INTERVIEW: Mykki Blanco

Mykki Blanco really doesn’t need any introduction from us. We’ve been massive fans of the queer pioneer and innovative artist for many years now; they’ve been a huge inspiration to the team and have dazzled us with their live performance more than once. So, we’re super excited that they’ll be releasing a brand new EP later this month. 

Postcards From Italia is set for release on 22nd September, and offers an instantly uplifting collection of colourful, danceable anthems. Fusing together influences ranging from Euro dance beats to Country hooks, we can’t get enough of the funk-fuelled energy and effervescent spirit that runs throughout. 

Fresh from celebrating Copenhagen Pride, Mykki spoke to our Tash Walker last month about the upcoming EP, how the music industry’s changed over the last decade, their queer inspirations and more. Have a read, and make sure you tune into our next show on Soho Radio on Monday 18th September to hear some of the chat there! 

We’re massive fans of you, and it’s an honour to have you speaking to us today! We obviously have quite a few questions for you, but we’d love to focus on your upcoming new record Postcards From Italia, which feels quite different from your previous albums. So, how are you feeling about its release?

So, Postcards From Italia is an EP – it’s only 15 minutes long! But sonically, it really continues the musical journey that started with releasing Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep in 2021, and then Stay Close To Music, which was a very, very contemplative, very melodic record, in 2022. Most of the songs for Postcards From Italia, even though they’re upbeat, were actually recorded in that same kind of time period as those other two records, so it just really continues a very stark departure into kind of what my music sounds like now, and not what my music has sounded like for roughly the last ten years. I think if a musicologist were to note any markers on my sonic journey, there’d basically be the beginning of my career up until the pandemic, and then the pandemic kind of marks a very stark difference in not only the quality of my music, but just the sonic journey. And I just think that, for me, everything that I’ve come out with since 2020, has, has been like “this is my sound” – this is the music that I make, and less and less of kind of an ever winding journey. I don’t know. I mean, I guess there’’ll always be an element of a journey. But yeah, I think what I’m now creating reflects more how I really feel.

You’ve described this as your “Italian Cowboy Era” – can you explain?

I didn’t say that actually. I think someone from Pitchfork or one of the first music journalists that got the new press release kind of put their own spin on it after listening to some songs, and they said that, and then the record label said that and now people are saying that… Which I guess I’m okay with!

I think the label of “Italian Cowboy Era” maybe came from the lead single ‘Holidays In The Sun’ – the way in which my tone and cadence, and the way in which I delivered the lyrics, is a reference to country music – country music like over Euro dance production… And there are two other songs where I give a similar country western vibe, like ‘Magic On My Back’…  Wow, I get it, that’s why they probably said that! 

You got it. You reclaim it! 

I just reclaimed it. Not joking. I had not thought about that.

You’ve mentioned it already, but ‘Holidays In The Sun’,  the current single, is such a tune. I love the ‘90s dance vibe. The first time I heard it, I think in just the first ten seconds my head and my shoulders were moving away – it’s so infectious. And then magical. And ‘Magic On My Back’ was another one – it’s so sexy. It’s got this really sexy groove to it.

Thank you! I just wanted to release something upbeat – something really fun. So, I’m actually about to start grad school. I’m moving to Switzerland to do an MFA in Fine Art, because I want to focus on Environmental Humanities in painting. I’m really interested in ecology, but kind of like post colonial ecology. So, like ecological studies through Africa and Asia and South America, rather than through a Eurocentric lens – like environmental chronology. The programme is almost two years long, so I wanted to put out something fun before I start school, because once I start, I’ll have to have my head down to study! 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=EK7q_HQQ8XQ%3Fsi%3D0HHHYxAF45psdV4z

I also read that you didn’t start writing until you were 25. So, it’s interesting now that you’re going into this other phase of going to grad school and looking into art and ecology. Why is that do you think? Was it a conscious decision to start writing at 25? Or was it just the right moment, just something that you were you were drawn to?

