Galxara – Jealous of Myself

By starrymag | September 2, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) GRAND. COLORFUL. HARMONIOUS. EPIC-POP.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Freddie Mercury and Queen have been huge influences in my music and career. I really dove into their music when I was about twelve or thirteen years old and have been hooked ever since. I think the writing and musical composition in every one of their songs is so unique and ahead of its time. I hope to one day be able to achieve that as well. As well, Lady Gaga is a massive influence for me because I adore and respect so much about her artistry and message. Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Sia, Daft Punk, Coldplay, Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, Christina Aguilera and Marina & The Diamonds are just some more of my musical influences.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Jealous of Myself.”

 

A) “Jealous of Myself” came from a place of self-love and self-appreciation. I truly just wanted to write a song that my friends and I could sing along to in the car and feel ourselves. When people hear this song, I really want them to realize how important and valuable they are because the lyric “I only get Jealous of Myself” is such a powerful and profound statement that I absolutely love. What I would say to listeners of “Jealous of Myself” is please DO NOT BE AFRAID TO LOVE YOURSELF. I struggle everyday with being kind and well to myself and it is hard, but I have to remember that I’m not in a competition to compare myself to others. People will always bash on people who love or admire themselves because they think we are cocky or conceited but that is wrong. Of course, you want to be considerate, caring and try to be a selfless human to others as much as possible, but at the end of the day is it not a crime to admire, appreciate and respect yourself and that’s essentially all I wanted for people to feel with Jealous of Myself.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I think the song has allowed my fans to celebrate themselves in all their beauty, which is such a liberating feeling for any listener. I think besides the melody and the hooks in the song, the lyrics really speak to a truth that ALL OF US need to remember and recognize about ourselves. Forget about everyone else, I only get jealous of myself.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) I love the concept personally and as far as the music video, I love where I took it. I think I could have done what most pop female artists would have done and had a crew of girls dancing with me and showing ourselves off, which isn’t wrong but I think the strange and uncommon approach I had is just way more interesting. I was inspired by many sci-fi movies like The Matrix, What Happened to Monday, The Island, Alien, Lucy, etc. Every single one played a role in the creation of this music video. Each character in the “Jealous of Myself” music video is still me. They aren’t different people. They are just the different emotional states that are the makeup of me on a daily basis. FURY, is clearly anger. MANIA is the crazy, psychotic but still dramatic part of me. VANITY is the conceded, vain and arrogant side of me. Essentially, those three emotions and characters are the different sides of myself. Yet, at the end of the day, all those emotions are just that. Emotions. Every single human being has them no matter how perfect you might think you are.

 

Q) We loved your acoustic version of “Loving Nobody.” What made you decide to revisit this track?

 

A) I personally love my song “Loving Nobody” so much and it means a lot to me so it only felt natural for me to sit down, make an acoustic piano arrangement and allow my fans to hear a different side of the song. Obviously, because of the situation we are all in right now, I had the pleasure to film, edit, record, engineer my vocals and create all the content for the video which was hard but very eye opening and fun!

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) My song writing process is pretty simple. I usually need some sort of a beat or basic chords on the piano to start getting some melody ideas. I’m pretty fast when it comes to thinking of melodies for a song, as I know my voice better than anyone and what sounds best for me to sing but co-writing with other writers allows me to hear their melody and lyric ideas which is such an awesome thing. From there on, once we get the melodies, I usually have a title or concept I wanna write about for whatever my reasons are and then I just do my best as a songwriter to fulfill that goal and feeling and energy into the song. It’s really finalizing production and the instrumentation in my songs that take the most time.

 

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

 

A) I like to be as involved as possible with everything in my project, so specifically when it comes to the production and instrumentation in my songs, I’m constantly thinking of ideas and directions for where my songs could go and voicing that to my producers. I always work hand in hand with producers, sharing notes and ideas back and forth until the song gets to a place that we are all happy with. At the end of the day, it’s not only my name on the line, but the producers as well and obviously we all want to create something special and unique for people to hear.

