Tell us a few things about your new song “Someone”. What is the main idea behind it?
I wanted to write a motivational song to inspire people and show them that even a small change can have a massive impact. I feel if someone works hard and stays focused they can achieve their goals and I wanted this to come across in an uplifting song.
Which is your most personal and honest lyric?
“Now is your time to shine bright, Step out of darkness into your spotlight Make that move into your own groove, It might start bumpy but will end up smooth”
The first line is aimed at myself. It is a reminder to keep my head down and work hard at my craft. When I first started rapping, 17 years ago, it wasn’t very accepted in my small village so I didn’t give it as much effort as I wanted to. Now, luckily, things are different so I wanted to get focused and make the move into my own groove.
Do you have an artist that you would describe as a hidden gem that we should know about?
RíRa. He’s a rapper from Tullamore, Co. Offaly and the Godfather of rap in Ireland. His crew, Scary Eire, were formed in the 90’s and have led the way for loads of really talented rappers in the years since.
Is Spotify the music industry’s new Gatekeepers?
Unfortunately, yes. If you want your music heard, it has to be on Spotify. Everyone knows about it but not everybody knows about the lack of support for the artist. To get any bit of money from Spotify you would need massive listenership that only huge established artists would get.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
It’s definitely to just be yourself. A lot of talk in the hip hop community in Ireland is the use of American or English accents when rapping. For me, to be taken serious and to enjoy making and performing songs, I need to use my own voice and my own accent and talk about topics that are relevant to my life.
What is the story behind your new song “Sail Away”?
Luiza says: Sail Away was written in the summer, when we were all longing for a change of scenery after such a long COVID lockdown. I was dreaming about that lovely feeling when you step off a plane in a foreign country , and the air is hot and balmy, the trees are different and everything is telling you you’re somewhere refreshingly far away. That led to daydreaming about the lush, indulgent feeling of floating on the water without a care in the world…. so far removed from what life was actually like during lockdown in London- especially the home schooling!!!! So, it’s a song about escaping for a moment to have some “me” time, and how it’s not because you’re disregarding everyone else, but because you’re allowing yourself to prioritize yourself every once in a while.
Do you like the idea of collaborating? Is songwriting a lonely process?
Elisha says: I love it! There are so many great musicians out there that have so much to offer in terms of experience and perspective. I have gained so much from working with others. Songwriting has never seemed to be a lonely process for me because sometimes I prefer the solitude to dig deep inside, and then when I can share what I come up with, I experience a connection with the one I’ve shared it with.
Luiza says: As a saxophonist, I perform in a lot of bands and groups and I LOVE that, but it’s never my own music. Writing these songs has opened up a creative outlet that I hadn’t nourished for a long time, and I’m not going to stop!
What do you enjoy most? Writing music or performing your music live?
Elisha says: I much prefer writing music. I’m shy to perform.
Luiza says: Probably the best place I have been lucky enough to perform in has been the Royal Albert Hall in London, and also the famous jazz club Ronnie Scott’s was a big tick on my bucket list.
What would be your dream performance venue?
Elisha says: My dream performance venue would be if you were to set up a grand piano in a garden, under the shade of a tree, near water, and have the audience far enough away that I don’t notice them.
Luiza says: A dream venue would probably be a cool stadium gig- but our songs being sung!!!
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
Elisha says: Not everyone is going to love you, or like you. But those who do are special, so treasure them and forget the ones who don’t.
Luiza says: “Don’t expect anything to land in your lap.” My mum has been a huge inspiration to me, in terms of work ethic and never ever giving up, and rolling with the punches. She’s also made sure my sisters and I have always been very grateful for any opportunity and experience that has presented itself. Something I live by, and am constantly drilling into my son is “never be responsible for ruining anyone’s day.”
What is the best concert you have ever been to?
Elisha says: As a Canadian piano player, I quickly became a huge fan of Diana Krall. She performed at the Jubilee in Calgary. She walked out on stage in a pretty dress, bent down to pick up her earring that she had lost during rehearsal, sat down at the piano, set the earring on the edge of the piano, and then started playing. She didn’t stop once. No intermission, no breaks. She just played all the way through her set, as I sat there with my jaw in my lap. She was amazing. Plus she had the coolest merch I’ve ever purchased from an artist.
