Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I am originally from the South, my childhood and the trauma I had was pretty crucial for turning me into a music nut. At a young age, I was diagnosed with a rare knee disorder that made it impossible for me to engage with sports, that is when I turned to music. I am a classically trained musician, devoting myself to choir work and playing the flute for most of my life. I grew up falling in love with the layers of music because of this, I found I was awakened by the complexities of musical harmonies. You can see a lot of that reflected in speakeazie material. I can’t say I feel the way that I feel with anything else the way I feel with harmonic releases.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “speakeazie”?
A: Performing around the world and connecting with people that want to look deeper. speakeazie is a reflection of myself, but also encourages people to look within themselves. Everyone is allowed to feel the way that they feel, understanding how that impacts the world around is the big kicker there. For people who may tune in for the first time, get inspired by the way that you feel when you hear the music and consider how the atmosphere opens doors to a variety of emotions. These emotions can be heavy, but they allow growth in the most isolating and important ways. Everyone is their own vessel for deciding how deep their roots go.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Slowdive has been an artist that has inspired me for a while now. They are a group that I personally feel understands the way that harmonies and musical layering can open something inside people. While I love shoegaze, speakeazie only has shoegaze snippets, I actually adore those parts though. Shoegaze is not the most popular style of music, I wanted to take my favorite elements of it and introduce it in a more heard or acceptable dynamic. I am really inspired by my own life experiences and what I learn from them. Being honest and raw with myself is what got speakeazie from an idea to a tangible thing. It is always those 3 am thoughts that have me writing all night, it is when I feel the most reflective emotions.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the EP, “Forsaken Melodies.”?
A: Forsaken Melodies was an interesting project for me because it captures so much of my life over the past year. The title is intended to express that all the tracks are forsakened to me personally, it speaks of love, doubt, heartache, strength, and devotion. The big thing here is knowing that I am inspired and hurt by my experiences constantly. It appears at first glance that a lot of the tracks are about other people, and to a certain degree, they are. But that is not really the message, it is not about them. It is about the role I play in these situations and how I grew from that. To grow is to also understand where you as an individual messed up too. While these experiences may have hurt me, they allowed me to realize my value and be completely unapologetic for feeling as deeply as I did. It’s ok to admit that situations in life are not going to work out and calling out the BS when it comes across your table is important. I won’t become duller because there are parts of the world that are not ready for me and I’ll never stop learning where to identify that or how I may come off in various lights. There is not a track on this EP that did not have me a little messed up while writing them, I had to release it and let it go. And I did.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Soulheavy
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Forsaken Melodies”?
A: Absolutely, I was really challenged with what songs to include. Considering it took me a year to decide, that is a lot of personal material to pick and choose to display. There are a few songs that did not make the cut. It was also very heavy on me emotionally, that kind of energy is not something you can just pull out of yourself whenever you want, you have to feel it and also have the time to sit down and feel it. That is a major reason this took longer than usual to put together, I was in a dry, shutdown spot for awhile.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: FEEL. Go deep, raw, and look within your soul. Understand that you are not perfect, but you also don’t deserve the ways that you are hurting. We are allowed to cry so much that it makes us want to dance or dance so much that it makes us want to cry. speakeazie exhibits how we can express our most closed off feelings in ways that do not fit the norm. I think a lot of people are afraid to sit in a dark room with themselves and really reflect. That is the message here, feel what you need to feel so that the chains can be unlocked. We carry so much crap around and oftentimes do not address it hoping it will go away. It doesn’t, and we have to be our own lifelines for addressing such a thing. The music is here to help with that. This is not only for pain, but for love and the ability to trust and how we connect with others. You’re allowed to break, but don’t let it define you.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Cigarettes After Sex or Wet, both these artists have really inspired me as a musician and the feelings that come with such.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: If what you are working on does not give you goosebumps, something is wrong. I think a lot of people try to be something or meet an expectation that is not calling to them. Be real with yourself and with the way music makes you feel and what your real goals are. Chances are you have already found it, but are denying it for some reason. I believe we create the best experiences when we are genuine with them, future fans will hear it too.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: It was not always your fault and you are enough. I have spent most of my life with these dilemmas and it has shattered my confidence really. I can’t be everyone’s everything and for a long time I tried to be. The only thing that did was hold me back from who I really am and that is not good for me or for the world.
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