It was really my first manager that pushed me into music. As a child, I lived in two places – I lived in the Bay Area outside of San Francisco, and I also lived in North Carolina. And I was just always naturally very drawn to theatre; I loved performing in front of people, and I also loved creative writing. Then, as a teenager, that manifested into me doing more theatre and I found out about performance art. But then I went to art college – well, I went to two different art colleges and dropped out of both, but still very much thought that the trajectory of my adult life would be centred in the art world. I thought I’d figure out some way of working as a contemporary artist and writer, but I never saw myself as a person who would go on to do journalistic writing. But, about ten years ago, I published a book of poetry, and one of the things I am really invested in doing this year, in grad school, is beginning to actually really write either a novel or (very) short story. But, back to your question! I thought I was very much going to have this trajectory as a contemporary artist in the traditional sense, and it was not until I met someone named Charles Damga, who owned a record label called UNO Records in New York, that I started to think more about writing. Basically, Charlie came to a few of my performances – I was doing these performances at different parties, and I was starting to release things online and, I guess for that time, it felt very original, on the cusp of something that people had not seen before. And I just remember, Charlie and I had this conversation where he said something along the lines of “I feel like you’re making music and you don’t know that you’re making music”, but I was still very much in this art world context about everything. And he asked me if I enjoyed songwriting, and if I’d ever considered working with producers, and I was like “I don’t know what a producer is…” So, he suggested giving it a try and pairing me with someone, and I was like “Sure”, and he linked me up with about four different producers and I started to understand that I can communicate certain ideas and together we could translate the production into a song. I didn’t really know what I was doing, I was just enjoying myself, but then over a couple of years I realised that, though I didn’t know how to produce in a traditional sense, I always know sonically the cornucopia of songs or influences that I want. And it was really this exercise in, not only growing in confidence with myself, but as a songwriter, that helped me understand that I could do it, even though I’m not ‘classically trained’ in composition or anything. It was also the community of producers in the community and other musicians that helped me reocognise that I had a talent for something, even though it was undefined. 

Looking back at your career, it’s been amazing! You’ve worked with some really incredible artists, but you’ve also clearly worked really hard to get where you are today, doing lots and lots of touring. How does it feel to you looking back over the years, to where you are today?

One thing I would say is that I’m very fortunate to have come along at the time that I did, because I don’t think I would enjoy the politics of being a brand new artist right now. I feel that with every generation that crops up every five or so years, there’s some select artists who really push the envelope sonically, through their imagery and aesthetics through their message. The universe seems to equip them in ways to persevere beyond whatever challenges the music industry, or society in general, might be placing on them. But I think there are a set of challenges right now for new artists which mean it’s just become harder; I would say it’s become harder for new artist to really make a living and to have a real quality of life. Even though I’ve experienced so much transphobia and homophobia, and had certain media outlets be so rude and inhumane to me at certain parts of my career, I think at that time many paradigms around being queer and being trans were being completely blown open. I was able to explore, or maybe come to terms with, my gender, maybe a path was widening that did not exist before. A true spiritual experience. 

I feel that, unless you were a musician during the last ten years involved in a certain kind of underground culture, maybe you wouldn’t understand this… But, from around 2012 to 2020, something happened where, because of the internet – things like Tumblr and Twitter, and the whole nature of social media – it really transformed and changed communities all over the world. People were able to say “Hey, listen to this indie / feminist / punk band / queer rapper”, and people were able to hear their music on the internet and book them. This created a network globally, where historically artists that would have really dwelled in the underground were able to have agency; to actually make money, to actually look forward. And that’s really important, and I don’t hear people talk about that enough. Sadly, with the pandemic, a lot of that has been diminished; and the effects of that are not completely over. There has been such a reduction in independent venues; a reduction in bookers and people who are willing to book independent underground acts. The network globally is still there, in a sense, but it has diminished. I really see now, again, the dominance of pop stars in a way that I saw it ten years ago, because pop stars are always going to be there. But in the last nine years, it seemed like music listeners were getting more invested in indie underground artists. And ok, your pop fans are always going to be your pop fans, but I’m seeing this dominance again of major label artists. And that kind of scares me, because it feels like we’ve gone back in time, and it’s such a shame because it felt like things were starting to really shift for artists at certain tiers that were not a part of the major label system. 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=y6DgawQdSlQ%3Fsi%3DU2n_oKAMo1PwfAfy

This comes back a bit to what you were saying about what you were experiencing within the industry – I remember I think maybe it was around, 2016, I saw the video of your days reciting the Zoe Leonard poem, ‘I Want A Dyke For President’, and it was just so perfect. It felt so powerful and apt to bring those words to life at that period of time. You’re an artist who is always pushing for people to see the world differently, I think. And I think sometimes I also think that when you’re queer, and you’re born into a world where you don’t make sense, you sort of have to break it down and build it back up in a way that you can then insert yourself into it. Which allows us, or some queer people, a chance to see the world so differently, and to think differently. And I’m really glad to have had that experience. But I wanted to ask you, who helped you to see your future when you were growing up?

