Samantha Aurelio – Learn The Hard Way

By starrymag | September 23, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) Big, bluesy but also rock and roll – but the pop version. Genres are hard.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Sara Bareilles, Queen, Lady Gaga, The Eagles, Carole King, Amy Winehouse — I love me a good story and a strong voice.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Learn The Hard Way.”

 

A) “LTHW” was what birthed from a dark and frustrating time. I was becoming self-aware of my need to please everyone and could see from the outside how I was living in complaint. I was tired of bending to ensure everyone around me was okay. This song is a reminder that the only way around things is through them and that we need to be kinder to ourselves while we go through our “tough times” because they lead us to where we are now.

 

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

 

A) Everyone goes through hard times. And everyone can look back at SOMETHING and say, “Wow, that was dumb.” I like to think we all grow from our mistakes, so hopefully this song will resonate with someone and allow them peace during a struggle or during the inevitable 3 AM “oh no why did I do that one embarrassing thing seven years ago in front of that person I haven’t spoken to in forever!?” – we’ve all been there. No shame.

 

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

 

A) Ooh! We’ll have to see when the music video comes out!

 

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

 

A) I wish I could snap my fingers and say I had a one-two process, but songs come to me in different forms. Writing is (therapeutic) work and I devout time to its process, but there is no set-in-stone way for me to get it done. Sometimes it’s the music that carries the song, sometimes the words, sometimes the melody. Whichever one chooses to be the muse the song will form around that. I’ve recently started stretching my boundaries with co-writing and writing to guitar (I play piano) and it’s been a very eye-opening process. Maybe that one-two process will come to me in due time!

 

Q) How do you decide when a song is complete or needs more work?

 

A) Sometimes I get a struck of magic that says “complete,” but most of the time the perfectionist in me wants to tweak songs until forever. It was a big learning curve to learn to let them go and be what they were going to be. Once I learned to let them be connected to someone else’s story, rather than solely my own, I found it easier to give them the completed stamp of approval.

 

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

 

A) I’m new to production! I’m very much a performer first. But I’ve been in the studio for the last year and a half and my producer (Greg Cortez) walks me along every step of the way. I hold the power of veto but he understands my visions, so clearly, I got really lucky!

 

Q) “Learn The Hard Way” dropped on August 30th. How did you celebrate?

 

A) WOW. Well, we had an amazing show at The Study to celebrate and then another show up in SLO on Sunday. My favorite way to celebrate any occasion is to play music. Nothing makes me happier. And all my favorite people came out, everyone had a great time. And I don’t have to clean up after. [laughs]

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Samantha Aurelio performance?

 

A) Well. It’s louder than you think it’ll be. I’m small but we play big! I have an incredible band whom I’ve been with for about five years now. They’re my ride or die – I love them so much! And you can almost always expect some awkward banter.

 

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

 

A) What I can say is we’ll be slow dripping singles your way for a while.

 

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

 

A) I’m happy to perform anywhere really, but I do have a soft spot in my heart for The Hotel Cafe here in Los Angeles. It’s the first big deal venue I booked in LA and the first place I played with my band — I used to live around the corner and just spent so many nights there breathing in the magic of that place. It’s really special to me.

 

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

 

A) Oh wow. I have some incredibly talented friends out here in LA and I absolutely love collaborating and writing with them, but if I had to choose someone I haven’t worked with before I’m going to say this musician that I met through a friend of mine named Haley Johnson. She’s Portland based and she’s just a bad ass female vocalist; everyone needs to go check out her music right now.

 

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

 

A) Lennon Stella. There’s a lot of honesty in that girl’s voice I just love it. And Maggie Rogers. Forever queen.

 

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

 

A) I feel like social media allows us to connect in real time. There’s no email formal buffer, people can be chill and real and immediate (or not) and people feel comfortable and safe. They get a little look into your life (stories, for example) and can feel connected to you in a way email or something like that wouldn’t have allowed.

 

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

 

A) I see you. I am so grateful. I’ve had people with me for years who have been so very patient while I’ve played and then hibernated and then broke apart and put myself back together again. My heart just fills to the brim when I think of how lucky I am to have people out there who believe in me. It’s really, truly special.