Q: First of all, congratulations on the release of “Everything Costs”! Now that it’s out in the world, how are you feeling seeing people connect with it?
A: Thank you so much! I greatly appreciate that, Hanna. I’m feeling super ecstatic about the song being in the world. I absolutely love what I have created and hope that my listeners can feel that in the vocal performance and music production style. It feels awesome to have 5 whole releases in my discography. It’s sprawling but deliberate and cohesive. What I love about “Everything Costs” is how relatable it is. I feel like I can definitely see people connecting with it because of how current and resonant the themes are such as the anxiety of financial anxiety and navigating post-college reality as a Genzer or young adult.
It’s not only topical but it has social commentary with real, relevant weight and legs. I think people will definitely bond with this single as it is the most grounded and centered in real world struggles out of my discography.
But the track is also attuned to the dreamy, reflective, immersive feel of my signature style. It’s truly the best of both worlds and anyone would be truly blessed to hear it, especially with the climatic release at the end. With this question, I’m really curious to know how people are relating to the track. I’m super honored to know that people have a connection with the single.
Q: What kind of feedback have you been getting since you started releasing music?
A: Thus far, I’ve been receiving really positive and genuinely encouraging feedback for “Everything Costs,” but I have seen a range across my discography and even with said latest release. That said, for the most part, the feedback has been promising and constructive. I’ve tried submitting my music to playlists such as SubmitHub, Groover, DailyPlaylists, PitchPlaylists, and Indiemono.
While I’ve definitely experienced rejection, I don’t let that stop me and I can usually find something positive in the feedback. There’s a silver lining, an opportunity to learn from the criticism. Additionally, I’ve heard people tell me that they enjoy my music and they like it. It’s a spectrum from pretty good/great to beautiful to wonderful to your vocals aren’t really for me.
Some have mentioned that my vocals are forward, emotive, and powerful to them. I’ve also encountered some discouraging feedback that has made me question my abilities, yet that negativity fueled me to improve my craft and elevate into an even better singer/songwriter.
Overall, the feedback has actually been considerably more on the positive side. It’s really reassuring.
Q: The new single captures a very real anxiety around financial instability. How has releasing the track impacted your own perspective on that experience?
A: I definitely feel less alone after releasing the track. I was originally going to do a double release, but I decided that it would be better if the track stood on its own. I also didn’t want to rush the process of creating. To be fair, I feel more objective about my own perspective on that experience. It has expanded my perspective. It’s akin to hearing other perspectives to grow and broaden your own.
It’s a shared, communal, if not universal struggle that an unspoken majority can relate to given the state of the current economy. I think that my state of mind (and perspective!) has evolved in a sense that I’m seeing this experience as something I can channel into art.
A cathartic release, it’s therapy for the heart and soul. It’s transmutation of the highest form, the highest art. This is the epitome of art therapy. I see that beauty can definitely arise from challenges. I also realize that circumstances can change just by being open about them, which reduces the stigma built around poverty, struggle, and financial insecurity. I’ve recognized that everything costs, but human value is intrinsic. It’s priceless. That’s where the real, true bliss is. Inside the price tag!
Q: There’s a deep sense of nostalgia woven into the song, do you think listeners today are craving that feeling more than ever?
A: Yes, I definitely think that listeners today are craving that feeling more than ever. The desire for escapism isn’t just a longing or a mere desire but also a reality. It’s really understated. There’s a longing for a time that was, and in some respects, never was. Perhaps it’s a future nostalgia in which listeners are wanting to fast-forward to another time entirely to escape the madness that is now. But memory is incredibly powerful like that. Listeners know they deserve better – they remember that – and that’s what “Everything Costs” embodies.
Listeners want to feel like they are teleported to simpler, less polarizing times. And the song is a purposeful anthem that critiques the prevalence of capitalism in first world societies and its impact on human wellness, wellbeing, and advancement. It is a protest against the inequities that not only impact everyone, but more specifically, the underdogs and minorities who’ve been told they won’t amount to anything.
It’s perfectly understandable that listeners would feel nostalgic. It’s part of the reason music replicates the feel of decades well before the 21st century like the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and even the 10s, really up until around 2016. That was imperial pop. And it’s really difficult to recapture that feeling without evoking what was so effortless before.
Q: Your sound blends dreamy textures with heavier themes. How do you balance making something emotionally intense while still sonically comforting?
A: I balance the emotionally intense song with a sonically comforting vibe by noticing the ironic contrast and how the dreamy textures and heavier themes complement one another. There is a conflict between what the narrator of the song desires and how reality is treating her. It is an exemplar of the conflict between reality and expectation. The balance is both cinematic and tangible, imagined and real.
Life can be so hyper-realistic that it becomes surreal. And both realities can co-exist and they often do. I think this captures life and how it feels when we’re on the receiving end of something as palpable and significant as the anxiety of financial security.
Something that so many people can relate to in our current economy and job market. Again, there’s a desire for another reality (the dreamy textures) but it’s difficult to escape this one unscathed (the heavier themes). It’s real to the point that it bleeds into unreal and incredible territory. The balance doesn’t soften the blow but amplifies the stakes; it ironically makes it stand out versus fit in or simply amalgamate.
Q: As a DIY artist, what did you learn from the process of creating and releasing this single that you’ll carry into your next project?
A: More than anything, I learned the importance of creating something that I truly love and feels fresh. It has to have soul. A living consciousness. I’ll carry this knowledge into my next project. I learned the importance of variety and experimentation as well as restraint. Each track that I release reveals another layer of myself, my worldview and experiences, and discography.
