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Emerging Artist AVR Delves into Philip Glass Rework, MUGLER Collaboration, and Debut Album 'Salvation'

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AVR (Anna von Raison) is a polymath who blends art, music, innovation, and tradition. Her work is influenced by diverse references like Philip Glass, Grimes, Stevie Wonder, and Bernini sculptures. Frustrated with the routine of academic jazz piano studies, AVR began producing music that captures the feeling-everything-all-the-time internet era.

AVR has scored films for brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior and worked as a studio pianist and producer for artists such as Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tusks, Soundwalk Collective, and Franny London. AVR also consults and performs in fine arts contexts, including Gropius Bau Berlin and the National Gallery, and serves as a music curator for events like Berlin’s ‘Long Night of Museums.’ Her song ‘Under The Sand’ features on the soundtrack of the US movie ‘After Everything.’

Her release, 'Etude No.2,' a rework of Philip Glass, came out on Glass' label with an immersive video collaboration with MUGLER. Supported by BBC stations and publications like CLASH, Rolling Stone, The Fader, and i-D, AVR's music gained international attention from the start. She has performed at notable venues like Berlin’s Philharmonie, Notting Hill Arts Club in London, and Baby’s All Right in New York.

AVR’s debut album ‘Salvation,’ released on June 7, reflects a softer, warmer sound, integrating her jazz and neo-soul influences. Independently published and four years in the making, it features guest soloists Viktor Wolf and Sylvia Hlynsdottir. The album, the final part of a trilogy, marks AVR’s evolution as a solo artist.

Describing her creative process, AVR says: ‘I love collaging and clashing musical bits that typically don’t live in the same world - I am looking for that new sound, seeking innovation but also romance. I try to avoid the dangerous temptations of musical training. Working from instinct, I give the subconscious free reign, into an ecstatic flow. For me, making music is like scoring the movies in my head.’

On ‘Salvation’, this approach results in hazy ambient journeys combining jazzy choirs,cinematic strings, Motown bass, trip hop drums, and bright vocals. Tame Impala-stylesynth solos appear, while experimental bits of sound toy with the warm breeze.

 "Salvation" is the final act of a trilogy. What’s the inspiration behind it? How does it connect with your previous EPs "Vibration" and "Hallucination"?

Salvation is the last part of trilogy that started with EP1 Hallucination and EP2 Vibration. This trilogy for me is part of my transition of mainly working behind the scenes as studio pianist, producer and composer for other artists, brands or film. Musically it’s the genesis of AVR as a solo artist in the sense that those 3 acts each represent part of my musical selves. Hallucination works with a lot of classical piano fragments, some that I composed, then one of Claude Debussy. Vibration, my second EP, is much more beat focused and has generally a darker synth-, more distorted and rebellious vibe. Salvation is the warm rain, the liberation, the letting go. There’s a lot of warmth and jazzy, souly references. I intended it a bit as a musical retreat. We live in such a complicated time and I still want to believe in the power of music to unite and remind us of our shared humanity. But I feel if we dont retreat from time to time you lose the energy to stay political and hopeful.

Can you share more about the process of collaborating with Philip Glass' label and French fashion house MUGLER?

I have been a big admirer of Glass’ works for a long time, and always loved Beck’s rework on a rework-only-album from 2012. At one point I just started to play around in Logic with the Piano Etude No.2 and once finished showed it to director Alex de Brabant who felt immediately inspired to do a video. We requested a wardrobe collaboration with Mugler and somehow our moodboard for the video convinced them to send a beautiful selection of pieces for me to wear in the video from Paris. After having put all the work in the music and a lot of money and time in the video I realized: We cant release any of it without a permission. I had absolutely forgotten about this legal situation since Philip Glass is a living composer. Extremely stressed about that I reached out to his publisher and we had to wait for months and months until we got the relieving news. In the end they would not only allow for both video and rework to be released but also asked me if I could see myself releasing my rework on Glass’ label Orange Mountain Music, which was more than I could have ever dreamt of.

How has your involvement with luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Dior impacted your career/creative process?

Actually all my brand collaborations came directly through the directors, who were friends of friends or who heard of me through someone. I think big brand names can in some circles maybe give you ‘credibility’ in terms of what professional level you are able to deliver and if you can work in sometimes difficult circumstances. Often there are agencies involved, which means a lot of people with all kinds of musical taste are giving opinions and having to navigate that to get to a final result that everyone is at least ‘ok’ with can be hard. I also have quite conflicting feelings about big brands when thinking about our current environmental crisis, let alone workers’ conditions, and myself mainly wearing vintage clothes.

You’ve been a mentor for programs like ‘Girls Who Listen’ and ‘Keychange’. What’s your top advice for people wanting to become music producers/singer-songwriters etc.