Luiza says: I thought Foo Fighters at Wembley was amazing, and I got free tickets once to Madonna’s show in Wembley arena, which was inspiring in terms of sheer inventiveness and stage presence. But in all honestly, the best ever show was probably my first ever big stadium gig at 17, when I saw Bon Jovi, supported by Van Halen. The combination of my mad crush on Jon Bon Jovi (!!) and love of the band, plus it being my first mega gig, blew my mind and was a formative music loving experience.
Tell us a few things about your new EP Doors. What is the story behind it?
Doors EP is the first step of my solo career after more than a decade of making music. It’s just the beginning and I wanted to start off with important topics for me such as abandon, money, motivation and nostalgia.
Which is your most personal and honest lyric?
Call Me is very personal, even though I never make up anything in my lyrics. I hate lies, I hate when people be cappin’ in the lyrics, saying things they’ve never done or they don’t even think. All of what I write is raw, honest and most likely related to someone if I’m talking about a person.
Do you have an artist that you would describe as a hidden gem that we should know about?
Yes I have many: if you like dubstep check MVMMOTH out, if you like Spanish R’n’B/ alternative I have Siempre Best or Veve Milah for you, if you like Italian music go listen to Enrico Nadai and if you like Alternative Pop Francesca Monte is going to be your first go to artist. For some serious drumming look for: Daniel Baiolla, for EDM listen to Vursov, Luis Rodriguez, Juliann James and for chill techno listen to Raphael Karell.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?
Being able to pursue my artist career has always been quite hard. We still live in a dimension where artists are not seen as professionals until huge success. I really hate it and I hope I can change this sick vision that many people have towards artists and the music industry in general. Every artist should become an entrepreneur at an early stage of their career and think big. This was the hardest part for me to figure out, it took a lot of sacrifices and time to be able to write, produce, release and promote my music.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Learn every aspect of your job, don’t waste any minute of your time, don’t chase or change for somebody and don’t look for shortcuts.
You’d give up making music for…
In case not making music could save lives, I would stop. But until now it’s always been the opposite so I guess I’d never give up making music.
Tell us a few things about your new song “Over Me”. What is the main idea behind it?
Amapiano is an amazing new South African House hybrid that is sweeping is the globe and a sound I heavily support during my DJ sets. Over Me is my attempted stamp on the sound and couldn’t have been achieved without the amazing vocals of Roses Gabor.
What first got you into music?
I can remember watching Michael Jackson music videos when I was about 4 years old – that is was started my love for music and wanting to make my own.
Favourite album of the past decade?
Has to be Juls – Sounds of My World. Juls is someone that has really inspired my musical journey and has done a lot for African music in the UK. His debut album Sounds of My World is a masterpiece in my opinion.
What would you change in the music industry?
I would like more to be done in raising awareness of the mental health implications that working in the music industry can lead to.
In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
Tell us a few things about your new song ” Dillon Blue”. What is the main idea behind it?
Dillon Blue was written as I started to fall in love with my boyfriend. It had gotten deeper than just physical and that’s what the song is really about. The deeper emotions that linger after being intimate with someone.
What first got you into music?
My mom. She loved performing around our house growing up and being a mamas boy I wanted to always make her proud.
What do you enjoy most? Writing music or performing your music live?
Performing because it gives you the chance to really connect with other people and share your art.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?
The finances. Paying for everything myself from studio time, mixing, mastering, distribution, promotion, marketing, website building, music videos. It’s a lot to put on one person.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
Only do this until it becomes not fun anymore.
What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
Umm well in music it was trusting the wrong label execs and producers. Being locked into contracts that didn’t give me a way out. That ended up hurting my career for multiple years.
Tell us a few things about your new song “Come Home”. What is the main idea behind it?
Come Home is a song written for those who power through long distance relationships at the surface but at its core of was written with many themes in mind ranging from the relationship between parents and their children growing children to the Trail of Tears. It was written in such a way that allows the listener to relate in their own way through their own experiences as well.
For which lyric you are most proud of?
I’d have to say the cchorus. This was the first part of the song that s written and the whole song was written around it. Initially the words were, “You’re Never alone, and you can always come home” with a slight variation in the melody. Once i has the idea to flip it around, everything fell into place and the song was completed shortly after.
