Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I’m originally from South Africa, and my father was the head of the music department at Rhodes University in Grahamstown/Makhanda. You can just imagine me as a young girl, adoringly watching her father conduct the university jazz band or a musical or playing the church organ. It goes without saying that I also wanted to be a part of that! So I went to Austria to study music, and I haven’t left since. In my time here, I’ve been in an electronic pop band, I fronted a crossover classical-folk group for 12 years, got into film scoring, and I’m now going solo for the first time.
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: I’ve been listening to a lot of female pop artists from Austria. We have some great female acts here – like Kathi Kallauch, KeKe, AnJosef, Mella Casata, just to name a few – but it’s super hard to get publicity and airplay in this country. So I try to support them by at least giving them listens on Spotify and promoting them on social media.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: Oh boy, that’s a hard one. Growing up, I heard so many different styles: classical through my parents, jazz, musical … But my first love was always pop music.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘A Simple Christmas’. Is there a story behind it?
A: As a child in South Africa, Christmas to me meant strappy summer dresses, the tropical scent of sunscreen, and tree candles drooping in the heat. But at the same time, I always longed for the kind of Christmas I only ever saw on TV. I’d wonder what Christmas must be like when it’s snowing outside and loved ones gather around a cozy fireplace. ‘A Simple Christmas’ is my sentimental ode to the kind of Christmas I always dreamed of.
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: Well, I do have plans … This past year I recorded a couple of a cappella covers that I put on YouTube. I just love the idea of being able to create all the elements of a song using only my voice. That’s very exciting to me. So my idea is to release some original a cappella songs next year.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: I think people who aren’t me would probably do a better job with this question. Artists are never that good at describing their own work! When I think about the music that I like, I always somehow recognise myself in it. I think that’s what we mean when we say something resonates with us – we see ourselves in it, and we feel seen. So what could be greater, as an artist, than someone feeling seen, feeling recognised when they listen to your music?
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: This actually ties in with what I was just saying before. As artists, we want to find those people who’ll recognise themselves in our music. And it’s reciprocal: we want to find them, and they want to find us. When that connection happens, that’s what fulfils me.
You know, as much as creators grumble about Spotify and YouTube and about the measly payouts for artists (true) and as much as they feel frustrated by the algorithms those platforms use, those algorithms are actually extremely efficient in helping us find our people. Listen, it’s a different game now than it was 15 years ago. And I think we need to understand the game and play it, instead of wasting our energy on mourning a game that no longer exists.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: In the past couple of years, I’ve mainly been writing songs for other artists and for the films I score together with my music partner, Florian. I find that process way easier than writing songs for myself because certain parameters are already given, like, say, a certain singer and their specific vocal abilities, or a certain style, or what the lyrics should express … When I write for myself, I need to really discipline myself and my mind to hone in on one idea, otherwise I would just lose myself in the multitude of possibilities.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: In music, what I feel has held me back in my career is … well, me. Artists generally have a lot of inner struggles. For me those are things like wanting more visibility on the one hand, but being introverted and absolutely loving my anonymity on the other. Or the struggle of believing what you’re doing is brilliant one day, but then thinking you’re the biggest loser the next. You really need to develop a great deal of mental strength to be able to handle these paradoxes and stay healthy.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: Well, writing the music for an Oscar-nominated film was a high point for sure. But to be honest, I’m quite proud of releasing ‘A Simple Christmas’ as well. After years of working behind the scenes in music, I really needed to work up the courage to step into the limelight again. I think, generally, we should regularly remind ourselves of how far we’ve come and allow ourselves to feel proud. Most of us are conditioned to be dissatisfied and critical of ourselves all the time. How about we just give ourselves a good old pat on the back once in a while?
