my ex right after we split up and I had no idea who she was or what she looked like or that she even existed to be honest... But I was on the 142 bus this one evening and my headphones were in but my phone was dead; this girl and her friend were very very loudly discussing me and how much they hated my outfit, my hair and how great their sex life was. They started taking pictures of me and I don’t think they realised that I could hear all of this - I turned around and I was just like ‘babe, do we have a problem?’ and this girl is just like ‘O H M Y GOD SHE'S A W I T C H’ and then her and her friend proceed to chat about me knowing I can hear them and seeing me feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Anyway, I didn’t say anything else, I wrote a song about it. I’m not sure if it makes me seem petty or jealous and that makes me a little anxious, I wrote it as a means of not thumping her. That said, however, I’m really glad he found someone on his level, they deserve each other.

So your music saved you an ASBO as well - result! :-) ..You're the reigning title holder of Miss British Isles! ... How are you finding managing your persona/image as a music artist while also managing those considerations in the modelling/fashion/beauty world?

It’s funny, I often get told I have a four in one effect. I get told off a bit for changing my hair up a lot and for not consistently looking like the same person. If you strip back all the makeup and hair extensions and switch the outfits around a little though, I’m still the same blank canvas. It is funny though because music and modelling are just so so so different, I grew up doing both but I’ve professionally done modelling since I was 16 and it’s just funny how different the people on each side of the coin are.

..and furthermore, I know you also do acting in adverts and some films too; presumably you've found a way of balancing your schedule?

Ah yes. I take acting classes weekly and have the odd thing filming but it’s been sort of quiet lately; I have some big castings coming up though so hopefully ;)

What an exciting time for you! In a recent social media post, you were talking about how when you were younger, you'd have ideas for songs written in notebooks scattered in all places around your house etc, and then later in your life developed more coherent songwriting skills that have allowed you to bring everything together and create these new releases... Can you say a bit more about maybe the key moments of this journey as an artist?

Honestly, cliche as it sounds, heartbreak has always been my biggest muse because I’ve had to find something to distract myself with and creatively channel myself though. I had a guitar teacher from 12-16 who used to give me these big life chats and we’d turn them into songs together and he taught me about structures etc, how to keep timing and do bridges, where to put things... once you have it it’s quite easy to apply. I do write more positive things at the moment now I’m actually a happy person but when you’re in that place of place of anger, hurt and frustration, you just do find a lot of creative gold really.

Your lovely voice can be heard on Electrocademy's recent trip-hop/electro single release Devo Sapere and when time allows I'm hoping to do a full upbeat/trance version of it where your vocals are sitting nicely in it there too; so you've clearly got versatility in your performance skills given your singles/EP are more indie-styled... Without giving too much away, have you any thoughts or plans on what music/singles you might do further down the line?

SO I have the EP coming out which consists of another single and then the whole 5 part! Then I have a lot of ideas penned and in the works for a shorter acoustic set EP which I’m going to release all in one hit... That I am REALLY excited about because I’ve always written stuff on guitar and now on piano and it’s generally pretty soft. I love the EP that I’m releasing with all of its angst but I am a huge sucker for anything acoustic!

This is all excellent and and exciting - I also can't wait for your future material too and it's been great to catch up with you! For people/fans new to your music, what's the best place for them to stream/download your tracks and follow you on social media and is there anything else you'd like to mention? :-)

Spotify & Apple Music are probably the best but I mean if you fancy making reels with my song on TikTok then please be my guest ;) ... my socials and streaming links are all at: @danalunamusic :)

Dana's Miss British Isles/modelling account can also be found @daniellaaliciaa

REBEKAH FITCH PRE-AUTUMN UK TOUR INTERVIEW

Electrocademy loves all styles of music, but it's probably no surprise that an outstanding artist who writes and performs superb synth-based creative electronica with powerful colourful melodies and brilliant vocals definitely gets extra laudation... Rebekah Fitch, the award winning Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician, is soon to do her Autumn UK tour, and Electrocademy caught up with her to find out what the world and music means for her past, present and future:

Hi Rebekah! .. Let's start with your upcoming Autumn UK tour and we'll circle back to it later too. Thanks for taking the time to speak since you're bound to be busy getting prepared! For those not in the know, what cities are you performing in and are they new venues/places compared to previous tours you've done?

Hello! It’s so lovely to be chatting to you. Yes! It feels so crazy so be saying it, but I’m going on tour next month! I’m playing in six different cities across the UK and Ireland: Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester, London, Belfast and Dublin. Birmingham is a new city for me, but I haven’t actually played in any of the venues before! I like to mix it up and play in new places each time, to make each show unique.

Both you and your fans must be excited to be back out there after this last 18 months... you've already done some excellent UK/Irish tours in the past; tell us how this one came about ?!

The first tour I ever did was back in 2018, and honestly, it was one of the most logistically difficult things I’ve ever tried to pull off! Especially as a new artist who won’t be able to bring a huge crowd for a headline show in each city, you’re trying to find other shows where you would fit well in the bill, on days that line up, in places that make some sense to drive between in a loop! In fact, I actually tried to do it again in 2019, and this time, it failed miserably. Not everything works out, but you just have to keep trying!

Thankfully this time, I had a team of promoters working across each city to help me book the venues and promote the shows, so it was much easier! The fact that I’ve done it the hard way before, means I appreciate it so much more when it comes together! I’m absolutely buzzing to be back in that atmosphere, with everyone sharing live music together.

..Wow, can imagine! Amongst a number of things of note, you've supported Tokio Myers, performed for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, performed at the beloved KoKo and for Sky and the BBC. What are a couple of the most memorable (or silly) moments of your previous tours? Are you performing with anyone this time, and will your performances be your full band format or solo?