Yeah, I feel like – even though it’s well intentioned – there is a very neoliberal need to commodify and kind of glamourise queerness. But I get it, because then it becomes or can lead to the celebrated education of queerness. But it sort of is like we’re only seeing the pretty people… When I look on Instagram, and I look on Twitter, I love seeing a trans male activist with 850,000 followers, and I love seeing all the trans women who are gaining accolades and I love it when I’m able to connect with other gender-nonconforming queer people who now have large platforms. But it’s still this thing where a lot of the people that shaped me are what you might consider ‘outlaw’ queer people; people that don’t necessarily live in the big cities, that may have existed through sex work, or through anarchist or more community networks. They are just being naturally gender nonconforming, and so much of society – even mainstream LGBTQ society – might find them unruly, or even unattractive. But it’s these people, my friends from these communities, that I would say have really nurtured the radical ideas that formed the foundation of my true virtues. 

When I think about specific people that you might know, there’s Brontez Purnell who I’ve known since I was 18. And I think Alli Logout from Special Interest is someone whose politics are on the money and I feel like whenever I’ve encountered them, they’re always giving me this nice, fresh perspective on something. Then there’s Ericka Hart, who I would consider an activist; she talks a lot about intersectionality, and her partner is trans. They just had a baby and so she talks a lot about this intersection of being black in America, and queerness.

 And, finally, I’d like to name one more – Munroe Bergdorf. I’ve known Munroe for a long time and she inspires and interests me. I’ve really followed her journey closely, and she does feel to me like an infiltrator, because she is able to slip into the mainstream, glamorous radar, but she knows her shit and she knows the real deal. No matter how glamorous she is, and no matter how many talk shows she goes on, I never hear her giving a palatable answer just for the sake of making the mainstream feel comfortable or better about themselves. 

Yeah, I met her about 10 years ago when she DJ-ed for this charity and LGBT helpline charity that I volunteer for, and it was just before she started to, like jump onto the platform that she’s on now. It’s been amazing to watch her, and she’s never faltered in her her views or her purpose – she is she knows who she is, and she knows what she’s going for. 

Okay, I’m conscious that I don’t want to keep you for longer than you have to! So, lastly, I see you’ve hit up a couple of dates across a number of European festivals over the last couple of months, and we’ve all seen you a bunch of times in London, at Southbank Centre and Village Underground when you played there, which was outstanding! We were left absolutely buzzing, like properly fizzing under our skin! So, has there been a particular event you’ve played that’s stood out to you over the years? 

It’s so difficult to answer this question because it’s been almost 11 years of so many different kinds of gigs… But I would say that, honestly, I can be in any room; it doesn’t have to be 1000 people, it could be just 400 or 500 people who are really engaged and watching me, singing the words back. I’ve had that big festival experience, and maybe one or twice in my career when that huge big room didn’t feel any less powerful than a smaller one. But when 400 or 500 people are just completely engaged in what you’re doing – sweating and pouring our hearts out into each other – it feels very special. I like to create a moment sonically and aesthetically, and when it all comes together cohesively, and people are engaged with what I’m doing, that feels good. Because I’ve been doing this long enough to know – I mean what is a career, but a string of continuous moments? 

Totally. I feel like that about archiving as well.  The lack of archives there have been past a certain point, and censorship and all of that sort of stuff. And so, you doing these things on an ongoing basis as an artist is so important. 

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me, Mykki. And, best of luck with the record!

Okay, thank you so much for having me. And big love to all of you out there!

Hugest thanks to Mykki for taking the time to chat to us! Their upcoming new EP, Postcards From Italia, is out 22nd September via Transgressive.

Photo Credit: Cecilia Chiaramonte

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INTERVIEW: Girl Ray

Having been a huge fan of London trio Girl Ray since first falling in love with 2016’s single ‘Trouble’, and going on to relish in the quirky, uplifting indie-pop goodness of albums Earl Grey (2017) and Girl (2019), I am super excited that they’ll be releasing their third album Prestige next month.

A band close to my heart (it was after their set at Indietracks festival 2018 that I proposed to my partner – they’re a big fave of ours!) and one who continue to develop and hone their distinctive sparkling sounds with each new release, this latest offering of theirs draws on the danceable allure of disco, complete with funk-fuelled hooks and the band’s distinctive shimmering blissful energy. Emanating bucketfuls of colourful, queer joy, it’s the perfect soundtrack to the summer: a gently empowering swirling blast of euphoria that is needed now more than ever.

I was lucky enough to catch up with Poppy, Iris and Sophie for a chat about the new album, being women in the industry, their festival essentials (no pots and pans!) and more… Have a read and make sure you pre-order Prestige now!

