Diandra Interviews Defoe: Turning Your Childhood Passion Into A Profession
When you hear Defoe’s music, it is incredibly unique. Her sound is a performance piece, of which she approaches each song with a new veil of humanity. Such richness and distinction has come from, literally, being a child star. Thus, in our interview, we discuss what it is to have your talent be a profession and a passion from a young age.
Diandra: You have said your favorite part about making music is the adventure a song can take you through. What is your favorite “song adventure” and how do you think it speaks to who you are?
Defoe: My favorite was ‘Black Metal Romance’. It started off by having an aim to literally write a black metal style song (ha ha.) My friend Aitor Saraiba (artist from Spain) loved black metal, and I wanted to challenge myself in making music from a different genre. As soon as I chose a chord and hummed a melody, the song took over and wanted to go an entirely different direction. I followed the trail, which led me to result in an over dramatic, almost, spaghetti-western style song. It was a pleasant surprise.
Diandra: What is one adventure you wish to put into music?.
Defoe: I would like to take a cover and transform it. Been itching to do that for a long time now. Maybe, possibly make a song out of a classical piece with vocals like Nicholas Godin (Other half of the band AIR) did for Sebastian Bach on his solo record ‘Contrepoint’.
Diandra: You have said the hardest part about making music is “editing” and making sure you don’t go “too far.” What has the editing process of creating music made clearer, to you, about your instincts as an artist?
Defoe: Say, if I’m editing guitar or a clap, one tiny ,millisecond of where the transient lands can completely change how it hits in the song. Sometimes, I like to purposefully lay it way back in the pocket to have an almost drunken feeling. I’ll even close my eyes and push it around the wave to find the ‘sweet spot’. Sometimes, a cello part was recorded to fit in a verse, but if I move it to the bridge or a chorus instead – it can completely transform a song where it reacts differently to the other chords and instruments in a very pleasant way. You can keep building and building. Knowing when to pull back and stop is the challenge. I have so much fun in this phase of an album.
DEFOE – ‘TOO SOON TO CRY’ (Official Album Sampler)
Diandra: You are very open about your struggles with anxiety and depression, and how you combat it by connecting with others and creating music. What is one connection you gained through dealing with your anxiety and a song you made by facing your depression?
Defoe: Making music is very therapeutic for me. Building anything like a story or wall of sounds keeps me grounded. I really encourage others to get out of their head and create. It’s great for anxiety and depression. My music can be very dramatic and visual. It’s nice to be able to get that energy out in the form of art that others enjoy.
Diandra: What was the inspiration and creative process for “Too Close To Cry”?
Defoe: I had a lot of songs I had half way finished for some time. It seemed like such a shame to let them stay hidden on my hard drives. I made each song in different phases of my life and wanted to finish them! Some of them needed choruses and others needed bridges. This album was a way for me to show myself that all my past work was not in vain. It can be very daunting and disheartening when an artist doesn’t put out their work. I grew up and refused to kick the dirt around any longer. This album, for me, was very freeing. Freedom from the chains I put myself in. It represents all my past struggles and weird phases I’ve been through. I feel free from my past and I now I have the freedom to make fresh new music. I’m already super eager to get started!
Diandra: You stay silent before a performance. How do you feel silence is calming and even empowering in your life?
Defoe: My general thought patterns run very fast in my day to day life. Anxiety is an energy that is also pretty fast-paced energetically. So when I slow down that thought process, it almost becomes too slow of a space for anxiety to creep into. I’ve just learned to control it better that way.
Diandra: Having been in and working in music since you were a child, what is one of the first lessons you learned about the music industry?
Defoe: That child singers and actors work very hard.
Diandra: Describe a moment in your career when you felt like a “star. ”
Defoe: Well, I’ve never really felt like a star. I don’t think I ever really will, but definitely during the music video shoot for the song ‘Something’s Happening’ (Soon To be released). I had a full crew of super talented people, all at the top of their game, and they were all fresh from major motion picture films and other awesome music videos from major artists. We had the Alexa camera that ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘A Star Is Born’ was filmed with, cranes – basically the full high production setup. Also filming in the same location as Batman’s ‘Dark Knight’ and a Lady Ga Ga music video was pretty cool. I was in awe at the whole experience.
Diandra: What are the commonalities and differences between the radio pop world of the Philippines and the U.S.? What do you feel is universal to music?
Defoe: I feel like the Philippines doesn’t judge people as harshly. Filipinos are happy to let their hair down, and they don’t worry too much about whether what they’re doing is cool or not. I’m still in the process of trying to break in the U.S. So I’m not sure about this part of the question yet. But music is a universal language that doesn’t need lessons to understand. Even plants react to different genres of music differently. It’s super fascinating!
Diandra: When you look back on starting a singing career, so young, what would be your advice to your child if they chose to do the same?
Defoe: Record yourself as you sing to know what you need to improve on. Everyone’s vocal chords are different, so if you can’t sing like a certain artist you like – invent your own style based on your strengths. Don’t beat yourself up. Keep mastering your craft and know your styles and tastes will change along the way. Thank you very much for this wonderful interview!
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