I think essentially making music is translating, channeling emotions. And the better you are able to navigate the tools - like voice, instruments, DAW - the better, more precise and more personal that translation will be. So for that I think its important to just aspire to get better and know as much as possible/needed for what you want to express. Ultimately it just saves you from having to beg producers, mixers for their spare time and empowers you to work as much as possible autonomously. It’s sometimes a lonely process for me as I do it almost all on my own but it also allows for the maximum freedom. There are amazing initiatives, such as yours, out there to connect and share knowledge in safe spaces.

AVR | Photo by Alex de Brabant

Who are some of your biggest artistic influences and how have they shaped your work?

I think the reason I wanted to become a professional musician and study piano was a concert of Herbie Hancock as a teen. The feeling I had there was like nothing I had ever felt, so ecstatic and so good. Pretty much at the same time I was deep into the song books of Joni Mitchell and Marvin Gaye whilst having weekly classical piano lessons aspiring for the chords of Ravel. In general I am drawn to musical risk takers who dont become avant-garde-only, but still manage to be understood and appreciated by larger audiences. Be it Stravinsky, Thelonious Monk, Tyler The Creator, M.I.A., Björk. I like combining musical elements that dont naturally live in the same world together as I am always looking for that new sound, for innovation, but also for romance. And the romance part can oftentimes be in a hopefully timeless melody or the lyrics for me.

What's your favorite/least favorite thing about making music?

My favorite thing is starting new drafts, that fresh and exciting energy. Or moments in the studio, when creating with other people when you just sit there and feel the exact same high about something. The hardest are the last 10% of editing when it gets so incredibly tedious. And then there is the reality of being a musician in the time of social media. My main platform is instagram for communication and, like for most people, it creates a lot of anxiety and stress for me. I was also never an artist longing to see my face everywhere, I would prefer to let my music speak.

What's the weirdest inspiration you've drawn for a song?

It’s not really weird at all, but my favorite fine artist is Jenny Holzer who works with language a lot, which speaks to me deeply. My song SKIN uses her words/verses entirely.

3 things you can't live without in your bag

Its 2 for me: Heaphones & lip balm :)

** Interview by ninakeh for shesaid.so

Artist Spotlight: Salle

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Nigerian artist Salle has amassed a growing fan base with her debut track "Icon," which gained viral attention on TikTok and Spotify. Following the success of the song, Salle released her second single, 'Countdown.'

Produced by Monro and mixed by JAE5, 'Countdown' serves as a preview of Salle's upcoming debut EP. The song is a reflective exploration of impermanence and the significance of embracing the present. Salle's vocals dazzle on this track, cementing her status as an emerging talent worth keeping an eye on.

How did your viral street performance in Lagos influence your decision to pursue music professionally?

It made me grow passionate about music as I’ve neglected and never believed in my talent, after the video went viral I Dre so much strength from everyone who supported me and believed in me.

What 1 valuable lesson have you learned as an emerging artist?

One valuable lesson I’ve learned as an artist is not to acknowledge any kind of pressure whatsoever. It’s me versus me and I’m doing my best to be the best version of myself.

What is your top advice for new music artists 

Be yourself, acknowledge every feeling and every experience you may meet positive or negative and in all improve your craft it’s the only thing that makes us artists.

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?

I’d love to collaborate with lots of amazing artist but since I have to pick one off my list it’ll be “Rema” because of his mysterious tune that I enjoy.

Can you share a favorite moment from your journey in the music industry so far?

A favorite moment from my journey in the music industry so far will be the when I put out “ICON” it was the most liberating and remarkable so far.

What are your goals for the future as you continue to pursue your music career?

My goal for the future is to keep improving in my sound and in all aspect of my life.

3 things I can’t live without in my bag

Sunglasses, perfume and cash.

Music Insider: Zamaera

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Malaysian artist Zamaera is a household name in Southeast Asian music, navigating an 11-year career that transitioned from TV hosting to music. She’s a skilled storyteller who continues to break barriers and recently organized Malaysia's inaugural all-female music festival, 'Queendom Fest' dedicated to spotlighting and empowering talent in the industry.

Zamaera marked her solo debut with the grime-inspired single 'Helly Kelly' in 2017 - featured alongside Malaysia’s hip-hop icon Joe Flizzow and has been independent since 2021. Her music skills flourished in a male-dominated scene, where she had to break boundaries and prove herself.

Her new track 'Big Fish' features Kuala Lumpur-based DJ/producer Daaliah, is influenced by hip-hop, pop, garage, and soul, and reflects Zamaera's desire to break free from her artistic constraints.

The song originated from a candid conversation with Daaliah in July 2023, expressing her feeling of being a 'big fish in a small pond' and her aspiration to step outside her comfort zone. 'Big Fish' is out now through Zamaera’s ‘Mean Malaya Entertainment’.

Tell us more about your collaboration with Daaliah on Big Fish.