 

Meeting via Zoom on a rainy Monday evening, Girl Ray manage to find some time out of their busy schedule to have a quick chat. Having been quite quiet over the last few months, they are currently in the midst of a busy few weeks, leading up to the album release on 4th August. This weekend just gone’s been particularly busy, with the band supporting Ben Howard at Alexandra Palace park on Saturday. “It was good, but extremely wet!”, Poppy recalls when I ask how it went. But, in spite of the rain, it was a quite a special venue for the band to play, being North London locals who’ve attended lots of gigs there themselves – “it’s kind of a bucket-list thing to do”, Poppy shares. So, despite the awful weather and tiredness (“we were running on about 3 hours sleep because we had our club night the night before”), it all went well – good views of the palace while playing, and a nice discovery that Ben Howard is a fan of the band. 

The club night that Poppy mentions was the special Prestige club night, hosted by the band at The George Tavern on Friday to celebrate the upcoming album release. “It was hard staying up that late”, Iris admits, “… but it was really fun! Loads of people can down for it, and my parents DJ-ed. They loved it!”. Having DJ-ed throughout the ‘80s and the early ‘90s it seems Iris’ parents are pros at spinning tunes – “much better than us!”, Poppy adds. Although the band have DJ-ed before, this was the first time they had put on an event of this kind, and they have promised to do it again – “It was quite amazing really! Iris mainly did all the organising, and just the simplicity of putting on an event is quite amazing. It’s not as difficult as one might think. Just a really fun thing to do, everyone should be doing it!” 

Moving on to discuss the reason for the celebrations, I ask about the inspirations behind the album, and how the queer ballroom scene of the ‘80s played a part: “I was watching Pose while writing it”, Poppy explains, “… and the soundtrack, and the aesthetic, aside from it being a great TV show, just drew my attention more to that scene, and let me delve more into the roots of disco. And I found that super inspirational as a writing tool, so tried my hand writing a few more disco-inspired songs.” After the three of them decided that it would be a good direction for the record, and writing some more tracks in that vein, the name Prestige came about – “it’s always been a kind of joke within our friendship group; like when we were teenagers, instead of saying ‘Oh, that’s cool’, it would be ‘Oh, that’s prestige’… It’s kind of a special word to our friendship!” And then, Poppy’s mum gave it the final push, when told about the name, “she said ‘that sounds like one of the naff clubs I would go to in the ‘80s’, so that sold it! That became the album cover, and then that kind of informed the aesthetic of the album campaign.” The band were able to use this aesthetic not only for the album visuals, but were able to draw on the whole disco and ballroom themes as inspiration for their songwriting, as well as their musicality – “Our playing styles naturally went a bit disco-y”, Iris reflects, “our style definitely lent itself to the genre.” 

Once they had written the album, they naturally needed to find someone to help produce it. Poppy had been working alongside Ben H. Allen (M.I.A, Christina Aguilera) for a writing session for one of the songs on the album, and got on really well with him, so – despite not being fully aware of his accolades – decided to ask him to be involved, and he was up for it, and very down to earth and easy to work with. As Poppy explains: “…he’s a really friendly guy, and he made us feel really welcome. And I think that just speaks to his experience and expertise as a producer. He put us all at ease and we felt really comfortable.” As Sophie so eloquently puts it, “he’s the definition of Prestige”. 

Being Girl Ray’s third album, Prestige uses what the trio have learnt over the years to create something honed and polished – showcasing a band with experience and innovation. Sophie reflects: “It kind of tied together how we recorded the first and second albums in a lot of ways. Because the first record was very much live, and playing together in a room, and the second one swung completely the other way, recording everything separately. And this one is a mix of the two.” Discussing the recording process, Iris explains, “Poppy wrote the songs and they were pretty fully formed. And we then had to structure our time recording quite well because we didn’t have loads of time.” Despite the time constraints, however, they still felt able to experiment and develop their sound – Poppy adds, “We’ve been a band almost 10 years now, and so we definitely know more and how to achieve it. Looking at all the albums side by side, with this one I think we have found our footing a bit more in terms of our sound and what works for us.” 

As well as creating uplifting, musically rich songs, one of the things I love most about Girl Ray is their ability to channel their personalities into their videos. In the run up to this album in particular, they’ve created some fantastic visual accompaniments to the singles; I ask them about the process of doing this, and mention that my current fave would have to be ‘Everybody’s Saying That’ (a Studio 54-inspired visual, showcasing all the roller skatingy queer joy you could ever desire). Reflecting on the process, Iris explains: “We kind of either have a concept or work together with a director. The director for ‘Everybody’s Saying That’ – Alice Harding – is someone we’ve worked with (barista-ed with!) in the past, and she was just getting into directing, and we had this idea that we wanted the club of Prestige to be in the video…” Although the band initially approached Harding because she was a roller skater, on discovering she was also getting into directing, they recruited her immediately, and she then came up with the plot and concept. Discussing their love of video making, the band reflect on how being such good friends with a similar sense of humour always helps, and, Poppy adds, “we don’t want to take ourselves too seriously, and videos are a fun way to express that.” As well as working with Alice Harding, Girl Ray have predominantly working with long-time friend and director Alex Cantouris in making their videos – “He’s really great and gets us. He’s been working with us since we were 17, so he knows exactly what we want. And it’s always a really fun process!” 

