Interview and Playlist: Amahla

Having played legendary venues such as The Jazz Cafe and The Roundhouse, and garnered support from the likes of BBC Radio 1 Extra and 6Music’s Tom Robinson, Hackney native Amahla was also been a recipient of the second ever MOBO Awards X Help Musicians Grant for her exceptional voice. Following the lush sounds of last year’s ‘Old Soul’, she’s now returned to grace our ears with poignant new single ‘Dorothy’s Verses’.

We had a little chat with Amahla to find out more, and asked her to pick a few of her favourite songs for a special guest playlist…

Hi Amahla, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do
Hey, I’m Amahla! I’m 22 and I’m a soul singer-songwriter from Hackney. Some of my music branches into folk because I write primarily with guitar but it’s definitely in the bracket of soul. I’ve been lucky enough to play some amazing venues so far, like the Jazz Cafe and Roundhouse main stages. Usually I play with my band but I’ve also been doing more intimate acoustic shows recently.

Your new single ‘Dorothy’s Verses’ is out on Friday, can you tell us what it’s all about?
‘Dorothy’s Verses’ is a story inspired by my grandmother. She came to the UK with my mum and Grandad in the early ’60s from Guyana. She’s always been super independent but three years ago she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and had to change her lifestyle. Since then my family and I have had to learn to see her world through this new lens. ‘Dorothy’s Verses’ is about her reflecting on her life, but also about the need to push women’s stories to the forefront into all of our collective memories more generally.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse, but who would you say are you main musical influences?
Have I? That’s nice! It’s hard to say who my main influences are, but here are a few on my mind at the moment… Amy is a huge one, I was 11 when Back to Black came out and she showed me that I could sing soul but still retain everything that makes me a London girl – the accent, the honesty – and not compromise my identity. Listening to Etta James taught me how to sing with conviction, plus the phrasing of lots of the early Jazz pioneers like Ella and Nat King Cole is just exquisite and has fed into the way I now write my melodies – it’s all about intention.

You graduated university with a first in Anthropology, how would you say what you’ve learnt about this feeds into your music?
I wrote my final thesis about the impact technology (particularly camera phones) has in recreating an archive of violence against the black body – one that the US government sought to repress after the civil rights movement. I think this thesis broadened my mind in terms of how I think about social movements, how they occur and why. These topics consumed my life for a year and I think you can hear its impact on my upcoming EP Consider This – thematically I explore similar themes of memory, justice and using one story to tell many.

And how important do you think it is for musicians to use their creative platform to address issues of politics and race?
At the moment it’s important for me to address issues of politics; I’ve always wanted in some way to impact social change in my lifetime. I don’t know how yet, but for me putting my thoughts into my music is a start. But, as much as music is a place to dissect these issues, it’s also a place to escape from them. Having the freedom to create and innovate is the most important thing.

And would you say movements such as Me Too have allowed more musicians to be more honest in their songwriting?
It’s an interesting question, I don’t know how anyone would go about quantifying its impact yet. I think that the impact of Me Too as a movement won’t really be felt on a broad level for a few years still.

 

We’ve asked you to pick some songs by artists and bands you admire for a special playlist, can you tell us a bit about each of your choices?

Miss Jacqui – ‘These Walls’
I’ve known Miss Jacqui for a while now, she is a songwriter and poet. She performed at the 2012 Paralympics ceremony but hasn’t released anything officially ’til this year. She’s exceptional. We need more voices like hers in the music industry.

Hejira – ‘I Don’t Belong To Anyone’
One of the most underrated bands in my opinion, their sound and visuals are so unique – every single is fire. The rhythm of this one particularly, captures you from the beginning.

Cosima – ‘Hymns For Him’
Cosima is uncompromising in her sound and has such a cutting tone to her voice, she reminds me of Prince. I love this song!

Fatima – ‘Westside’
The bassline in this track is something else and Fatima’s low register is gorgeous. I was lucky enough to support her at her Roundhouse show last month, she’s even more magical live. Her music came alive and her voice and presence filled the room, I haven’t been able to switch it off since.

