Electronica artist Delhia de France has just released her debut EP, Morai. We caught up with Delhia de France to talk about the release, the inspiration behind the name (Greek goddesses of fate representing divine feminine power), fossil waterfalls and so much more…
Welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about how you got started as an artist?
Hi Ladies thanks for having me! The music was always there: I had piano lessons at age 7, wrote my first song at 10 and had classical singing lessons at 15 which was when I also started my first band – a hiphop project with 2 Mc’s, a DJ and me. I went on to study design to have a possible alternative until I realised that I didn’t want any plan b.
You are described as a ccollaborator, producer, songwriter and visual performer – do you feel you identify more strongly with one particular creative arm, or do all these aspects of your life influence the other?
I´d say music is definitely the core but I love to express myself in any way I feel. Ultimately I am interested in creating a whole world, a gesamtkunstwerk if you will. And yes they definitely influence each other, like, when I write I always see images with it or I write from an image.
You are originally from East Berlin, what was it like growing up there in the ’90s after the wall came down?
Well, I was very little and of course didn’t realize what that meant at the time but in retrospective I think the vibe was feeling free on one hand but also very confusing and insecure on the other hand ’cause nobody really knew what was going to happen… The millennium for me was a wild time, growing up between all these subcultures of hiphop, techno and drum and bass. Nobody really cared we were just having fun.
I read that you completely lost your voice at 17, starting therapy to try and recover it? That must have had an incredible impact on you both physically, emotionally and creatively?
Oh definitely, I thought I would never be able to sing again. You feel helpless surrendering to your body. On the other side it was a chance to learn how to be careful with myself, my body and my mind. A lot of it was fear. I believe that most of our illnesses are deeply rooted within our mind, manifested pain in a way.
We’re loving your latest single ‘Waterfalls’ at GIHE HQ, can you tell us a bit more about what inspired this?
When I write I mostly write on in sounds. I would come up with something completely different if I´d play chords on a piano than on a certain synth. With waterfalls the sound felt so watery and the word waterfalls popped pretty quickly while Lester and me where Jamming, and then I just followed that image. I had recently visited a fossil waterfall and the deep canyons of water and sanded silky stone were such a strong picture – incredible force yet such gentle form. I guess that inspired the song.
And the single is part of your upcoming EP Moirai set for release on 13th July, how would you describe the themes of this record?
The Sound of the EP is electronic but warm and organic, yet dark and melancholic. I guess thats just something I am really drawn to. I like playing with textures and vocal layers and Robot adds his magic with his signature hypnotic beats and baselines. We both love detailed and rich sounds. The visual theme evolves around the Moirai, the three goddess sisters from Ancient Greek, weaving mankind’s destiny. I have always admired greek philosophy and mythology. I like how it is explaining mundane concepts with divine intention and I think thats not only beautiful but consolidating in a world striving for meaning and being obsessed with the material.
The EP was made in collaboration with Grammy winner Lester Mendez and Robot Koch, how did you find the creative process working with such renowned people?
I wrote all tracks together with Robot Koch except for waterfalls, which we wrote together with Lester. Robot and me have been working together for a while but I think this project has been quite challenging for both of us as I would also be co-producing most of the songs. I am blessed to be able to work with someone who gives me so much freedom and encourages me to go down my own path. Writing with Lester has been equally amazing, he is the most humble and kind person. His studio is full with synths and instruments, so we would take bits and pieces from digital and analogue gear, record sounds on his modular and Robot even played drums. Both Robot and Lester work very fast which was a bit hard at times for me as I would need my time to retreat to writing the lyrics… mixing especially is quite a difficult process for me, which Robot and I did together.
Throughout your music career you’ve collaborated with numerous people, do you have a particular project that you are most proud of?
One of the highlights definitely was playing with the MDR Symphony Orchestra and the Stueba Philharmonie together with my band project Pentatones. Also when Sony used the song I made with Robot Koch and Savannah Jo Lack for their worldwide ad campaign.
What are the differences between the music scenes in Berlin and LA?
I think Berlin in general has bit of rawer, darker vibe and you can feel that in the music. It’s much more electronic dance music oriented which makes sense given the dark winter months here. Total opposite to the eternal sunshine of LA which mirrors in a rather positive and warm sound I think.
As a visual performer, can you tell us what can fans could expect from your live music shows?
I want people to enter a different world for a bit and I am now shaping that world. It probably will be very stripped down at first but for the future I envision a raza immersive and performative live show.
More importantly are you planning on coming to the UK anytime soon??
Definitely wanna play the UK, but nothing concrete yet. Stay tuned!
Finally as we’re a new music focused site, are there any other new/upcoming bands or artists you’d suggest we check out?
I’m lucky to be surrounded by some amazingly talented people, especially women. My LA friend Drum&Lace has just released two beautiful ambient songs, RYAT, also from LA, who has already released on Flying Lotus label… Brainfeeder will drop some unreleased material in the summer and another close collaborator, violinist Savannah Jo Lack will release her neoclassical debut in Autumn… And if you haven’t heard yet about Perera Elsewhere from Berlin you should definitely check out her trippy doomfolk productions.
Morai, the debut EP from Delhia De France, is out now via Trees and Cyborgs.
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