Diandra Interviews More Giraffes: Your Uniqueness Is Your Strength

The music industry is truly reflective of humanity, in part, because it will say it wants one thing, but can settle for the other. It says it wants artists that are different, but struggles to protect and believe in the prosperity of someone that cannot be formulated. More Giraffes is 100% unique, and their debut album, It Was A Joke, is a celebration of the idiosyncrasies and ironies of being human. In our interview, we discuss confidence and coolness as derived from an individual’s uniqueness.  

Diandra: What was the inspiration behind your debut EP title: It Was A Joke?

Keeley: We have a lyric;I know I stole you bike/ It was a joke/ I get kind of high sometimes. We thought it was a funny line, and sums up the project for us. It is supposed to be light-hearted.

Diandra: Your songs are all about feeling great even when your life can be a mess. How do you maintain your confidence despite the natural struggles of being a rising artist?

Keeley: Good question! (Laughs). The thing you most have to remember is that your uniqueness is your strength. When your rising, people are not going to really “get it” at first. Your originality will carry you through.

Mark: You have to give yourself a pep-talk, puff up your chest a bit, and say, “I can get this.” Even if you do not feel confident, you have to act confident. Fake it till you make it.

Diandra: You use a lot of metaphors to describe the struggles to be confident. What about fantasy helps deal/ reflect better reality?

Mark: We want our audience to feel like they are taking a journey. Metaphors are good for placing an image in people’s head. We want our music to always be bright and fun both sonically and visually.

Diandra: How would, specifically, define cool and confidence?

Keeley: I think cool is actually not. We love the vision of the anti-hero, and redefining the idea of cool as yourself. It is not accepting what the masses define as cool as much as what is cool about you as an individual.

Diandra: So what of your music represents your coolness?

Keeley: I think our music represents the best of our personalities. Writing for this project is almost like a pep talk for myself. It is a real positive, and I felt like I can do anything.

Mark: It really does build up the positive. it brings out the best of our personalities, and shows how we view music as this thing that brings positivity to the world. It helps us say “the hell” with what other want from us, and gives us the chance to spread positivity.

Diandra How do you maneuver through an industry that tries to tell artists a formula?

Keeley: Well, the thing about us is that we do follow a pop formula but we are also different. We are not indie. We go for the pop-sphere, and, hopefully, turn it on its head. I think we are really interested in different production styles, textures, and themes that are not always touched upon in pop.

Mark: We also surround ourselves with people that really get the project and vibe with it. It is a really crazy world, the music industry, and you need to find people that your music speaks to that can guide you.

Diandra: How do you keep each other grounded?

Keeley: I think we were each other’s testing ground for how to collaborate and empower, challenge, and push someone creatively.

Diandra: Your sound can be very futuristic. What are your visions for the future?

Mark: We want people to be happy. We want people to hear other people, and our music reflects the future and how we care about life. We are both vegan. We both care about the environment. We believe in community. So it speaks to our vision of the future by spreading positive vibes. We want people to feel good after they hear us, and feel empowered enough to values themselves and others.

Keeley: Our EP is about being an outsider and celebrating that, which I think is a feeling that relates to  dealing with social issues.