Nai Palm – ‘Crossfire/ So Into You’
Her voice of course is out of this world, but there is nothing conventional about her songwriting. The way she uses guitar as harmony and percussion to complement her vocal lines is something I’ve admired for years.

Shae Universe – ‘Tell Me The Truth’
Shae’s voice is simply incredible. I’d love to write a song for her catalogue, the range and melodic possibilities with her voice are just gorge.

Massive thanks to Amahla for answering our questions! Listen to her guest playlist here:

 

And you can catch Amahla live at The Roundhouse on 19th February.

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FIVE FAVOURITES: Lily & Madeleine

American sister duo Lily & Madeleine are set to release their new album Canterbury Girls on 22nd February via New West. It was recorded in Nashville and produced by the team behind Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour, Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. Their record takes its name from Canterbury Park, located in the sisters hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. Despite the album’s poppy veneer, the record boasts some of Lily & Madeline’s most intense lyrics to date – all written or co-written by the sisters – exploring relationships, power imbalances, and the weight of expectation.

We asked Lily & Madeleine to name their “Five Favourites” – five artists or albums that have influenced their songwriting techniques. Check out their choices below, and make sure you watch their new video for ‘Analog Love’ at the end of this post!

1. Charlotte Day Wilson – Stone Woman 
Madeleine: I started listening to Charlotte Day Wilson this past summer at the suggestion of a boy I had a crush on. Feeling swept up in the giddy anticipation of a summer fling, I immediately fell in love with her music and listened all summer long. Her voice is like velvet and her songs are so mellow and warm, perfect on a summer evening. She could really sing over any backing beat and I’d love it, but I always go back to my favorite song on the record ‘Funeral’ because it’s so cathartic to sing along to.

2. Kacey Musgraves – Golden Hour
Madeleine: This is my #1 album of 2018 and will forever be a favorite because the songs are so fun yet poignant. Produced by the amazing Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk, who we worked with on Canterbury Girls, this record just makes you wanna sing along and cry at the same time. I wasn’t familiar with Kacey until this record and I think Golden Hour changed how I see country music to be more of a spectrum of influences. My favorite song is the first track ‘Slow Burn’. The imagery in that song makes me feel like I’m driving through the country without a real destination, just a sense of freedom and serenity.

3. Solange – A Seat at the Table
Madeleine: This record by Solange is honestly pure artistry. It has catchy hooks and emotional interludes, all wrapped into a soulful pop package. Every song tells a story about being a woman, being black in America, being an artist. I feel like I can see into Solange’s mind with this record and I relate as a young female artist. As Beyonce’s sister, you’d think that Solange might have a difficult time finding her own voice, yet this record is so unique from anything else. I hope she continues to make music this powerful. It inspires me to have a voice in this industry and sing about things that matter to me, like owning your power as a woman.

4. The Killers – Hot Fuss
Lily: Hot Fuss was the first record put out by the Killers in 2004, and although I was only 7 years old when it debuted, it became one of the defining records of my adolescence. The production of the songs is in-your-face with loud bass lines, fast drums, and interesting synths. But to me, the songwriting is the best part of this album. Songs like ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ and ‘Andy You’re A Star’ unfold themselves in such an unexpected and theatrical way, it reminds me of Queen and Muse mixed together. The Killers have released a ton of awesome and popular songs since 2007, but I think Hot Fuss will always remain my favorite record of theirs: it’s got everything an angsty midwestern teenager needs!

5. JoJo – The High Road
Lily: I had some of my best car sing-along moments driving around in my sister’s rickety 1986 Mercedes and listening to this album by JoJo. The High Road was her sophomore album, and in my opinion it’s one of the best pop/R&B crossover albums there is. JoJo has absolutely amazing vocal performances all over this album and I think the production of it, with steady beats and subtle synths, is surprisingly timeless! Madge and I used to yell along to the title track and her hit ‘Too Little Too Late’ while we drove around running errands, never hitting the notes but having a great time trying! The only unfortunate thing about this album is that it’s not on Spotify!! JoJo released a remake of the album pretty recently but us die hard fans need to hear the original. Help me out, Spotify!