Moreover, I discovered through the process of creating this single that I can take something I previously recorded and enhance its value and impact. I can layer the tracks and create something that is multidimensional and on different planes. I want to push myself beyond what’s expected. I feel inspired to express the joy of creation. In my next project, I have plans to re-record and sing from a mid-to-higher register as that track is a coming-of-age song about liberation, sex positivity, and autonomy, which can often be a bittersweet process.
In regard to releasing this single [“Everything Costs”], I discovered how freeing it is to go with the flow. I will adapt to what makes the most sense to me. It’s not a sprint to release music, but instead a marathon. It’s about endurance. Perseverance. Yet, it’s just as important to enjoy the process as much as it is to celebrate the finished product.
Q: Your work often touches on identity and liberation, did working on this track shift or deepen your relationship with those themes?
A: Yes, working on this track did shift and deepen my relationship with these themes. Even though the track isn’t as overt about identity and liberation, it is understatedly offering social commentary on what the absence of those themes look like and manifest in everyday life. “Everything Costs” is about the desire to feel liberated from the inescapable reality of pervasive capitalism shaping our economy.
It’s a defiant, rebellious track that critiques price inflation and the burden it has on the pursuit of happiness. Furthermore, as a Black, multiracial trans woman, it’s difficult not to feel like it’s incredibly challenging to get ahead and make it, financially or otherwise. Making a living isn’t as easy as breathing, but living paycheck to paycheck is ingrained in our brains as a necessity to survive. And transitioning is survival.
Yet, it’s highly pricey to transition and even costly to be authentic in terms of identity, not to mention the cost of top surgery, bottom surgery, and even hormonal replacement therapy (hrt). That said, it’s absolutely worth it. The cost doesn’t exceed the value. It might cost to be the boss so to speak but the cost shouldn’t be the boss of our lives. In other words, money shouldn’t be equated to human value or determine how liberated someone can be. It shouldn’t reign over innate value.
In a nutshell, working on the track not only shifted or deepened my relationship to those themes but it created a safe space where minority sociocultural groups could also breathe in their own skin, comfortable and transparent about the struggles of the modern working class.
Q: Has anyone ever told you what your music means to them in a way you didn’t expect?
A: Yes, I’ve heard from others what my music means to them and it honestly wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s happened in more than one instance. I’ve spoken to multiple people who really appreciated how expressive and vulnerable I was when I would do an assortment between my original content and someone else’s music. While I’ve absorbed some negative commentary about my music over the years, it doesn’t stop me and I definitely have an audience out there (more on that later).
And several others have confirmed the direct opposite, even favorably comparing me to other artists. In regard to my music, I’m not always expecting someone to say that I sound great or wonderful or that hearing my singing really made their day. But I still do. It’s ironically a powerful reassurance that I have what it takes, that I’m impactful with my craft.
In addition, I’ve heard to keep pursuing my music and to keep singing. It’s not every day that you disclose to someone you’re on Spotify, for starters, and for them to say they’ve listened to your whole discography, not to mention they affirm how feminine your voice sounds across each track. Even a simple, “thank you so much for sharing your music with me!” makes all the difference.
Q: You’ve been building a strong, authentic connection with your audience, so how important is that direct relationship to you as an independent artist?
A: You’re definitely correct that I’ve been building that connection with my audience. I feel like now it’s more important than ever to build a direct relationship with them as an independent artist. But at the same time, I really contemplate who my real audience is and how to capture their hearts with my discography, and more importantly, my authenticity.
Target audience is understatedly important and vital to success. I’ve been studying and researching my audience on my Spotify For Artists page, observing how it’s shifted over time in real time. For instance, my audience is currently skewing slightly more female than male and I find that really refreshing and reinvigorating that I have that diversity. That said, it is a bummer that I just have a few not specified and no one non-binary has been confirmed as a member of my audience.
I want to definitely understand how my music is resonating with my trans and non-binary fanbase. I’ve been brainstorming various ways I can make that connection with my audience more concrete, strong, and authentic. For the past few months, I’ve spent time reading about this topic and finding methods to build and expand my audience. An example of this is submitting my music to playlists and blogs/magazines, especially ones that are aligned with my creative vision and overall direction.
Q: To close, now that this chapter is out in the world, what’s next for you and what should listeners be excited for?
A: I’m going to keep working on unreleased tracks until I think they’re ready as I’m still refining the “Fire and Sparks” album. I will also continue to discover and research very phenomenal blogs like this one to give myself more coverage and exposure. I can anticipate more in that regard, critically speaking, moving forward. Both Artistrack and A&R Factory have offered highly auspicious and positive reviews for “Everything Costs.”
And to briefly touch on an earlier question, I wasn’t expecting to have that impact. Who would’ve ever thought that a song that’s a meditation on the collective anxiety of financial instability, rampant price inflation, and inescapable capitalism would hit even more deeply than expected, which is saying something given that I figured it would have a very robust connection with listeners.
Speaking of which, listeners should be excited for my upcoming debut LP this year! I also plan on releasing one more single before that release arrives. And it really embodies the spirit of pride month as well as the emancipatory spirit of July, namely the Fourth of July or Independence Day. It definitely inhabits the energy of both, so we shall see when it drops! Whether it’s at karaoke nights or at bars, I plan to perform live in the coming months to exhibit my beautiful vibrato to the world. It’s a really excellent way to put myself out there, especially as I settle into my identity as a contralto-mezzo hybrid. And as I become more comfortable soaring into the heights and depths of my range, this will be more of a reality than ever!