Now that the album’s ready to be unleashed into the world, the band are focusing on some live dates to promote it, including some in-store shows over the next couple of weeks, ahead of their full European tour in the winter. With this in mind, I ask if there’s been a particular gig that Girl Ray have played over the years that stands out as a particular highlight – “Anytime we play a hometown show – anytime we play London – it’s really important to us”, Poppy says, specifying dates at Scala and Electric Ballroom as stand outs. “Scala was especially vibey”, Iris adds, “because we’d just released Earl Grey and got loads of people up with us for the title track which was really fun. It just felt like a very exciting time for us.” Whereas, with support slots or festival sets, it’s easy for a band to doubt themselves and feel like the audience aren’t really there for them, these headline gigs seem particularly special – “When it’s a headline show in the town you grew up in, with people coming down and knowing all the words to your songs, it’s just really touching.”

But, with highlights come lowlights, the band remind me, singling out their first ever proper gig at The Cavendish Arms in Stockwell as one they’ll always remember… Still in school, and having handed out flyers in their common room the day before, they were still really learning to play their instruments, and hadn’t impressed their singing teacher who had previously criticised their singing style as being “too airy” (I’m sure she’s kicking herself now!). 

Festivals can also sometimes bring lowlights, with the mud / expensive food and drink / tent setting up that’s involved, but Girl Ray are looking forward to playing Green Man next month, and it sounds like they’ll be very well prepared: “I normally end up taking my whole house and then some! But I’m trying to minimise now…” Reminded by Iris that there is food at festivals, Poppy agrees not to bring her stove this time, as Sophie remembers, “We normally take one of those IKEA bags full of cans of things, and pots and pans…” So, no stove or pots and pans this year, but then what are Girl Ray’s top tips for festival goers I hear you ask… Iris and Poppy sensibly conclude that wet wipes, a battery pack and ear plugs (for the snorers in the tent next to you) are must haves, whilst Sophie sums up the festival experience in one sentence – “It’s not really a festival until you have the warmest beer of your whole entire life.”  

With Poppy and Sophie initially meeting at a ‘rock school’ as teens (“nothing like the Brit School, more like an after school club”), and after nearly 10 years together as a band, I ask how they feel the industry is for new bands and artists now, and how it compares now to when they first started out. “It can be hard”, Poppy reflects, “It’s like a job, being in a band! One that we all really enjoy, but a job for sure.” Iris agrees, “Yeah, when you’re a new artist it’s all really exciting and then you get to a point where you realise the amount of effort it takes to put into a band.” One of the main efforts these days, it seems, is the need for bands to promote themselves on social media – “We’ve started to see some phases come and go”, Poppy reflects, “Like when we started, Facebook was the place where you’d be shouting about gigs and stuff, and then it was Instagram, and now if you’re not on Tik Tok then you’re doomed!” In addition to the pressure to push your unique aesthetic and create a social media presence, new bands now seem to have to make more of an effort to stand out in an increasingly saturated industry, “On the one hand it’s amazing that everybody is able to release music into the internet”, Poppy explains, “but it means some people are getting overlooked… It’s hard, it’s hard to ‘make it’, especially in this cost of living crisis where everything’s so expensive. To be in a band is hard.” 