Thanks to Lily & Madeleine for sharing their favourites! Pre-order their new album Canterbury Girls here. Follow the girls on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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FIVE FAVOURITES: Coral Rose (The Silver Field)

The Silver Field – aka Coral Rose – shared her debut album Rooms on Tim Burgess’ O Genesis Recordings on 18th January. It was recorded in Coral’s bedroom using loops & layers generated by a plethora of instruments – including; the double bass, cello, guitar, mandolin, harmonium, harmonica and a bagpipe chanter – with her father’s old SPX-90 saturating her sounds in delays and reverts.

Rooms is a delicate but formidable accomplishment, and we wanted to know what inspired Coral to create such textured sounds. We asked her to name her “Five Favourites” – five artists or albums that have influenced her songwriting technique – and her eclectic responses are listed below… 

1. Kate Bush – Hounds of Love
I have listened to this album more than any other and I still hear new things in it. The place she got to with arranging and producing and songwriting on this album… It’s an amazing record of a musician at the peak of her career. I hate that phrase because it makes it seem like everything she made after it wasn’t as good, which isn’t true (I’m looking at you lovingly, Sky of Honey). But it really feels that with Hounds of Love she was able to say what she wanted to say in the ways she wanted to say it. She had everything she needed and she focused on her vision and the result is this bloody masterpiece – a vivid dream, so abundant in imagery, each song like a scene in a play almost, a story of some place and time, and often connected somehow to the landscape. I think it’s quite a pastoral record in a way, a romantic, an environmental record. It really feels like each song is a journey somewhere new, from trees to hill to sky to shipwrecked at sea, to under the ice, until finally we’re looking down at the whole earth, and the storms and the sailors and – deeper, deeper, somewhere in the depth there is a light! – and then the dream ends and she leaves us held safe in the calm of the morning fog (a hyperballad moment!)

2. Arthur Russell – World of Echo
‘A Little Lost’ got me into Arthur Russell – I even remember where I was when I first heard it – but World of Echo is what got me hooked. In Wild Combination (the film about his life and work) it shows his apartment where he recorded with this big fish tank in it, and – ok, it gets said a lot – this record really is underwater music. Underwater in a way that my body just needs, the same way it needs the soft fog of Grouper’s Ruins or the sparks and screeches of Shaking the Habitual – some records just make your inner world make sense, and I feel most at home in this one. Sea creatures fly around, plants flow in the current, the wet tapes and the lisping cello and bubbling drum machines, it’s such a cohesive world of half-light and playful melody; I can spend a lot of time in these fish tanks of his! I love his other songs, his disco music and his country music, but this album is a very special place to me. I trust it, and I know that’s an odd thing to say about music, but that’s what the feeling is!

3. Massive Attack – Protection
This album has been with me for a long time. I remember my parents playing it when I was a kid and I remember rediscovering it as a teenager. And then it came back to me again another 10 years later, and those roots reached right back and it became something very central to me, it sits right in my musical core. I was talking to my Dad about it and saying about how full of warmth I felt it was, and he said “yes, and cold at the same time”, and I get what he means. There’s a lot in this record, so many different styles, instruments, voices, egos; that there ends up being quite a lot of contradictions, but for me it’s this tension, collaboration in action, that makes it so beautiful. They all put a lot into this record, and I feel like you can hear where the clashes happened and people had to compromise and temper their vision, and I think that’s where they made something really special. It has a kind of balance and grace, which feels like a rare, precious thing.

