Janina Bey – So What

By starrymag | September 29, 2020

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) I would say that my sound is uplifting and powerful RnB with a little bit of a soul touch.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Some of my musical influences are mostly old school RnB and Pop artists like Usher, Chris Brown, Beyonce, Rihanna, etc. I love their soul and uniqueness and most importantly their way of performing with great choreographies and dancers alongside.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “So What.”

 

A) My new song “So What” is about a young girl who was in a toxic relationship and decides to dump the guy. Instead of being heartbroken she remains confident and knows her self-worth by having a “so what“ attitude.

 

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

 

A) The funny thing is that this song doesn’t really reflect any of my recent life experiences, but I wrote the song exactly for young people my age to identify themselves in this situation, as I’m sure many people have experienced bad relationships. The song is uplifting and powerful which is exactly the message I want to portray to my listeners.

 

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

 

A) The video mainly represents my love to RnB and Dance. I wanted to have a unique location in which I could perform my own choreography along with my two background dancers to represent Girl Power! The video’s colors are very futuristic and modern thanks to the great rooms of the location that we were shooting in.

 

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

 

A) I had an amazing producer who created the instrumental for me and together as a team we wrote the lyrics on the existing melody. It was quite difficult for me at first, as I’m used to writing songs by myself, but it was definitely such a great help to gather ideas from experts.

 

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

 

A) I would say that I do have a lot to decide when it comes to my own music. Of course, I lack knowledge of how to create a track like a professional producer does, but the team always executed my ideas exactly how I imagined them to be. I decided what I wanted to write about and they were onboard immediately.

 

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

 

A) I certainly hope to release some new music very soon. I want to take my time to perfect all the songs I’m working on at the moment, as good quality takes time and effort. I’m very much looking forward to upcoming projects.

 

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

 

A) My favorite places to perform are probably weddings. Everyone is naturally in a good mood and it’s just totally fun to perform in front of and with a crowd that loves to party. I was singing in a kind of wedding band – “Inspiration Live Music” – I got the opportunity to do this weekly and I’m more than grateful for this opportunity!

 

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

 

A) One of my favorite artists currently is Khalid. I’ve been to two of his concerts and just live his style and every single one of his songs. Obviously, that collaboration wish is quite ambitious at the moment, but a girl can dream. [winks]

 

Q) We loved you on “The Voice of Germany.” What did you take away or lessons you learned from your time on the show?

 

A) Thanks! [smiles] My experiences there were amazing! I mainly learned how to be more self confident on stage and perform with great techniques. I definitely gathered lots of experience that now helps me perform confidently until today.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) Currently, I’m really digging American RnB. As I’ve mentioned before, Khalid is one of my favorite artists. I also love listening to old and new Drake songs and one of my recent discoveries is Jorja Smith. She is so unique and I can really feel her passion through her songs.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) Generally, I think social media is quite dangerous on one hand because people (including me) mostly just post the good parts of their life, which is why one always has to be careful not to believe everything they see. On the other hand, I think social media is a great way to connect with fans and just give them a few insights of my everyday life. I love taking and editing pictures and videos and I think social media is a cool way to portray those.

 

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

 

A) I want to thank you all for supporting me and loving me for who I am. I hope to continue to inspire you with my music and I promise to never lose my passion for music. Be kind to one another and spread love!