‘Big Fish’ is me stepping out of my comfort zone and I really love this new venture. It’s a very different kind of song that I wouldn’t normally do, because I predominantly work on Hip Hop and R&B music (but I've always loved electronic and I’ve always loved House Music and Techno). My relationship with Daaliah is that we were the only German speaking artists in Malaysia and it kind of grew from there. We've known each other since 2019 and made some demos together but never really had the chance to put something out.

I met up with him last year and we had this conversation about how we were doing (just catching up) and I told him in my exact words “I felt like a big fish in a small pond”. That exact sentence was what sparked the idea.

We went to Daaliah’s studio and it was just the right vibe, the right energy as Daaliah had just come back from a tour in Europe and he was really inspired by Garage Music and different types of sounds (that in Malaysia, producers won't particularly look or touch on).

You had a 30 minute time crunch when creating “Big Fish”. How did you tap into creativity and stay focused under pressure?

Honestly for this project, I did not feel like there was any pressure involved just because everything felt so seamless and natural; from the moment that we were talking, to us deciding that we were going to make a song. It really felt like it was exactly what it needed to be. Even though there was this “time crunch”, we were using it as a way to to be even more creative. The time crunch helped us find exactly what we wanted.

It took out that deciding factor, that time to think and decide whether we wanted something “in this way or that way”. For example, there is a sound that you hear (the piano) that’s a sample by an amazing producer and I was writing at the back (coming with the melody) while Daaliah was producing and it just came together. I think the pressure on the time was a great thing for us.

As an independent artist, how do you think the independent music scene in Malaysia has grown?

I do feel that independent music and independent artists have taken a step forward hugely - all thanks to accessibility and information coming via YouTube videos, courses, social media etc. A lot of people understand now that we don't need to rely on traditional mediums such as radio or TV to get to the point of visibility. We can always use socials and also other forms of content for us to showcase our creativity.

Artists are now pivoting to a more independent style that is giving us the freedom and leeway to really be fully and creatively ourselves.

I do feel that a lot of independent artists (such as myself) lean towards working with brands. For example, with Big Fish and our music video premiere party, we got the chance to work with a really amazing global brand (they unearth and uplift independent artists such as myself and Daaliah and graffiti artists in Malaysia).

Can you share a memorable moment from your music career

I would say that the biggest one or the most recent one for me was organising my very first all female music festival. Throughout all my years of being a musician I had never ever organised an event for more than 5 - 10 artists (let alone 15 women and creatives) with the idea of building a strong community and platform to really uplift and showcase their talent in Malaysia.

After 11 years of doing this work, I realised we have all this amazing talent which was not reflected in the live performance space in Malaysia (and I thought that was really necessary). That's one of the most memorable things. I have a lot more, but then this conversation might never end!

What are your goals for ‘Queendom Fest’ in 2024?

My goal is to take everything I’ve learned from the first edition (the feedback, the critique etc) and really look into how we can better manage the festival. As an artist, I tend to look at things more on the artistic side (e.g. whether the artists are going to have a great time performing or how the lighting and the visuals, the music and the sound will be), but there's also this very important aspect which is the management of behind the scenes (running with your project manager, the vendors, the production team, and stuff like that).

I really want to take everything that I've learned and make it bigger, make it better. And of course I want to have more way more artists for 2024 and also hopefully international acts as well. So stay tuned.

What's your least favorite thing about making music?

That's actually quite an easy question to answer. My least favourite thing about making music is that I do not know how to play all of the instruments and that really frustrates me sometimes.

I know that you can learn stuff (make sounds on e.g. Logic or any digital audio workstation) but I feel like I always am so hard on myself because I feel like “oh my gosh, if I just knew how to play the violin, or if I just knew how to play the cello”. It stops me from actually going out and learn.

Thinking that “I can only play the piano or the guitar” makes me feel like it's not enough. I want to be able to do more but I have to take a little step back and chill. You can’t play everything but you can collaborate with so many amazing, talented people out there. So if you play the cello, you know who to call.. (call me, I'm gonna work with you).

What is a valuable piece of advice for an artist that wants to enter your industry?

You should just not think and do it. A lot of people might be worried about what other people might think because of maybe e.g. a taboo that surrounds your passions. I don't think this is only the case with music, it goes with pretty much with anything you want to achieve in your life.

Stopping yourself because of what other people might think and not taking a chance on doing what you love could be one of the biggest regrets.

Don't think about what other people think of you (because people are going to say something anyway, so you might as well just do what you love). Let the music be your life.

Connect with Zamaera

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Event recap: shesaid.so showcase at the Roundhouse Rising Festival

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Thank you for making the shesaid.so showcase at Roundhouse’s Rising Festival a success!

Deto Black, Zanillya, TrueMendous

The showcase was all about the lyricism, powerful rhythms and empowering messages that these artists have created. You could feel how that had travelled through everyone in the room, leaving a feeling of longing to relive the night again.

