Hi and thank you for taking your time to talk about my music. The story behind this one is pretty damn personal. I mean, it is - of course a love song but to me it is so much more. I wrote it in the perspective of someone who is really close to me and went through this typical phase after a breakup where you just don't really understand why or what even happened. I tried to give her back the power in the bridge because - to me - there is still hope for her. If only she learned how to move on and let go. Even if she didn't achieve that yet in real life, in my story - she does.
Just like all of my songs, this one started out on acoustic guitar. Just a pen, my six string and myself really. In case you want to hear an acoustic version of it, you can go to my Instagram @thisisauradavis – it’s my most recent post.
- How would you describe your sound?
My music comes from a pure and honest place. I’m not much for overproduction, like as said, I always just sit and write – often on the floor. And that feeling is something I want to keep in my music. But the main theme is definitely bold, vulnerable yet feministic somehow. I always like to say, imagine Taylor Momsen, Grace potter, Steven Wilson and Taylor Swift locked up in a room. It’s a mix of female boldness, strong vocals, meaningful lyrics and sometimes unusual not so pop like arrangements.
- What do you write about?
I write about everything really. The main theme is the feeling of not really fitting into this world. I also tend to take perspective – like, a lot. I write about things that happen in my life or sometimes about stuff that happens to the ones that are close to me. It doesn’t always have to be my own story. I mean, there are millions of interesting thoughts out there and I’d be a fool to say only my thoughts count when it comes to music. When a feeling hits you, it hits you. That can be anything from something I go through, a feeling provided by a character in books or movies or elsewhere or even something my friends experienced.
- What do you listen to when you are home?
I’d say a constant is definitely guitar sounds. I’m a prog-rock fan at heart. My main music library consists of Porcupine Tree, Riverside, Katatonia, Soen or Tool, stuff like that. But then there are also artists like Melissa Etheridge, The Pretty Reckless, Grace Potter that keep me going. And then sometimes, there’s a little Pop take over too. I love Julia Michaels for the way she writes. I adore Michelle Branch for her unique and unapologetic style. And yeah, I mean Taylor Swift with her ability to turn words into gold. I think this list sums it up pretty well 😊
- Your favourite live performance so far?
HA! Good one. I started to put music out right before the pandemic hit. Like really! I’ve been to Mallorca for recordings the day they closed the island two years ago. And ever since, I couldn’t bring my music on the road. The only “live” – which isn’t really live at all – happens on my social media. Now as things slowly go back to normal, I was finally able to make plans for little gigs here and there. I look very much forward to that.
- Tell us a funny story that happened in studio or on stage
Well, after reading the above you’ll know I won’t share a stage story here for now. But what I definitely can do is share something from the studio. If you follow my Instagram, you know by now I’m the proud owner of two very loud but cute Bengal cats. They absolutely hate it when I look at the doors. Oh, maybe I should mention that I’ve got my own record studio at home. We rebuilt my whole attic space in order to not be dependent on leaving the house while this virus is going around. So back to my cats. As said, they absolutely HATE it when I close doors in front of them. And Luiz, the younger one has figured out how to open doors. And so, while recording my single “Unbroken” a while ago, there was a moment where I was really focused to lay down the harmonies for my back vocals when all of a sudden, he just decided to jump and sneak in. I was so damn focused that I honestly almost had a heart attack because he is NOT SILENT AT ANY TIME. One thing led to another.
He jumped. I freaked. He got scared of me freaking. We both screamed. The mic fell and we had a very weird recording of my cats and my vocals with a string reverb on it. The mic is okay though^^
- Your favourite albums?
Porcupine Tree:
• The Incident
• Stupid Dream
• In Absentia
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals:
• This Is Somewhere
Melissa Etheridge
I can’t name just one. Or four. It’s simply impossible.
That woman is a force of nature.
- A musician you would like to meet for a beer?
Taylor Momsen and Melissa Etheridge.
- What would you ask for backstage, if you were the most important band on earth?
A Caesar salad OR a big fat cheddar cheeseburger. And maybe a soy matcha latte and a whole fucking lot of water.
- What are your plans for the near future?
I am currently writing my debut album. Until that, I will release a couple new songs this year to show the world where my album will go musically. And then, of course, finally play some fucking live gigs. Not on my Instagram ^^ 😊
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Interviews