4. Aïsha Devi – Of Matter and Spirit
If Protection is warmth and cold at the same time, this record turns that up til it’s sharpened and crystalline; it’s all ice and fire and lead-weight beats deep underground; burning, primal mountain music. It’s intense listening, it’s a real trip, but it feels ceremonial, in that it breaks you down but holds the pieces, and keeps them safe, and all the grit and dirt fall out of the gaps and you come out the other side of it put back together again, cleaner, more whole, despite what you’ve lost. That’s a kind of alchemy, I think. I saw her live and it was that experience taken even further, at times it was almost too much, almost distressing, but by the end of the night the feeling it left me with was a kind of clarity and freedom that I don’t think I’ve ever got from live music in the same way before. It was something very physical, almost like it was a by-product of listening to the music, rather than the direct emotional effect. She also collaborated with some designers to make a computer game for this album, which I really loved!

5. Muna – About U
This is just such a perfect pop record. I had to stop listening to it for a while because the songs took over my head and for weeks they were all I could listen to. For me it’s on a similar kind of feels channel as Carly Rae Jepsen or Tegan and Sara but it brings those teenage-era fears and vulnerabilities out into the day, sits them down, gives them a drink, dries off their clothes, and you sit around talking with each other and making friends and the fears fall away and you end up dancing until the morning. It’s very fun but very wholesome and it feels like there’s a lot of kindness and wisdom in it. I don’t really understand why they’re not at superstar-levels of fame! When I listen to it I just want to keep turning it up louder and louder, the production is so satisfyingly thick and to mix that with the level of raw emotion that is underpinning it is really intoxicating, and, ok, I’m going to be hooked again…

Huge thanks to Coral Rose for sharing her favourites. You can buy a copy of The Silver Field’s Rooms here.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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Interview: Dream Nails – ‘Take Up Space’

As if putting on immense, riotous live performances wasn’t enough, in September last year GIHE’s favourite Feminist Punk Witches Dream Nails decided to blow our minds in a slightly different way – by putting on their first ever acoustic set at infamous independent and anti-fascist bookshop Housmans. A much smaller space than the band have played in the past, the gig was a wonderfully intimate experience, and – whilst perhaps quieter in volume – no less powerful and empowering than your usual raucous Dream Nails gig.

And if you weren’t able to make the gig, fear not! Dream Nails have now made the full recording of the set into a new acoustic album, appropriately entitled Take Up Space. And it’s most certainly worth a listen. Showcasing their luscious harmonies and poignant songwriting in a way we’ve not yet heard, it proves that plugged in or acoustic, Dream Nails are a sparkling, formidable force. Combining impassioned activism and infectious tunes, they consistently inspire and motivate us to get up, make our voices heard and fight fascism with all our might.

We caught up with Mimi, Janey, Lucy and Anya to find out more…

Hi Dream Nails, welcome back to Get In Her Ears! How are you doing today?
Mimi: Thank you! I’m refreshed and ready for 2019.
Janey: I’m rested too!
Lucy: Ran 4 miles on the treadmill this morning like a little excited hamster so I’m bathing in the endorphins right now.
Anya: Me and Janey just did a songwriting session and I’m gassed about our latest ideas, including one about feminism and the future of technology. I can’t say what it’s about but it’s completely ridiculous and hilarious.

We’re super excited to hear about the release of your new acoustic album Take Up Space! What was it that inspired you to record this – something perhaps so different from what fans might expect?
Mimi: We really feel there’s magic in our live shows. In the past we’ve tried to record some shows, but it’s always really difficult because of the sound in the venues, and it’s never come out that great. We thought this was a perfect opportunity to try again, in a less noisy setting.
Janey: We put so much thought into our song lyrics and vocal harmonies, and much of that gets lost in the fuzz of a punk PA system. This gig was a chance to finally let our songs breathe and the lyrics be heard.
Lucy: We were excited to listen to the recordings but didn’t know how good they would turn out and certainly didn’t expect to release them! We only had one acoustic rehearsal before the show and were very pleased with the new dimension the songs have taken on!
Anya: We also wanted to try more of an intimate show, more of ‘an evening with Dream Nails’ sort of thing where the crowd were very much part of the show and we could be really spontaneous with our interactions.