The night opened with Flora Yin Wong, the room filling out quickly as she began her set. Flora's experimental, rhythmic tracks had the audience hooked, creating anticipation in the air for what the rest of the night would entail. Next was Zanillya, who only continued to build on the sturdy foundations Flora had built. The crowd warmed to Zanillya immediately, with her infectiously bright energy and impactful music pulsing through the audience.

This energy and enthusiasm within the crowd seemed to carry on through the night as they welcomed Truemendous to the stage. She had the jaws of everyone in the room touching the floor with her striking flow patterns and vocal techniques, carefully and articulately portraying her messages with an immense force that you simply could not ignore. We then had Deto Black to conclude our evening, she captivated the crowd with her powerful and magnetising performance in an instant. Hyping everyone up during her last few tracks they were sad the night had to end. Once Deto was finished the room was still humming with joy and excitement from the night, many people approached me to exclaim how brilliant the line-up was.

The highlight of the night for us would be seeing how much the audience and artists connect. We loved how welcoming and supportive the audience were towards each artist and how that was reciprocated right back from the stage. There was a fantastic exchange of energy, and we could feel that the artists used that energy to make their performances better than they could have imagined.

A big thank you to the Roundhouse staff for being great communicators and doing their best to fulfil every request we had on the day, no matter how big or small! It made all the difference to work with a team of people at the venue who were present and just as passionate to be there with us to make a great show.

Words by Vix Brand @vixkurtis

Photos by Jennifer McCord & Vix Brand

Artist Spotlight: Zanillya

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The shesaid.so Artist Spotlight is a monthly series where we highlight new artists from our global community that you should keep an eye on. If you’re interested in submtting yourself or your artist please contact us at hello@shesaid.so

Amsterdam-based rapper, singer-songwriter and producer Zanillya has been creating since she was walking: “When I create, I let go of any expectations, goals, boundaries and really connect with an inner truth”, she says.

From her recent release: ‘We Are Free’ to writing for other artists, Zanillya talks to shesaid.so about how she finds therapy in creativity and the inner strength of women.

shesaid.so: Tell us more about your artist journey and how your sound has developed to where it is today. 

I’ve been creating for as far as I can remember as I was raised in a musical, creative household. I have always been in love with mixing up genres as I was raised on so many various styles of music. It came naturally to me to switch from one genre to the next. I started really taking my career seriously when my dad passed. At that time, I met Humphrey Dennis, my now long-time partner in music and in life. 

In 2015 I signed my first publishing deal and started to do more collaborations with international producers like Branko (Buraka Som Sistema), Riva Starr, and Leo Justi, among others. The one with Leo landed us a dope sync with the UEFA for their first women's football campaign. This was the start of a lot of dope syncs as well as some ghostwriting/production for other artists and DJs. This is really where I got to develop my voice and craft the sound that you hear today.

Over the years, Humphrey Dennis and I have always created with no set rules. This is how we feel we have come closer to the sound that we envision, which is our own blend of Hip-hop, Dancehall, and RnB but all with a Caribbean touch. We don’t shy away from any genre except metal! And this year, we got more releases coming that will reveal a side of me the world hasn’t heard yet.

shesaid.so: Your debut EP ‘Choose Life’ came out nearly a year ago today. Has your perspective or ambitions changed at all since that moment?

‘Choose life' was a very personal project that I had to make for myself. After my dad passed, a lot of old traumas came bubbling to the surface, and I had to let it out. I was in therapy while making the record, and my only way of understanding myself is through creating. In hindsight, I think it was good to make this record then before moving into the music space I always dreamt of being in. The goal is to still make great music with sensitive subjects and a message but with a more genre-bending pop sound.   

shesaid.so: Are there any particular songs you’ve released that you feel a special attachment to? 

 “Alive” is the last single off my EP “Choose Life ‘and has a very special place in my heart. It speaks on my journey through depression and the suicidal thoughts I suffered from my whole life. We shot the video in Aruba and it was such a healing experience to make the video on the island where my dad was born, which has become my safe space.

“We Are Free” as this song has such a strong message, and I am all about that. Women are the backbone and the heart of this society, and they need to get a lot more credit and respect in the world. I aim to be part of this change in any way that I can. I feel proud that I made a song that can start more conversations regarding women’s rights as we have a long way to go for women to receive equal pay, equal rights, and exclusive control of one’s own body. 

shesaid.so: ‘We Are Free’ is an important statement about women’s response to adversity and injustice. How did you process your emotions to write that song and create something powerful?

When I create, I let go of any expectations, goals, boundaries and really connect with an inner truth. Most of my songs I created first for myself but ‘We Are Free’ was different as I felt I needed to speak on the inequality I saw women facing on the daily. I wanted to create something to uplift girls and women everywhere. Remind them of their strength, grit and ability to persevere in any situation. Women have an incredible inner strength that I think men consciously or unconsciously fear. Not all men but a great deal of them do and therefore try to control us. By remembering this we can take back our power and stand in our beauty and truth. 

shesaid.so: Do you feel constantly inspired, or do you have certain practices you use to inspire yourself? 

