Having received praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, Mojo and The Sunday Times for her 2018 album Future, confessional artist Eliza Shaddad has also shared stages with big names such as Kate Tempest, Lucy Rose and James Bay.
Creating her unique brand of shimmering dream pop with a gritty edge, Shaddad has just released new single ‘Girls’.
We caught up with her to find out more…
Hi Eliza, welcome to Get In Her Ears! How are you today?
Hi! Thanks – I’m good! Excited as it’s release week!!!
How d0 you initially start creating music?
I create alone initially, I write the songs on guitar, and demo them in logic – programming in drums and trying out ideas for bass and backing vocals, sometimes for strings and horns. And then it’s all about having the right connection with an engineer or producer to bring it to life.
Your new single ‘Girls’ is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about?
Sure – Girls is about growing up really close to someone who has to deal with a lot and is finding it hard to cope, what it’s like to be on the outside of that, trying to get in.
You’ve been compared to the likes of Julia Jacklin and Marika Hackman, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
I grew up on bands like Hole and Skunk Anansie, and solo artists like Tori Amos and Alanis Morrisette, they’ve had a big influence. Guitar-wise, I guess a lot of folk music like Bob Dylan and Jewel, and then more recently guitarists like John Frusciante have really inspired me.
How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
I’ve lived in London for 10+ years and obviously it’s next level here, especially for seeing new ideas and genres, but recently I’ve been spending a lot of time in Cornwall writing and recording and am looking forward to seeing some good local stuff there, I’ve seen some great folk so far.
And what can fans expect from your live shows?
Whether it’s solo or full band, it is raw, dynamic and emotional. I think playing live is my favourite part, so our shows are always full of dark fun.
As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
So many! CHILDCARE are a brilliant band who I’m sure you’ve heard of. Emma is the bassist in that, and her solo project Saint Clair is just gorgeous. Liz Lawrence is sick too.
And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
If you’re trying to get noticed by a traditional major label, and you want their help for development then yep I think it’s probably more difficult than ever. But, if you’re mainly aiming to connect with people and know what you want to say and how, then things like Spotify, Bandcamp, and YouTube have made that a lot easier. You can get noticed much more easily by fans and that’s the most important connection really.
Finally, what does the rest of 2019 have in store for Eliza Shaddad?
We’ve actually filmed a recent live show, which will be the music video for ‘Girls’, and will be releasing the rest of the EP to follow. I also have some amazing shows to announce, and I’m in the middle of writing LP2 so it’s all go till Christmas!
Big thanks to Eliza for answering our questions!
‘Girls’ is out now via Big Indie Records.
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