Being women in the industry, I wonder whether Girl Ray have faced any challenges in relation to this, and if it has affected the way that they’ve been treated as a band. “I think there are some obvious times where it would be easier to be a guy, or to be straight guys”, Poppy begins, “But saying that, at the end of the day, we just make music and put music out, so it’s hard to say whether the reception would be different if we’d been guys… But we’re lucky to live in a society that’s pretty liberal. As a queer woman, I get by ok, living in London. But obviously there’s work to be done elsewhere. But we’re lucky it’s not really something we have to think about. I mean, the only time I’m thinking about it really is when writing – like I’m keen to use female pronouns in romantic songs, just because there wasn’t so much of that when I was growing up, so it’s cool to try that.” It’s really great that Girl Ray feel confident and able to do this, and to create such life-affirmingly relatable and enjoyable songs, but there are still times – particularly when playing live – that the ol’ patriarchal society makes itself known. “I guess the main time we’re confronted with it is with sound engineers”, Iris points out. “… They often don’t treat women in the same way as they treat men, and that can be a little bit disheartening! So, they still have some work to do…” Poppy adds, “It’s normally just micro aggressions – just mansplaining basically! It doesn’t happen all the time, but often times when we’re setting up it can be annoying.” Reflecting on a particular instance recently where a sound engineer started tracking Iris’ drums while she was setting up, Poppy scathes, “Imagine if someone just came up and started tuning my guitar! This is my job – fuck off. And some weird comments you get – like asking me to sing into the microphone, like “oh, sorry, I didn’t know what that was for!” They can overstep the mark a lot, sometimes… They can think that they’re helping, but are kind of really not.” As a band who’ve been going for nearly a decade, about to release their third album, and with worldwide success, still being treated this way by men when simply trying to do their job must be extremely frustrating, as can be the general attitude of some people towards ‘women in bands’, as Sophie notes: “It’s not even industry specific, but sometimes when I tell other people I’m in a band there’s a lot of assumptions about what that is – like, ‘let me guess, you’re the bassist!’ And ‘Oh that’s so cute that you’re in a band’… There’s this assumption that all women in bands must play bass, but I’m like ‘I’m actually playing with other women’… All those kinds of things. We’re generally taken a lot less seriously. I mean, it’s not bad because yeah we have fun, and yeah we’re cute! But it is a little bit patronising…” 

I can confirm that Girl Ray are indeed incredibly cute, and they certainly seem to have a lot of fun. It’s partly because of this colourful wit and joyous energy that I’ve been a fan for so long. But any mansplainy sound engineers, or anyone who doubts their full potential, or fails to take them seriously, can do one. They are a “serious band” (though they all giggle when Iris says this); one who not only bring joy and fun to all they do, but who have developed and honed their craft for nearly a decade, creating a truly unique sound that is distinctly theirs. Whilst Prestige signals a move forwards for Girl Ray, a collection by a band who’ve truly “found their footing”, it also maintains all there is to love about the London trio – a shimmering charisma, relentless optimism and (now disco-ified) sparkling danceable allure. A much-needed euphoric antidote to all that’s going in the world today.

HUGE thanks to Girl Ray for taking the time to speak me!

Prestige is out on 4th August via Moshi Moshi. Pre-order and find out about all their upcoming live dates here.

Also, check out Kuntessa – an awesome new artist recommended by Girl Ray, who Poppy’s worked with producing some of their tracks, and who will be supporting them on some of these dates!

 

Photo Credit: Eerie Rose

 

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Introducing Interview: Joanna Sternberg

With acclaim from the likes of Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, New York based artist and multi-instrumentalist Joanna Sternberg has just released their second album, I’ve Got Me. Recorded with producer Matt Sweeney and engineer Daniel Schlett, Sternberg masterfully played every single instrument on the record, and solely wrote each and every song, showcasing their ability to create a truly exquisite, genre-spanning collection. With an education in Classical and Jazz music, throughout the album Sternberg weaves a rich tapestry of beautifully lilting folk-strewn sounds alongside reflective narrative lyricism; all brought together with their raw, impassioned vocals. A truly exquisite listen.

We caught up with Joanna to find out more about the album, their influences, the industry today and what’s next… Have a read!

Hi Joanna! Welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi! My name is Joanna Sternberg. I’m a singer songwriter and visual artist, and I play a bunch of musical instruments too. I live in New York City and I just put out my second record.

Are you able to tell us a bit about how you initially started creating music? 
I initially started creating music because when I was little I would sing to myself and hum a lot, and so my parents sent me to piano lessons. And then in middle school I taught myself guitar and electric bass and then, in high school, I learned double bass and then I went to college for double bass. Then I wound up learning how to sing when I was twenty one. So, I guess that’s the full story! And then the songwriting came.

I really love your stirring folk-strewn musicality and reflective narrative lyricism, but who would you consider to be your main musical influences?
Thank you! Well, I really love Louis Armstrong, and I really love folk music. And I really love The Beatles, and blues. But, I guess in terms of influences that are people, I guess Louis Armstrong, Randy Newman, The Beatles, Elliott Smith, Billy Strayhorn. 

And how would you say your experience and training in Jazz and Classical music feeds into what you now create?
I would say it feeds into it a lot because I really go to Jazz and Classical for melodic and chordal ideas the most, probably, and I think they complement each other really well and can be interchangeable a lot of the time. I feel so lucky to have the Jazz and Classical background because it really enabled me to write songs.

