By: Jamie Steinberg
Q) How would you describe your sound?
A) Clean, melodic, emotive, captivating, upbeat yet sometimes haunting and, hopefully, likable and memorable!
Q) Who are some of your musical influences?
A) It’s hard to name just a few. But I’ve always loved Freddie Mercury, Tina Turner, Sting and Whitney Houston.
Q) Talk about the story behind your song “Closure.”
A) “Closure” was written in the aftermath of an intense personal loss. We lost a close relative to COVID, at a time when circumstances of the outbreak were denying so many families the opportunity to care for their ailing loved ones and depriving them the chance to properly say goodbye. In processing my own family’s loss and hearing about other people’s similar losses and how devastated they felt, I was inspired to write a song about the experience.
I wanted to describe the hardship and the feelings involved, but even more than that, I wanted to reach out with empathy to other people going through the same thing.
Many people, including friends of mine, lost loved ones to the illness. One person shared with me that they couldn’t bear to delete their son’s phone number, even months after they lost him, and that inspired my lyrics, “Can’t delete that number on your phone, You’re hoping they’re still there,” and “Took every picture off the wall, Learning how to live with letting go.”
Over time, I’ve reached a certain level of closure myself, largely facilitated by the empathy that other people have shown me. This makes me even more motivated to express my own empathy in my music. I hope that it provides some comfort to people who are in the grips of despair, to know that they are not alone, and that there are others who share their pain and are in solidarity with them.
Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?
A) As I began writing the song, I began to realize that the same feelings apply when people lose a loved one to a car accident or to war or violence – or even when people suffer an unexpected breakup of a close relationship. These are such common occurrences that we all experience at some point in our lives.
In addition to the actual loss, there’s also often a strong sense of the sentiments we didn’t get to express to the person, the things we didn’t get to say and do before it was too late. Those feelings of regret can be overwhelming and it seems nothing can give us closure. I think listeners can relate to this common human experience.
Q) How did you come to connect with David Alexander to create a remix?
A) I was put in touch with him by a mutual contact and I listened to his music and was impressed with his talent and musical style.
Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?
A) I always write melodies first and then when the melodies are ready I begin writing lyrics. In writing the melody, I establish the mood and the tone of the song, which facilitates coming up with a story and lyrics that fit.
Q) John Russell lent a hand in production for the original version of “Closure,” but how much of a say do you have in the production of your music?
A) I like to work with people whose judgment I trust, but of course I also have my own vision and ideas for my songs and the direction I want to go with them. John brings tremendous musical talent, ability and vision, but he’s always receptive to my ideas as well. At the same time, while I usually have a good preliminary idea of the results I’m hoping for, I’m also receptive to his ideas also. So, it’s a very collaborative effort and we work together in an iterative way until the production is just right.
Q) With your songs “I Hold You Child” and “Closure (David Alexander Remix)” out now is this a prelude to a full album or EP?
A) Well, we’ll just have to wait and see!
Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?
A) I like everything from a small intimate venue, where the audience feels involved, to a big stage where the excitement is contagious and hard to contain.
Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?
A) I’m pretty open to collaboration with just the right person.
Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?
A) I’m always eager to hear new artists on the radio. And here in LA we have many music venues where we can attend the performances of many talented new and established artists.
Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?
A) Social media is so prevalent nowadays, and that’s where so many people seem to spend most of their time! I like it because it’s more personal than media advertising, and I can still get my ideas and my message out to lots of people at once. But on social media I can also get their feedback, which can be priceless. The only thing more personal is stage performance and personal interactions, which bring a lot less exposure.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?
A) Common discourse over the internet has become fraught with unkind messages, bot-generated propaganda and group-think. It’s my hope that sooner or later we can transcend these current conditions and move to a world of kinder, more civil, and respectful discourse. I believe that in reality we’re all more similar to each other than we are different and there’s plenty of room for all of our differences.
My songs have individual messages, but a common theme in my music is to try to uplift people who are down or vulnerable and to encourage others to be compassionate and empathetic to those who need help or need to feel heard, included and valued. If more people would follow this philosophy, I think the world would be a much better place.