To be honest, I’m blessed to have inspiration and creativity overflowing, maybe sometimes to my own detriment. I am a workaholic, and I love what I do so much that I sacrifice other parts of my life to get my ideas out. I try to even that out with my rituals, which have become my medicine. These include working out, journaling and meditating. It’s these practices and rituals that allow me to stay mentally healthy, inspired and loyal to my creativity.

shesaidso: As well as music, what else inspires and energises you? 

I think what energizes me on a deep level is my desire to make my life matter. I come from parents who are first generation immigrants. My dad left Aruba with nothing and came to Europe on a boat when he was just 15 years old. He managed to achieve his dreams and give us a better financial life. I feel deeply inspired by that and feel the obligation to do better. 

Growing up, I didn’t have an easy childhood and was naturally drawn to books and personal development. I have a deep love for learning as that has been my way to empower myself to overcome the challenges I was facing. The need to empower inspires me so much that it trickles down into everything I create. I believe that we can achieve anything when we put our mind to it, and that knowing gives me purpose to create something that can uplift others.

Lastly, a huge part of my energy comes from my workout regime. It's also a huge part of my inspiration as it helps me heal. The body keeps score, and all of us carry our past and traumas stored in us. By working out, I get in touch with myself and get to heal parts of myself as well as building the mental strength I need to grow into my potential. To me, working out is a huge metaphor for life. You can’t fake building muscle; no one can do it for you, it requires focus, hard work and patience, and I believe life is the same. When I can win in the gym, I know I can win in life!

Zanillya

shesaid.so: shesaid.so is a community guided by intersectionality. In your opinion, how could the music industry do better in terms of inclusivity? 

I believe we need more women in power. Also, the industry needs to stop focusing so much on numbers and more on artist development. I think execs need to trust that good music will always prevail and look for artists who have something to say and not only for artists who do well on TikTok.

shesaid.so: Has community played a role in your evolution as a creative?

Definitely. All I have managed to achieve has come from my community. Be it the first programmers that gave me a stage, to all the producers who I’ve worked with in Amsterdam when I started out, to my movement coach who has been with me for years, all the way up to the amazing team, choreographers and dancers that worked with me on my debut video. I am so grateful to have met people who believed in me enough to give me their time and energy, for free at times. Without them, I couldn’t have grown and developed myself. Also, my latest single ‘We Are free’ is released on ‘Curators’ a community-fueled label. 

I am always working so, to be honest I have less of a social community as I haven't invested in one that much. This makes me feel alone at times in my journey and struggles. I deal with mental health issues and do believe that having a social community where you can share and feel safe plays an important role in life. This is something I am working on and know that it takes time and investing.

shesaid.so: And finally, could you share three bullet-point top tips for artists just starting out? What would you have loved to hear?

Take care of your mental health: When we’re young, we tend to run behind every opportunity in fear of missing out, but this can make you burn out. You need to prioritize your self-care and your health and trust that what is for you will come to you at the right time. This mindset will help you be confident in the face of adversity and rejection. Which, in the long run, will benefit your trajectory as an artist as you will be able to differentiate what is for you and what isn’t.  

 Focus on developing your craft: If you don’t know how, ask, collaborate, research, take classes but never give up because you think you can’t be better. No matter your come up, background or age. Becoming great at something takes time, but when you invest and focus on your skills, it will help you have a long-lasting satisfying career.

Stay patient as life is a journey and not a race: This industry is complex, and we humans are complex. Get to know yourself in and out instead of only chasing a dream. When you truly know what you need and love, you will make better decisions. We tend to think we know exactly how our career is supposed to unfold, but sometimes there is another path for you that you’re not seeing because you have blinders on. So remain open and enjoy the ride.

More from Zanillya:

Latest Single

Zanillya on Instagram

https://www.zanillya.com/

 

Artist Spotlight #4: Viktoria Modesta

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t the beginning of her career, Viktoria Modesta was championed as the world’s first amputee pop star. Since then, Viktoria’s multi-faceted talents have seen her shine in an array of different artistic pursuits. From starring in the paraolympics closing ceremony, to a run at Crazy Horse Paris and a Rolls Royce campaign; it’s a wonder Viktoria has found time for anything else, so we are so excited to speak to her about her most recent music release, MOKSHA, the artist’s first music release in five years. (Music production by Los Angeles based producer Madeaux and co-written by Viktoria and and Grammy-winning songwriter Janet Sewell (Alesha Keys, Empire State of Mind)). Even with just a glimpse in to Viktoria’s imagination, her curiosity opens up whole new worlds of creativity to be explored…

photo credit: Jora Frantzis

shesaid.so: Tell us more about your artist journey and how your sound has developed to where it is today?