You’ve just released your brand new album I’ve Got Me,  which is very exciting – congratulations! Are you able to tell us a bit about it? Are there any particular themes running throughout it? 
I’ve Got Me is a collection of songs I wrote just basically about the span of human emotions. All the songs are just autobiographical about me, but I think anyone can relate to them. I’m singing it about certain things, but that doesn’t mean the person listening has to know what that means. They can have their own thing. It’s for them. It’s just songs that I want to make people feel less alone. That’s the theme, I guess. 

You play all the instruments on the record and had a very large part in its production – what prompted this decision? And what was the recording process like for you? 
I really, really wanted to always play all the instruments on my own record – I just always had a dream of that. I thought it would be a magical experience and I wanted to try it, and I was right! It was the most fun thing, and everyone around me validated it – everyone in the studio told me that it sounded great, and as long as they said that, I was ready to keep going. It just was so fun and it allowed me to be myself as much as possible. The recording process was really great once we got into the studio. It was fantastic working with Matt Sweeney – everything was so easy and comfortable and meant to be, really. It was all very natural and awesome, and the best possible circumstances. 

You’ve played a lot of live shows in various forms across New York City, from playing bass in jazz bands to supporting Conor Oberst, but is there a particular show you’ve played over the years that stands out as a highlight? 
A show I was really proud of was my record release. I released it before the pandemic, and I had the record release show at this place called The Glove, which I really used to love to play at that has now closed. It was a DIY venue, and it was just a really special show and the place was packed with people I love. All my friends who played were great, and at the end we all jammed together, and it was just really special and I was really proud. I miss that place.

And are there any other current venues in New York that you really love too? 
Right now, I really love playing at Union Pool – it’s a great venue. And I also love playing at Sunny’s Bar when out on tour.

When out on tour, are there any particular essentials that you like to take with you to keep you going when away from home? 
I definitely like to take my art supplies, because then I can make merch while I’m travelling, as well as just draw for myself – so, it’s always good to have my sketchbooks and stuff. And I also have my Nintendo Switch to play Animal Crossing!

How do you feel the industry is for new artists at the moment? And do you feel much has changed over the last few years in its treatment of female/gender non-conforming and queer artists? 
I think it’s been a lot more inclusive over the last few years for queer artists and non male artists, and that’s really great. And I think people are really bringing awareness to Inclusivity and making a big point to care about it. Regarding the industry for new artists at the moment, I guess it’s good, but can be a little scary. The internet is a little intimidating and can lead to a lot of bad things, but it can also be useful and nice if you’re careful on it. But it is hard not to come across really upsetting things of how badly people treat each other. So, I guess the internet could be a tool to use, but it could also be something that can be dangerous. So, it’s kind of complicated, but the internet is the thing really – it all seems to be based around that now!

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other upcoming artists you’re loving right now that you’d recommend we check out?
Oh my gosh, there’s so many upcoming artists that I recommend you check out! One of them is my friend Liam Kirby, who’s such an amazing songwriter. He’s on Instagram and he’s putting out a record, we’re just figuring out how to get that out there. And then my other friend, Jackie West, is another really amazing songwriter and she’s putting out a record soon that she is finishing up. She’s on Instagram, but she’s always playing shows. So I would say to check both of those two out ASAP if I was you! 

Finally, what does the rest of 2023 have in store for you? 
I get to go on two really exciting tours! One of them is opening for Kurt Vile – so exciting! Then I get to open for Angel Olsen – so amazing, that’s going to be great. And I think I might be coming to the UK too. So, all of that is so cool. And yeah, I’m just so happy with everything!

Massive thanks to Joanna for answering our questions!

Their exquisite new album, I’ve Got Me, is out now via Fat Possum records. Check it out here.

Photo Credit: Michael Leviton

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INTERVIEW: Kate Webster of Deer Shed Festival

Last year I attended Deer Shed Festival for the first time, and I promised myself it would the be the first time of many as it was such a glorious weekend! Having not been to a festival for a few years, I was keen to find one that was as lovely as possible, and suited my needs of being perhaps a little older than the average festival-goer without missing out on any of the best new music. I wanted a festival that was inclusive, chilled-out, family friendly, and of course hosting plenty of amazing female and non-binary bands and artists… And Deer Shed more than delivered on all fronts.

Highlighting a real family-friendly focus, whilst hosting an incredible range of exciting new artists, the North Yorkshire based Deer Shed perfectly filled the festival-shaped-void I’d been feeling, and – with highlights from last year including Self Esteem, CMAT, Straight Girl, Nadine Shah and Denise Chaila – I cannot wait to return in a couple of weeks.