The album was recorded at your intimate gig at Housman’s Bookshop (which was a pretty wonderful evening!) in September last year – how was this experience for you? And how did it differ from your usual gig set ups?
Mimi: For me, I had no distortion pedals and no big amps, I was playing my semi-acoustic bass guitar. My bass was very à la Violent Femmes. It was a much more intimate setting with no stage, and it was a lot of fun to be in with the crowd and hear everyone’s laughs during all of the funny bits.
Janey: That gig was so much fun, and a challenge for us because the audience were sitting right in front of us in pretty good lighting – we could see everyone! That completely changed the dynamic and made it special.
Lucy: Yeah it was exposing at first and I was more than a little nervous! I’m usually hiding at the back on my all-seeing drum throne, so this was my chance to get my jokes and chat in too. I got pretty over-excited tbh. Fun fact: the tom and snare drums I was using were propped up on old Delia Smith cookery books and I think you can definitely hear this in the music!
Anya: I actually play an acoustic guitar borrowed from Dave McManus who runs Everything Sucks Music, one of the labels we work with! It was weird playing an acoustic and I had to change a few things in the songs to make it work, but it was a fun challenge. My hands were like frozen claws by the end – an acoustic is a lot harder work, strangely!

Do you feel that putting on a gig in such a different setting opened up your music to some people who may not normally be able to attend gigs in late night bars/music venues?
Mimi: Yes definitely! We really want to play more bookshops. Because most gigs are in bars, it’s almost impossible to hold all ages shows, and we would love to play to younger people.
Janey: Almost all punk shows are held in squats, basements or alcohol-based venues, which excludes a lot of people from experiencing our live music, and we wanted to change that. At this show, we had more under-18, muslim and disabled fans than usual, many of whom mentioned they hadn’t managed to get to a show before. This show was our most inclusive by far, and I want to do more gigs where we transform a community space into a gig space.
Lucy: Our shows are accessible as we can make them, but I feel like the audience were so relaxed at this show and that contributed to a very special atmosphere. It was early in the evening and the fact that no one felt they had negotiate beer being chucked around, creepy dudes at the bar, dark and sometimes intimidating spaces and pushing created a calmness that was palpable.
Anya: We also live streamed it via Facebook with the help of Get in Her Ears, which we’ll probably do more of in the future so our fans in other countries can see the bookshop gigs we do.

Has having had the experience of performing acoustically changed the way you approach writing songs now?
Lucy: You know what, it’s made me itching to get more into the composition side of our music. Hearing everything so stripped back, and being mindful of how our songs sound in the state will surely translate when we start writing again (imminently!).
Anya: It’s definitely reinforced my feeling that our songs need to work on an acoustic guitar or they won’t work at all!

The album includes a couple of new songs… including ‘Jillian’ and ‘Chirpse Degree Burns (Text Me Back)’ – can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind these tracks?
Mimi: ‘Jillian’ is about Jillian Michaels, a fitness personality who has a workout DVD called ‘The 30 Day Shred’. It was permanently in my DVD player growing up, she is seriously strong and fierce, and I definitely memorised her chat throughout the entire workout. Her message is that you can push yourself and literally be strong!
Janey: Mimi and I really bonded over our shared love of Jillian. To be honest, the 30 Day Shred was my first experience of exercise and recognising how good it was for my mental health. I have Jillian to thank for that. Plus she’s one of my queer idols.
Lucy: ‘Chirpse Degree Burns’ (fyi chirpse is London slang for flirt and can be a noun, verb or adjective) is tragically close to the hearts of me and another anonymous band member. It was written in an emotional outburst during the comedown of Glastonbury 2017 when Anya (oops) and I were thwarted by our short-lived festival loves. I don’t get it?! We are a catch and also 1000000% chill as the song we wrote will attest to!
Anya: There’s also a new track ‘Time Ain’t No Healer’ which is about how much work it is to get over the troubles in your life and recover from trauma. The idea is you can’t just wait for time to do it for you, it takes a conscious effort. And probably a therapist, lol.