Viktoria: My path has been quite the rollercoaster! My ambitions of performance, music, and extravagant design as a lil’ girl were definitely met with the message that I was too ambitious, unrealistic and that everything I was going to try to achieve had no real blueprint.

Following my sheltered hospital upbringing in post-soviet Latvia and a move to London I really threw myself into self-education and became kind of a subculture explorer, drawing parallels between Hollywood and art films with real-life characters and culture scenes.

I did everything from art direction, styling, modelling, clothing design, beauty work, and everything in-between. But Music has always been constant — and the hardest somehow. I would say in my late teens I had an appetite to develop my music skills. When I was six I enrolled in a music school for a bit. I remember singing was like the most natural skill — it felt so right.

As I got into my teens I had an overwhelming feeling that everything that I was born with was not good enough and that whatever fictional alter ego I was going to create was going to be superior. I guess that was the driving force behind achieving a lot of things in the initial stages of my career. Thankfully that whole vibe did come and end. But I do wonder sometimes how many people adopt that kind of survival strategy to just feel ok, and find a refuge to overcome societal rejection.

In my early twenties, I was having a significant rise of my profile on the alternative scene, which was kind of underwhelming as I realized that I hit the ceiling of where that can go. That’s pretty much when I started working on my first EP. Sound-wise, my first few memorable influences were Prodigy, 2Pac and Eurythmics. To be honest my taste stayed pretty consistent between electronic music, heavy bass hip hop & R&B and pop vocal melodies, although my first EP had some Tarantino-inspired guitars.

The only thing that changed through time was the degrees of these influences and how I was feeling to express ‘me’ fully with sound. During the most alternative period, my obsession with hip-hop-inspired heavy bass was hard to surface. There was a lot of a cultural divide in my influences and taste. So I would say it took many incarnations and experiences to get to the current sound & stripped back visual of my record.

I had a very wild time becoming the architect of my body, pushing my influences of Avant-garde fashion and art films to the extreme with Prototype video and work with Alternative Limb Project.

I guess eventually I carved out a space for myself, my own lane, my own combination of things.

Eventually, many things that seemed impossible became imprinted in the fabric of post-disability culture, I got to part the waves which has been both painful and fulfilling.

shesaid.so: This is your first music release in five years — how do you feel?!

Viktoria: Mixed feelings haha, the intensity and focus it took to execute this record for 2 years is definitely overwhelming. I am not a big fan of fast consumption culture. Although I do appreciate the intensity of audio and visual hooks and memorability, the way artists, especially musicians are expected to have a factory of content and energy to me feels unnatural.

I guess an example of what I mean is that I have started telling the artistic journey of my record before it came out with the ‘One With The Ray of Light’ art film and will continue releasing content and multimedia collabs throughout this whole next year. My intention with music was always to lay out the soundtrack and a lyrical anchor point to the emotional creative corners I’m trying to explore so I very much intend to take my time.

shesaid.so: You’ve said your new release MOKSHA is about reinventing yourself. Where did this inspiration come from?

Viktoria: This record is a container for pain, hopes and prayers and questions as well as some stories of the heart. A lot of my work including this record comes from a learning and unlearning process of becoming who I am meant to be, documentation of feelings and intentions.

I think that this elastic way of thinking about your time on earth, destiny and uncovering of your true being following the breadcrumbs to the liberation of your essence has been helpful.

Creating is healing and that’s why creating isn’t always pleasant. Over the pandemic, I started working on my back tattoo which looks like a charge of energy, a metaphor for bringing the kind of charge that I experience from my early hospitalisation PTSD.

It was really important for me not to have much fashion or wear any prosthetics and be truly in my skin, the only accessories being organic shapes in artificial materials. The artwork for Moksha is still being released as an NFT project composed of animation, vfx still and 3D renders. I truly believe that the metaverse, the place where all of our digital traces exist, is a plane of existence somewhat linked to spirituality. The digital renaissance moment and the internal breakthroughs I was experiencing over the past year perfectly fitted the MOKSHA term which means ultimate liberation of the self.

shesaid.so: Can you tell us a bit about the writing process?

Viktoria: Setting the scene with the right collaborators for me is always key. I’m never that person who writes all the time, I enjoy writing and composing when I am working on a project and then I kind of tune into a different way of operating and different set of skills. I’m also someone that suffers from pretty bad dyslexia so I really love working with a songwriter that becomes an extension of me, finding words and rhymes that express what I’m feeling with impact. Words are definitely their own art form which is why for MOKSHA I worked with one of the most talented Grammy-winning songwriters, Janet Sewell. I knew she would connect with the visceral approach I’m in to. We gravitated towards each other in a very special way, like let’s guide the listener into the inner world and all hang out.