Favourite album of the past year?
I’ve been enjoying the latest releases from Little Simz and Tyler, The Creator
What would you change in the music industry?
Continue to up the revenue for streaming royalties.
In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
I write for various different moods. People can relate if they’re happy, frustrated, in the mood or just want to vibe. There’s a little something for everyone throughout the catalogue.
What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
shrugs I’ve gotten into fights before when I was younger. Usually due to standing up for someone though so, worth it.
How many beats do you listen to before you end up using one? Tell us a few things about your creative process and your song “Your Home.”
When it comes to how many beats I listen to. I usually do not count because it is always different; sometimes, the feeling and connection come with the first beat I listen to; other times, I connect with the second or the third. But one thing is for certain I don’t sit down and listen to 10+ beats to choose one of them. The number is between 1-I work with a producer named FlipTunesMusic, and I’m a member of his subscription program where he sends the beats he produces per/month so. For example, he produced six beats in November, so I will be getting them all along with an unlimited license for me to use. Let us talk about my creative process; I’m a visual-impaired artist. I write my own lyrics, record my own vocals in my home studio, do some basic mixing, and develop ideas for my artwork. It all starts with me visualizing what I want to do before stepping behind the mic. So when I sit down to write the lyrics, I start visualizing myself recording the vocals and applying FX on them like delay reverb, stutters, Beat drops, flangers, Risers, and all the good stuff. Once I feel that everything is falling into place, I step behind the mic and start recording, applying all I can when it comes to mixing. Don’t forget I’m visually impaired, so I’ll always need the touch and guidance of an engineer in the final product. As soon as I finish recording and applying all I can, I send the rough mix to an amazing and talented engineer that I work with that goes by the name Larry Ohh! With the rough mix, a blueprint contains all the notes and instructions of what I want to be done in that specific mix; while all of this is going on, my designer also receives a blueprint that includes the exact specifications for the artwork. Your home is my latest release and has a special place in my heart. Whenever I record a song, I make sure that it touches a specific audience since I promote myself as a visual-impaired artist who creates a catalog that includes 400% love, 400% romance, and 200% of all that Is between. So my vision is to create something that speaks to everyone and awakens the need to connect with whatever they are listening to. Your home talks about the fact that no relationship is 100% perfect; thus, people shouldn’t be afraid of problems within their relationships because hope is always present to correct whatever mistakes that our partners or we make no matter how destructive they are, there is always a chance to bounce back and start over, Light always awaits us at the end of the tunnel. Most of the time, problems can make us stronger since we’ll be learning new things about our other half. The idea spills into the artwork and not only the song itself. If you pay close attention to the artwork, there are light blue and dark blue. The light blue represents our home’s typical environment, while the dark blue represents an entirely different world that we don’t know anything about. Also, there are two orcas; the one with the headset represents me, while the other one is my partner. You’ll notice that the orca with the headset is drawn to be smaller than the other one; the idea behind this is to show the distance between us, while the close-up on the other orca signifies the speed of her slipping away and never looking back. Yet the other orca doesn’t step into the new world, and it stops in the last second, symbolizing that there is always hope to fix whatever is broken. There is always the possibility to sit down and talk. All can be fixed if we’re willing to make an effort, no matter how dire the situation.
For which lyric are you most proud of?
I’m proud of all my lyrics. When I first started writing, I began as a poet and novel writer, but in January 2021, I transitioned to songwriting. My work still needs improving, and there is always room for development, so we’ll see what happens in my future releases.
Favourite rapper, lyricist, and producer?
Personally, my favorites are T-pain Lil Wayne, Chris brown D.Brown Raven justice Flo Rida Jason Derulo Timbaland, and the list goes on.
What does hip hop symbolize, in your opinion?
Hip Hop is a form of music that allows me to express myself and also allows me to connect with more people. My goal is to stand out among the crowd and do something unique, so whenever people listen to it, they immediately know that it is orca behind the mic and hip hop gives me this opportunity to go out there and do what I love the most to me Hip Hop is the friend that will never betray me and will always stay by my side no matter what . What is the best advice you’ve been given?