 

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

 

A) I definitely have plans for an EP soon and then shortly after a full album. I have a lot of goals that I want to accomplish but all in good time. Right now, my focus is on writing the best songs I can write and creating this colorful world I have in my head but through music. I have over 250 songs I’ve written since getting signed to Atlantic, but most of them are not reflective of me now, at twenty years old, or I just know deep down I can write better songs for my upcoming EP/album. So, I plan on taking as long as I need to do that so that it is something I am proud of, not just something to please others.

 

Q) What did it mean to you to be a featured artist on the soundtrack for the film Birds of Prey?

 

A) It meant so much to me that I had the pleasure to be involved on that soundtrack with so many AMAZING female artists. As soon as I heard it was all female and what the movie was about, I was in and was determined to either be apart or support that soundtrack as much as possible. The fact that so many people took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity to be on a lead single for the movie featured with Saweetie, that’s so special to me and so insane! Writing the song and filming the music video was one of the most thrilling experiences and I’m just so thankful to everyone involved that they gave me that chance.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) Well, seeing as I’m still such a new artist, I have yet to even have my first live performance. But I would say if I ever get the chance to perform (which I will), Coachella would be dope. Madison Square Garden would be amazing and the House of Blues in Orlando, FL would be memorable to me because that’s where I grew up and went to see many concerts at that venue.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) I think either Lady Gaga or Daft Punk would be my two top choices for collaborations. I couldn’t even imagine how I’d react if I had the chance to write a song with Gaga and perform it. Same with Daft Punk. I love them and their music so much and I admire how much of a mystery they are. To be able to create something so dope and unique with them would honestly make my life.

 

Q) What advice would you give to up and coming musicians?

 

A) My first piece of advice to any up and coming musicians would be, learn to take criticism. Through music and through this industry there are so many players and opinions and views and it never is going to go the way you think it will or “your way.” It’s been really important to learn and understand when people give me advice or critique, as long as I trust them, it’s coming from a good place and should be listened to because usually it only can make me better. Another key piece of advice that I would give would be KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Know what you stand for, who you stand with, know who you are and who you want to be. Since the moment I was signed, but honestly since I started singing, I’ve been constantly asked who are you (as an artist), who do you want to be (as an artist), where do you see yourself in five years (as an artist), what is your vision (as an artist), what is your style (as an artist), etc, etc. Of course, at fifteen or sixteen years old you don’t know everything about yourself or what you want but in this industry I’ve learned you have to have goals and you have to have a vision on who you want to be or else they’ll pick it for you. I was always very clear and outspoken, sometimes too outspoken, on what I liked and what I didn’t like and always had an opinion and never just went with the flow of what other people wanted. It seems to have turned out pretty well for me because I now have control over who I am as an artist which is very important to me.

 

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 HUGE and INSTANTANEOUS. As an artist in the 21st century, it is so crucial for me to have an ongoing and immediate conversation with my fans, which has been made possible because of social media. In a matter of a minute I can talk to my fans and let them know my feelings for the day or my thoughts on music or simply ask them what they wanna do with their lives. Social media allows me to deeply connect and relate to my fans in a way artists never could twenty years ago. Of course, there are moments where I wish we could turn off our phones, shut it down and never have to worry about it again. But most of the time I am very grateful for all that I can do and say to my fans through it.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) First of all, thank you. Thank you for giving a rookie pop artist a chance in your heart and soul. My music is meant to be an escape. Of course, I can sing about reality and the truth and my life, but at the end of the day you chose to listen to my music to either connect with me or to escape. When you listen to my music, I want you to accomplish both of those things. I want you to hear the passion in my music but to also hear the words and know that I am telling you “I feel exactly what you’re feeling and everything is going to be okay. You and I are going to go on a little journey through space, through time, through reality, through our wildest fantasies and dreams and we are going to come out on the other side as better people.” That’s all I’ve ever wanted for my music and I hope we can get there together. I love you and appreciate you.