My most comfortable arrangement is when I focus on the melodies, key phrases and meaning and help shape the song as I visualize the narrative and who I am when I sing it. Sometimes it does lead to over-editing and I want it all to make sense right away... So having a caring and patient crew that is happy to come on the journey really helps. The other part is the music of course. It varies drastically how involved or not I am. With this record, I worked closely with my long-standing producer & friend Madeaux, who really knows my taste by now. I often go through his selection of beats, then we make additions and alternative arrangements.

Everything grows and evolves over the course of the song for sure, but I am excited to see what’s in store for me in the future as I move into more instant and digital expression and the metaverse and blend the traditional skills as a performer and art director with my digital manifestation.

photo credit: Jora Frantzis

shesaid.so: We know you also work with many other art forms. Tell us about your other art forms and how these connect with or feed into your music?

Viktoria: There aren’t many mediums I haven’t touched over the last decade. I really love expressing a multisensory story of a central character that informs other forms of creating, it has pushed me into developing many skills. I work at the front and behind the camera regularly. Physical performance through movement, singing is very close to me on a deep level.

I have enjoyed rehabilitating my body and pushing performance boundaries very much as someone who spent many years bed bound or unable to walk and exercise, doing extreme body training is invigorating. Like, look how far you have come, how you can master this biological entity haha. Art direction is my main other passion as I get to orchestrate a project or a story from a bird’s eye view. That ends up spilling over into many, many areas. I frequently curate a creative team, talent, work on marketing and branding, work on designs, styling and sometimes the production itself. But I also really love collaborating so these days I try to find like-minded people that are better than me and don’t mind me floating around the entire project and tweaking things as we go along.

I can’t ignore the more unspoken portion of my career of advancing post disability culture and social impact. It’s an odd place to be where on top of the obstacles you might face as a young amputee woman with no formal education everything you do ends up becoming a blueprint, or often analyzed by how it’s impacting the global landscape of what people think about disability.

I have had a lot of up and down feelings at times about becoming a representation for all people with disabilities, and while I fully love the fact that some of my work has been impactful on that level it is also a responsibility that comes with a lot of emotional baggage. I don’t believe in having heroes. I guess that’s what I’m trying to say. The less we put pressure on people to be perfect and idolize them, the more we can collectively view strengths and flaws in a more balanced way.

shesaid.so: Your bionic showgirl performance run at Crazy Horse Paris and your Rolls Royce campaign pre-pandemic: what do these moments mean to you as an artist then and now?

Viktoria: 2019 was iconic. All the skills I accumulated got to play at once like a symphony. I particularly loved these two projects because they are heritage brands that hold so much elegance and legacy, taking them on my trip to the future was a huge honor. Most importantly, that was a year where I truly got to be in charge, curating, designing, performing and steering big productions with a vision. It took so much trust and belief from those brands.

I genuinely believe those were historic moments in a fight for inclusivity.

shesaid.so: In your opinion, how could the music industry do better in terms of inclusivity and/or accessibility?

Viktoria: That’s a very tough question. Out of all creative industries, I find music is the most behind when it comes to accessibility and who gets to rise to the top. I genuinely hope that the huge wave of effort that’s taking place across the globe right now to make every voice visible and to hold people accountable for discriminating. But also the industry has been through hell and back. The way that music has been devalued, how a record that takes years and costs as much as a house can be expected to be out there for free. I think many people in the industry have a chip on their shoulder and working tactics seem pretty harsh in all of my experiences so far. I do however believe that the art of music will prevail and some form of regeneration will happen.

shesaid.so? We have a question for you from our previous featured artist: How do you feel as a citizen of the 21st century?

Viktoria: Honestly, I feel truly blessed. I look around and see so much good has been achieved since I was a kid; how many issues have been raised to the top. The opportunities, the knowledge at our fingertips and alternative ways of living, creating and making a living. The biggest thing now is for these micro-communities to keep the progress alive.

Visit Viktoria Modesta’s website

shesaid.so

Artist Spotlight #2: Sans Soucis

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Ahead of her Instagram live performance this Friday on shesaid.so’s Instagram, London-based artist, songwriter and producer, Sans Soucis, she tells us about honing production skills, authenticity and the value of a support network. Interview by Sorrel Salb

shesaid.so: How would you describe the evolution of your sound since you started releasing music in 2018?

At the very beginning of my career, my sound was definitely way more intimate, I would say shy but impactful and powerful. I started writing when I moved to London 6 years ago and my experience as an immigrant shaped my first steps into songwriting. When I started releasing music in 2018, I tried to exorcise the inability to tune into my real personality and identity because of a language barrier with the help of songwriting, which was the best form of therapy at that stage of my life.

The more I got back in touch with myself and got out of my shell, which was in a way a second traumatic childhood, I started feeling more confident about my songwriting and I finally stepped into the world of production in 2019.
Since then, my motto has always been: be authentic, be bold and be patient. My sound went from confessional songwriting with jazz infused moments to alternative pop with droplets of r&b, jazz orchestral textures and electronica.