We caught up with festival director Kate Webster to talk more about Deer Shed’s roots, its ethos and inclusive line-up, some of the most special Deer Shed moments of years gone by, and more… Have a read below, and have a listen to our special Deer Shed 2023 playlist, featuring some of our personal faves who’ll be playing at the festival this year, at the bottom of this feature!

Hi Kate! 2023 will be Deer Shed’s 13th year – hopefully lucky for some! Can you tell us a bit about what Deer Shed is all about, and how it all started out?
Deer Shed Festival is a boutique music, arts & science festival based in North Yorkshire parkland, aimed at families who don’t want a dumbed down experience just because you have kids in tow.

What strikes me about Deer Shed and makes it stand out against other festivals at the moment is the good gender balance of the line up – was there an intentional and specific decision to do this, or does it just naturally pan out that way?  
I booked the festival up until our 11th year and initially it happened unconsciously just because of the music I like. After a while, we decided it make it a policy of the festival that our gender split should be 50/50 and also at least one of the headlines needs to be female and/or non binary. It’s been great – because of our size we have been able to give some deserving acts the chance of a festival headline. Can you believe that we gave Goldfrapp they’re first festival headline in 2018?! I find that bonkers!

Over the last 12 years, you’ve hosted some amazing bands and artists including Self Esteem, Nadine Shah, CMAT, Kae Tempest, Anna Calvi, Big Joanie, Ezra Furman, The Go Team! and Honeyblood, but has there been a particular set that stands out for you as a personal highlight over the years?
Kae Tempest for sure. It was 2017, they were promoting Let Them Eat Chaos which is a phenomenal album, and it was also their first festival headline. The actual performance was extra special to me and many of the audience that evening.  The skies darkened, the rain poured and in the distance, lightning flashed. It meant, for those who stayed (and a lot did), the whole experience was electrifying and so moving. I still get shivers now when I think about the power of that evening. It was like nature knew what the backdrop should be for that performance.


And this year you’ve got some GIHE faves playing (The Big Moon, Dream Wife, This Is The Kit, English Teacher, Sprints…). Curating such awesome line ups must be a lot of work – how do you normally go about it? Is it all based on bands/artists that have got in touch with you over the year? 
We’ve had a booker for the last couple of years – I think Covid meant the job had got harder and I needed a break. It was also a good time to get some fresh ears to help. However, as festival director, I still want input and I think next year we’ll bring it in house again. We generally start with a wish list and play fantasy festival which is great fun; the whole Deer Shed team are into music, so everyone chips in and has suggestions of who they have seen perform during the year or might have new music coming out. We talk to friends in the industry and agents, so see what’s going on. Practically speaking, we only start making offers in Autumn, so that’s the best time to contact us. We must get the headlines in place before moving down the bill which can take some time.

And for any upcoming bands/artists looking to apply for festivals next year, do you have any tips?
Start building a live following in your local venues. Practice to become a great performer and engage with your audience. A festival crowd is different to your own show – you have one song to win them over! Whilst a lot of artists get an online following and good streaming numbers, it doesn’t always translate to live.

There seems to be a definite focus on making the festival as family-friendly as possible, and when I was there last year it just had the nicest, most relaxed vibes I’ve ever experienced at a festival! What inspired the idea to do this, and stand out from other festivals in this way? 
When Oliver and I decided to give it a go, it wasn’t long after festivals like Latitude & Camp Bestival had started and there was no one doing anything similar in the north. I couldn’t see live music like I had done because of family commitments, and many events near by didn’t offer me the chance to see great music and have the kids entertained. So, Deer Shed was really built for me & my friends initially – music fans who happen to have kids. It turned out there were other people like me!

Do you feel much has changed over the last few years in the music industry’s treatment of new artists, particularly female and non-binary artists? 
I think there is more awareness of mental health and agents/managers are now more mindful over booking artists. I also hope the idea of booking a tokenistic female/non-binary act has come to an end… But I do still worry that some young female artists are led a certain way on how they present and what they wear. There seem to be some genres of music where I’m not convinced that a stylist/photographer/label didn’t have a brief to come back with a certain look.  

Finally, as we’re a new music focused site, are there any particular new bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
I’m totally excited that we managed to book Grove this year. I know they’re not that new but their energy, style & music is infectious. So good live! I’ve not seen Pet Snake live yet, but I’m loving the Liverpool based artist – alt folk/indie at its best, just great songwriting.  

Massive thanks to Kate for answering our questions, and for organising such a stellar festival year on year! Deer Shed Festival 2023 is taking place from 28th – 30th July and headliners include The Delgados, The Comet Is Coming, The Big Moon and This Is The Kit – more information here.

Get ready for the festival by listening to our playlist of brilliant bands playing this year here:

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