Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: A lot of things happened to me during my childhood and teenage years. A lot of incredibly sad things, many of which I was too young for. I never really felt young. I just always felt a certain weight on my shoulders that you feel when you’ve lived for a long time. I felt like I was on my last life. I felt like I had reincarnated hundreds of times and that this life was the final challenge or at least a very big challenge for me. In a way, because of all these experiences, I felt very prepared to handle all the things that have happened and music was a great way to understand what I was going through. I think songwriting is a major contributor in handling my emotions. Sometimes I write a song and realize retrospectively that it really helped me to get over a certain situation. If anything I would say that my songwriting became very transparent because of that. i realized there’s no point beating around the bush. So I don’t.
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 “Stella Scholaja”?
A: I love connecting with fans over social media. Seeing people all over the world listen to my music has really been incredibly touching. The message of the music is simply a place where you can fully be yourself. I want the music to be very cathartic and a way to express yourself, to feel your emotions and to let them out, so you can fully be your best self, instead of holding onto dreams of the past like the siren character does on the album.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: I think it’s difficult to say because there are so many amazing artists that inspire me and that have formed my sound over the years. I really love Madonna. I love Timbaland. I enjoy that dark, catchy pop sound. At the same time, I really love a more acoustic jam, like Fleetwood Mac or the Eagles. To me, it’s always more about what the song is asking for and how I can best create the sound that matches the story that I want to tell.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Siren Of The Night”?
A: “Siren Of The Night“ is a song about the complexity of the dark feminine. One of the most intoxicating feelings I’ve experienced as a young girl becoming a woman is the effect I can have on the people around me. You can feel very powerful when you meet someone for the first time and you realize that they have interest in you solely based on your energy and the way that you conduct yourself. You willingly start to portray the fantasy figure that others see in you because you feel like that validation is what gives you power. The siren character in „Siren Of The Night“ has an inherent awareness of the fact that this initial rush of enchanting someone is temporary. You can’t keep up the façade of the mystical creature forever. As I say in the lyrics: „ An angel is so easily mistaken for a devil like me“, meaning that no matter how much you want to be a certain thing for someone else you’ll always be a flawed individual. At the same time: „A devil is so easily mistaken for an angel like me“, as people sometimes assume that a confident demeanor is an invitation for unsolicited criticism, which in turn leads you to become the very thing mirrored to them in the first place. In a way becoming the siren is a defense mechanism. By saying „I will sink you like a ship“, speaking out that warning of please don’t come too close to me you’ll regret it, you reveal this lack of self-worth, which is actually the core problem you’re trying to disguise behind being dodgy and mysterious.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Mystical.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Siren Of The Night”?
A: When I’m recording, I love to play with harmonies and background vocals. Every track that you’ll hear on the album has over 100 vocal tracks alone. I love the sound and sonic image this creates. However, it is a lot of work and I sometimes spend three days recording the vocals for one song, which leads me to collapse into my bed at the end of the day.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I’m currently fulfilling my first goal, which is the upcoming release of my album, „Sexy, Insane & Might Ruin Your Life“. With this album, I wanted to tell the story of two lovers who find themselves talking retrospectively about the course of their relationship 20 years after they met. The album deals in a lot of „What ifs“. What if I would’ve told you how I felt? What if we had never met? What if I realized certain things sooner? In some ways life is a big „what if“. I want to show that not every story needs to be about that perfect ending of two people finding each other and remaining in love forever. Sometimes it’s really those in between relationships and ill-faded situations that develop our character the most. Musically, I think it’s incredibly fun to tap into those extreme sides of your personality and explore the insanity that would otherwise be frowned upon.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Ha Vay is one of those artists I really look up to and would love to collaborate with. She has such a unique sound and her voice is absolutely enchanting.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Don’t wait for some illusionary day in the future, when you’re a perfect artist all of a sudden. There’s a lot you can do with what you already have. Writing songs, producing songs, performing and creating is very important. The more you do something, the better you’ll get at it. If you have discipline and willpower, you will be successful. Don’t wait for somebody else to tell you that you’re good enough or to give you the opportunities you’re looking for. Create them yourself by being persistent, humble and by developing your craft.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: A challenge that I have always faced is that I am incredibly self-critical. Unfortunately, every horrible thing that someone has said to me or could say to me, I have already said to myself. To some extent that drives me to be very ambitious but at the same time, it can be very crippling. I look back on my younger self and admire how well I was doing, but I remember how that was not my perspective at all and how hard I was on myself and still am. So my advice would be to surround yourself with people who encourage and support you and to treat yourself with the kindness and empathy, you treat others.