You know, with previous tours my favourite parts were often just crashing with friends, exploring each city and meeting new people! We have local supports for each city on this tour, so every show is different - I can’t wait to see each of them perform, especially to a home crowd. It’s mostly a solo tour, but I’ll be playing with a full band in Belfast and London!

Lockdowns definitely didn't stop your creativity; as well as yet more powerful thought-provoking track releases, you made some wonderful music videos, lyric and photo books, and were even involved in the design and release of a computer game that tied in with your catchy song Game Over. Presumably a lot of these things weren't necessarily at the top of your project stack back in 2019; are your longer term plans and motivations in music any different to what they were before?

I absolutely loved getting stuck into creative projects that were building a larger visual world around the music itself. I’m big fan of when artists do this well, and it’s always an aspect I strive to incorporate. I guess with fewer gigs, I was able to attribute more time to this, but it gave me a chance to push boundaries and experiment with what I was capable of doing. I really want to do more of it as it adds to the story you’re building as an artist, and working alongside other types of creative people is incredibly fulfilling creatively. If anything, it’s encouraged me to do more of this type of thing, come up with crazy ideas and figure out how to make them a reality!

Awesome - I look forward to it all! I've always found the intentions behind your songs and lyrics very interesting and they're things you've talked about in other interviews. However, focusing also on your music itself, one of the things I've always tried to do and love in music is beautiful creative vocal harmony and I think you do that exceptionally well (eg in Dust, Goodbye, Loose Ends, ...).. Do you already have the harmony parts in mind before recording any vocals or do you compose the lead vocal and track, then think what notes would fit where?

Thank you so much. I guess it differs each time, I don’t have a formula! Sometimes as I’m writing a song, I do hear the finished production in my mind, or the kind of sonic world it will live in, so these additional layers come very naturally. Often though, I’ll spend ages perfecting a melody, the best ones are when it feels like it existed before, like it was just supposed to be. I think when you land on a melody like that, harmony fits so comfortably with it.

That's a good way of putting it. Another thing that's remarkably good in many of your songs is your switch from a verse to a super powerful walking speed chorus.. Again, how does that come about; do you dream the parts of the song up separately then stitch them together, or have you (say) got an idea of the main vocals throughout the whole song (verses/walking chorus together) and then wrap the music around those in a way that works?

I would say I have quite a long-form, slow song-writing process. Sometimes the melody comes very quickly, and other times it’s just part of a song, so yes splicing songs together is absolutely something I do sometimes! There’s no point in putting an amazing verse with an average chorus, so you can always rewrite bits or wait until you come up with a stronger idea. As long as it doesn’t feel forced, but still flows and feels like a coherent song. Most of the time though, I would say it comes as a unit, as the momentum of the melody carries you to the next parts of the song.

You bring a lot of colour and texture into your sounds and melodies, which I respect, because a lot of pop stars in the charts just put their vocals at the front of the mix with something simple in the background. Given your world-class voice you could have just gone down that route. For my composition/production I tend to use a blend of hardware/workstation based sequencing; for the tech-oriented audience, have you any favourite synths and bits of software that you use for composition/production? [And hopef without tempting fate, have you had any disasters carrying them around when performing (I can vouch those things can be heavy!)?!]

The production is one of the things I enjoy most about being a musician. It’s a chance to experiment and play around within the creative process. I love creating something around my songs that not only elevates the song itself, but is interesting and intriguing as a piece of music in its own right. I produce using Logic - I think that was a result of always using Apple products and not having a lot of hardware as a producer? I found there were more options when I was using MIDI and software synths. I’m a big fan of Arcade at the moment when producing, as it always feels interesting and quite compositional, like you’re adding ideas to the music itself, rather than just mixing what you have.

When I’m performing, all of my synth patches are through MainStage on my laptop, which has indeed fallen straight from the stand onto the floor mid-song… Thankfully it landed upright so I just kept playing, and prayed it wasn’t damaged!

Crikey, go your industrial-strength laptop! :-) The beautiful atmospheric flute intro on your live Guns with Guns performance is right up my street; can we expect the flute to be making an appearance on your forthcoming tour or are you keeping everything a surprise?!

Haha thank you very much! I love that the flute appearances still surprise people when I play, it always gets such a great reaction! It’s definitely a staple of my show now so the flute will 100% be in attendance on tour. This means I have to plan something else to be the surprise…

..intriguing..! I loved the looping build up you do in Need To Feel. What's your favourite song to perform?

Ah thanks! This one is fun to perform as once the looping is going, the rhythm is very infectious. You know, at the moment (probably because they’re newer), I would say Dust or Loose Ends. I often play these ones acoustically, as the lyrics are the most important part, and I love being able to look up and see how people are responding to them. It’s that connection with people that I love so much about performing.

All your tour locations are fantastic venues but performing in Ireland must have that extra dimension for you on a personal level. Can you describe what performing there and your tour in general means to you?

Oh definitely! The Belfast show is always a highlight because it’s full of friends and family. It feels like a big reunion from people all across my life who still support me. I always finish with such a full heart, feeling so loved and grateful. Even with the other cities, I often see friends there who I haven’t seen for a long time, but they’ve still come to support me. It’s an amazing reminder of the support I have in so many places.

Well all I can say is thanks for that Rebekah, those were some some really interesting nuggets from you there! Very much looking forward to your tour and hope you have an absolute blast with it all!! :) For tickets to see Rebekah on tour and more visit rebekahfitch.com [ @RebekahFitch on Instagram ].