The album’s appropriately entitled Take Up Space, which very much ties in with your mantra of “Girls To The Front” at gigs. How important do you think it is for girls/non binary/female-identifying people to take up space in the music industry? And what do you think people can be doing to encourage this more?
Mimi: It’s hard to encourage women and non binary people to get into the music industry because you just know they’re going to meet so many obstacles, which are only there because of deep set misogyny. It just needs to be challenged by everyone. I can’t bear to think of how many women and non binary bands have quit doing music because of people being shit to them at every turn. Even little things – like I can’t even count how many times a sound guy has told me where to plug my bass in.
Janey: Bookers need to change their policies, and introduce diversity quotas. The musicians are out there. Look harder. There’s no excuse for all-male tour line-ups anymore. The issues within the music industry are structural, and need to be met with structural changes.
Lucy: Obviously the need is vital and I’d like to quote an iconic Anya statement here relating to all-male bands: “men, ask yourselves, does the world need any more of your dry music?” We try to hammer home the idea that skill level and technical know-how does not take precedence when it comes to music, no matter what intimidating sound people, music shop assistants, or band boys would like you to think. YOUR music and experiences are valid and vital and you’re the only person in this world who can make it. Until these structural changes manifest, we endeavour to create these spaces and opportunities ourselves.
Anya: For women to Take Up Space, men need to Make Up Space. Make way, not today, man bands, go away!

As ‘Feminist Punk Witches, what does ‘punk’ mean to you?
Mimi: Punk means challenging everything, even the definition of ‘punk’. It’s about being a good ally, standing up for what’s right, being an activist, taking our lives into our own hands. It bothers me that people like Donald Trump and Doug Ford (Canadian Premier of Ontario, where I’m from, who literally fucked Ontario) are seen as punks, only because they’re kind of rogue outsiders from the political world?? They’re the farthest thing from punks, their only intention is to fuck the little guy and they only benefit the rich.
Janey: For me, punk is about shared creation. Not just tearing the world apart, but challenging the status quo by building a new one. I think the punkest thing we do isn’t even our music, but the bands we support behind the scenes, or making sure promoters have gender-neutral toilets.
Lucy: Punk is about utilising a rebellious spirit in a way that DOES NOT resemble a teenager with a “my mum and dad aren’t home, no one can tell me what to do” attitude. For me, the rebelliousness of punk is about radical collectivity, thoughtfulness, inquisitiveness, joy, rage and action that both strengthens you and provides relief in a world and city that seeks to crush you.
Anya: Some of our dearest female idols like Viv Albertine and Patti Smith interrogated the world as they saw it, threw stale, patriarchal convention out of the window, and filled their world with new meaning. Punk is about being thoughtful and honest. It’s interesting that they both taught themselves to play guitars as young women. Being self taught makes you approach music differently, I think.

So, after the experience of playing acoustically in Housman’s, do Dream Nails have plans to play any more acoustic shows in 2019?
Mimi: This is something we are seriously talking about and would love to do a radical bookshop tour!
Janey: 100%!
Lucy: Yes! It feels so pure!
Anya: I’ll only play in places where they have the entire back catalogue of Simone De Beauvoir now. It’s my rider.

And what else do you have up your sparkly sleeves for the rest of the year??
Mimi: We are going to be spending a lot of the first part of this year writing and recording for our debut album release (not acoustic), and then playing many festivals over the summer.
Janey: We’re headed to Switzerland in the first week of February, and are playing four shows there! Follow us on Instagram for our tour stories, they never fail to delight.
Anya: We are curating a stage at one of our favourite festivals this year. We can’t say which one, but it involves a zine making workshop for young people and I’m so excited.
Lucy: Aside from this, my personal dream is to sell our critically acclaimed ‘Chipadvisor’ chip reviewing YouTube series to Netflix. We would use the proceeds from this to buy ourselves more chips.

Massive thanks to Dream Nails for answering our questions!

Take Up Space is available exclusively on Bandcamp, where you can also get hold of an awesome accompanying t-shirt designed by illustrator Sumena Owen.

 

Photo Credit: Poppy Marriot

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