I now see my sound as an ever-evolving universe that moves alongside the message I’m trying to deliver. I see my music as a movie and this vision helps my creativity thrive.

shesaid.so: All your music videos have such a beautiful aesthetic! You were involved in the directing or creative direction of some of them. Can you tell us a bit about your process when creating visuals to accompany your songs?

Thank you so much! I’m so grateful for the wonderful creatives with whom I had the pleasure to work for my music videos.

It’s definitely worth working with people that understand your long-term vision.

I usually would have a core idea and that would help me select the perfect partners for a project.

I see myself as a creative director and I love working alongside other creative directors and stylists in order to achieve an aesthetic that is refined, reflective of my work and experimental. Moodboards and briefs are key in this process.

shesaid.so: You’re playing your first headline show in September which is really exciting and you mentioned that your tribe has grown during the past year since you last performed live. What’s it been like seeing your audience grow during a time where you weren’t able to physically meet them?

Yes, I’m so excited to finally play live!! It’s been too long, honestly.

I am genuinely curious to see real people and perform for them, cause the support has been unreal. I feel like I haven’t had a chance to properly celebrate all of these milestones with the wonderful people who have been sharing my music.

Performing is my way to relive those moments of hard work that lead to a music release with a light heart and a way to get a tangible feel of how my music has impacted people, which is a moment of exchange really. Having been a little while now, I do feel some sort of pressure, which is good. That’s why I’m working really hard to make sure I get to that day with the most wonderful giving and receiving energy.

shesaid.so: What do you enjoy most about performing live?

I thoroughly enjoy those moments when it feels like there is no boundary between me and my audience. When it truly feels like we are one. I can’t really describe that feeling of oneness, it almost seems like we are rewriting the songs together, in the moment.

I find it really special the fact that a complete stranger could care so much about something I create in my own private time, and their willingness to make that creation theirs. It is empathy in motion.

shesaid.so: How did the ways in which you create change during the pandemic?

I definitely feel like the pandemic helped me hone my production skills.

I spent way more time than I used to on my computer, trying to experiment with sounds and ideas that I was holding back because the live aspect of my project used to be my priority.

I feel so much more confident and I believe I gained a lot more clarity around the kind of music I want to deliver. I’ve been working on details and on finishing projects, rather than obsessing over writing new material all the time. It’s nice to take breaks from that kind of mindset.

shesaid.so: Could you choose one word to sum up the first half of your 2021 and explain why you’ve chosen it?

Support-network — it was a really tough winter and to be completely honest, I was really unsure about the amount of support an independent artist of my size would get through such a tough time in history. Surprisingly, I received an overwhelming amount of nurturing from my management and so many generous organisations — Youth Music, Small Green Shoots and iluvlive more specifically — who never made me feel alone. Without them, I really don’t know how my mental health and career would be doing today. It is extremely difficult to make your voice heard when the diversification of outlets through which we share art have been reduced to a handful of digital platforms. It also feels quite isolating.

I am really grateful for the human resources I was offered and I can confidently say that they made a huge difference in my life.

shesaid.so: What’s your biggest goal for the second half of the year?

100% Completing the writing and production of my debut album :)

shesaid.so: Which personal value guides you most in the ways in which you approach your art and your career?

Authenticity, which for me means being true to who I am. That’s the only reality I truly know inside-out.

Generosity, which is the ability and the responsibility to share once I create. It forces me to exercise letting go of things in life. A very healthy practice for the ego and a way to fight self-indulgence.

Acceptance, which is the ability to embrace who I am at any given moment. It allows me to be more appreciative of my work and also more compassionate and patient, especially when confronting myself with ambitious masterplans.

shesaid.so: What would you say is the most valuable benefit of being part of the shesaid.so network, for artists specifically?

Growing up in this industry sometimes makes you feel like you’re just a drop in the ocean, especially if you’re part of a minority group. The chances of your personal experience being erased by misogyny, anti-blackness, systemic racism and anti-queerness are exceedingly high nowadays.

That’s why I believe that organisations such as Shesaid.so, by amplifying the voice of women and gender minorities in music, can definitely raise awareness around how diverse communities are and how much more representation we need at higher levels. Eventually resulting in opening more doors for people like me.

shesaid.so: We have a question for you from our last featured artist Dope Saint Jude: What part of the creative process brings you the most joy?

I’m the most happy when I know whatever I’m working on has reached the end of its journey and it is perfect just the way it is.

It’s like looking at yourself in the mirror and finally being able to love every single bit of your inside and outside without judgement. Enjoying that vision of yourself is an acknowledgement of our existence that makes us feel confident in who we are and present for ourselves, whichever stage we’re at.

It is a moment of profound acceptance. It tells you where you are, where you’ve been and it creates space for where you could be.

Catch Sans Soucis this Friday 18th live on shesaid.so Instagram

Sans Soucis Instagram