Dana Williams – Let’s Fall

By starrymag | October 14, 2015

By: Lisa Steinberg

 

 

Q) Your debut EP Let’s Fall is out now. What have you been up to since your last release?

A)  Since then, I was on “Rising Star” for the summer and after that I was working on the Apple commercial. I did the music for that. After that, by the year’s end, I decided to work on my next set of music. The full EP will be out on December 11th.

Q) What is the difference between your last EP and Let’s Fall?

A) My first EP I wrote on my acoustic guitar and this EP I wrote with partially on my semi-electric guitar. I just think my first EP was very melancholic and I kind of wanted to stay in a similar vein, with maybe a more positive message. I think that this next EP is a little more optimistic.

Q) Talk about the writing behind your song “Fooling Myself.”

A)  “Fooling Myself” is a soulful song that is like soul-folk. It’s a song about meeting someone you like for the first time and if you like them and should take the next step. It’s very influenced by the types of music  I have been listening to a lot of big band, jazz and a lot of harmonies. I listen to a lot of folk harmonies and that sort of thing. So, I just kept building and building off of that.

Q) What can you tease about concept for video for the song?

A) My friend came to me with the treatment that I thought was really cool. I really like outer space so he suggested that it be a duality between the real world and a surreal world. I’m in outer space. It’s a funny video, but very beautiful.

Q) How much of a hand do you have in the producing of your music?

A) With the production I had one of my friends, Garrett Eaton, produce most of the songs. I would record the guitar, vocals and harmony and she would decide things like, “Oh, this song would sound good with a trumpet.” So, we just discussed it. Also, I did one of the songs on the EP I wrote with my friend M. Craft and he produced it. He had a lot of say as to how the song was going to sound. I really love his sound. I love working with him. We always write cool stuff together. I’m really happy with how it turned out. We wrote the title track to the EP and I really love it.

Q) How do you come up with topics for your songs and lyrics?

A) What inspired me the most is life experiences. Sometimes I extrapolate on things I’m going through. I just take things that have happened to me and put them into a song. A lot of my friends say, “You write such sad songs. Why don’t you write any where you feel uplifted?” It’s just sort of what happened naturally. It wasn’t a conscious decision. I have been trying though to write happier songs. I wouldn’t say they are joyful, happy songs. They are just a little more uplifting.

Q) Who are some of your influences this time around?

A) I think it is different for each song. I wrote most of the EP on my own, but I collaborated with M. Craft on “Let’s Fall.” You get together and decide what each song is going to be about and we decided to write a song that was against love. It was going to be a song about not falling in love and we spent hours writing it. When we finished it, we listened to it and realized it was so sad. So, we changed it to “Let’s Fall” and it’s actually a beautiful love song. I think I have a few love songs on there. I write about what is going on in my life and the worries I have. I’m in my mid 20’s and I think a lot of women my age are experiencing love for the first time or heartbreak. I think living and experiencing these relationships and friendships have really fueled the concept of my writing. Also, the music I listen to like this year I listened to a lot of 50’s music with a lot of harmonies like the Everly Brothers and jazz like Billie Holiday. I kind of put all of my influences into one EP.

Q) What are your favorite songs off the EP?

A) I really like all of them. I go through phases where I have favorites, but I think they are all have little aspects I enjoy. “Fooling Myself” is really mellow and it might be the most simple song on the EP. It’s mostly guitar and voice, but I like how simple it is.

Q) How did you decide on your song progression and the order of songs on your EP?

A) I thought about it for a while and I studied poetry in school so it is sort of like the same process of figuring out what poem comes next. I think just listening to them in different orders helps. I think the first song on the album is “Slow and Steady” and I put that because it is maybe more captivating. It’s the most upbeat song of the EP. The first and last songs were easy to decide because I wanted the last song to be a bonus track. It’s sort of like a bonus outro almost.

Q) What kind of feedback you have gotten from fans on your music?

A) A lot of feedback I get is that it is not exactly trendy (and this goes for my first EP as well). I think it’s because I have had a very musical background, I come from a musical family and I’ve been exposed to a lot of types of music that it sort of comes out in my music.

Q) Who are some of your favorite music artists?

A) Ever since I can remember, I have loved Ella Fitzgerald. I don’t think I could ever get sick of hearing her voice. I have always been extremely inspired by her voice and her talent. Always Ella Fitzgerald. I know it is the extreme opposite, but I really love Rihanna and her whole attitude and her confidence. I really look up to her for those reasons.

Q) What can fans expect from a live performance?

A) I will be performing live in my shows to come with my new music. I play guitar and I have a three piece band with me. I have a percussion drummer and I have a bass player.

Q) Where can fans grab your new music?

A) I am really excited to show what I have been working on. Fans can hear it on my SoundCloud, Spotify and on iTunes. I will be putting music videos out to go along with a lot of the songs and you can find them on my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/danawilliamsofficial.