When it comes to music, the advice I was given is to stay away from it. I’m from Jerusalem, and English isn’t my mother tongue, so the audience that listens to the type of music I create is pretty small, but this doesn’t mean that I should give up. Instead, I keep pushing and moving forward until I can finally create the movement that I’m always dreaming about, A movement where people can enjoy what I make and will help me create more music. So if it comes down to me and what advice I should give to other artists: never give up, keep on going because all of us can do it, and make our musical dreams come true.
One last thing we should know about you?
Of course, it is crucial to point out that I’m, as mentioned above, a visually-impaired artist. I suffer from two sight conditions, and I only see with one eye with less than 20%. I write my own lyrics, record my own vocals and come up with ideas for my artwork designs. I also run my own website and do the advertising as well. All this is very time-consuming and burns out whatever sight I have left, so I wish people could support me and help me focus on creating music because we all know that music cannot become known unless it spreads first. An artist without people backing them up isn’t destined to succeed in this industry, so my only hope is to build the movement of those who’ll enjoy what I create and are always ready to come back for more people than I can connect with and know more about what I want to make isn’t something temporary or one-sided I want to reach out to all of you and be able to grow with you as I go.
Tell us a few things about your new song “PCH”. What is the main idea behind it?
“PCH” is the song playing as you’re driving home from a long weekend at the beach – you drank one too many margaritas and fell in love with someone who lives 800 miles away. It was never your intention, but you couldn’t help yourself. Now you’re checking the rearview, thinking about all of the exciting mistakes you just made
What is the story behind your name?
We actually have another project called Tidal Babes – total bubblegum surf punk. One of the singles we released is called “Bam” and there’s a line in that song where I say, “k thanks, bye!” We liked that as a name and thought it would be a fun little Easter egg for people that are fans of both projects
What do you enjoy most? Writing music or performing your music live?
Oooh that’s tough. Each one has its own kind of magic. When we’re in the studio building a song, there will be these insane moments when all of our neurons are firing and everything comes together in a spark of clarity. There’s nothing quite like that high. Songwriting is such an intimate way to connect with a person, and it always brings us closer together. Playing live is so much fun though. We haven’t been able to play live shows with K THX BYE yet, but we’ve all played together in so many different projects over the years that we know we vibe well live. We’ve been doing so much studio work lately and have all really been enjoying that, but of course we can’t wait to play out when the time is right
What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?
I think there’s a very communal sense amongst artists that living through a pandemic has been the biggest challenge as of yet
In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?
Our music is pretty easy to connect to, so I see it fitting in lots of situations – at some hip loft party in New York City, at a fashion show, or just in your apartment having a dance party with your besties
What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
Haha, that doesn’t seem like a safe question to answer… I like adventure, and with that can come trouble. I find myself there often and I embrace it as part of the process. I’ll spare you the details
Tell us a few things about your new song “I Found It”. What is the story behind it?
“I found it” is a part of 3 album collection, Eyes closed, Hidden and mind open. I found it is in the Hidden album. Story so far tells about death of a friend and how life felt during the Corona isolation and how I get over it. It was written as kind of healing music for people that might find help from knowing that they are not alone in their feelings. “I found it” starts the passageway out of the noise and dark industrial world towards musical world where Eyes closed album ended. There are still shadows hanging in the Hidden theme, but we are quite close to musical world.
Do you like the idea of collaborating? Is songwriting a lonely process?
Yes, I l would love to collaborate. I found incredible singer Llany Arias who has been very central part for most of the releases. It keeps you grounded when you work with real people. There just isn’t that many people out there interested in experimenting, it takes loads of time and effort to do something properly. And yes, songwriting is lonely process. And really weird process where you are writing for the future that you can not predict.
Favourite album of the past decade?
Forest Agates from Deca. It is really difficult to find new music, but I listened what he had to say and liked the message and production.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced as an artist so far?
Everything has a cost. I produce everything alone and each sound has a price tag. I was lucky to get good master for this one, but to keep costs low you need to learn to mix and master. It is mind numbing equation if you are just producing art and got no sales.
Which book should we read while listening to your music?
Nine Princes in Amber from Roger Zelazny.
You’d give up making music for…
Could start doing game or movie music, but giving up music is no option
HipHop Paranoia 