INTERVIEW: FAYE MEANA
Interview by PORTIA BRAJKOVIC
London-based singer-songwriter and producer Faye Meana already boasts a lengthy discography, but it’s only now that she feels she’s coming into her own. Late August saw the release of her EP, ninety8, an 80s-flavoured journey through the mind of a 20-something dealing with typical 20-something stuff, but turning these experiences into sounds that are upbeat yet heartfelt, and nostalgic yet contemporary. Read on for our chat with Faye: finding inspiration in landscapes and sounds, being a woman in the world of music production, and more.
Hey FAYE, how are you?
I'm great, I'm really good. I'm enjoying life, enjoying the sun.
FIRST OFF, Why music?
I've always done music. I started playing piano when I was five. I was classically trained, so my childhood was pretty taken up by playing piano and doing my grades. It was regimented and I wanted to be a pianist. When I was around 14, my dad bought a Mac with a little MIDI keyboard, and I just started messing around in Garageband, writing little things. Then, when I hit 16, I was like, ‘Okay, actually, I want to do this. I really enjoy it.’ I got my own computer and started working on Logic and really taking the production seriously, and learning. After, I went to music college and met a lot of really good contacts there. A few of the people that play in my band now are from college, actually.
YOUR SOUND HAS EVOLVED OVER YOUR CAREER - YOUR SOUL INFLUENCES REMAIN, BUT NOW HAVE MORE OF AN 80S LEAN, AND YOU’RE LESS DEFINED BY GENRE. WHAT’S DRIVEN THIS?
I've always been a real fan of electronic music and a massive fan of disco - that came from my mum. In terms of newer music, Little Dragon was kind of my first real influence when I was 14 or 15, where I was like, ‘I love this sound’. I've always really had that in me, but honestly, it was difficult for me to produce it back then. I couldn't get it right. I couldn't get the sound right. I didn't have as much skill, I guess. I do love, obviously, neo-soul and that kind of thing, and I think at the time it was much more attainable for me to write that kind of music. And I loved writing it, don't get me wrong. But I think now, where my skills have really come in, I can write the music that I want to write. So, I’d say that this is more the real Faye Meana sound. It does take time and growing up to hone in on what you really want to do.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE FAYE MEANA UNIVERSE AND SOUND IN THREE WORDS?
Heartfelt, because my music is very much a diary of all the things I'm feeling at that time. Electronic. And confident - I'm not afraid to make a change and do something different.
"Traveling inspires me a lot, especially when I’m in nature, whether it's by the sea, in the mountains- just somewhere where there's like a beautiful vista. I always find that I come back from a trip and I feel really inspired. Not so much if I've gone on a city break, but where I am right now, we're up in the hills and it's very serene. This is where a lot of inspiration comes to me. I brought some gear with me and I’ve been doing a little bit of writing, but it's usually when I get home, when I've reflected, that I'm ready to write.
At home, I get most inspired when I find a really sick song. If I come across an insanely good song that I'm obsessed with, I get so inspired, and not even just in that particular genre. It gives you a kick, like, ‘Oh, someone's made this and it's fucking sick’. Right now, ‘Photo ID’ by Remi Wolf is so addictive. There's also ‘Drifting’ by Night Tapes. I came across that song really randomly and I can't get it out of my head.”
— FAYE MEANA, ON INSPIRATION
how has your sound been shaped by your city?
Music in the UK, but also in London specifically, is very varied. You have your indie lane, your drill or grime lane, your afrobeats lane. Then, you have so many alternatives where they’re meshed together. There's a lot of young people doing indie versions of afrobeats, which you might not think to put together, but they sound so fucking good. In London, there's a freedom to put random genres together and end up with a really good thing, which I love.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR RECENT EP - ninety8! tell us about the process of creating this project?
I love putting out EPs. It’s the perfect way to consolidate a little chunk of my life. Once I'm done with one, I already start thinking about the next one. With ninety8, it took a bit longer. I feel like my last EP was the beginning, or the stepping stones, of finding my sound - there are a lot of disco, eighties, electronic elements in that. This project started with ‘On & On’. That was the first track where I knew I wanted to base the whole next EP around that sound. From there, it was kind of easy to carve out the vibe I wanted to go for. The rest trickled in over the last year-and-a-half-ish. I went through a period of really enjoying writing in Spanish. So, there are two songs with Spanish featured on them. That was a fun challenge for me. To speak in a language is one thing, and then to rhyme and fit the correct amount of syllables is a complete challenge. It was fun to challenge myself even though I knew it would take triple the amount of time to write.
YOU’RE A PRODUCER AS WELL. MUSIC PRODUCTION IS TYPICALLY A MALE-DOMINATED SPACE. WHY DID YOU START?
I started producing without the intention of becoming good at producing. I know it sounds really stupid, but I used to write songs on the piano when I was way younger, just little silly things. When my dad got that Mac, I was like, ‘Oh, it would be kind of fun for it to sound a bit different’. So, I was just doing it for myself, like as a hobby.
GarageBand is quite accessible, really. There are a lot of loops that you can use. It's pretty much laid out, like a dummy's guide. I was doing that for about two years, just messing around. And then I noticed myself improving, which encouraged me to actually try. It was all trial and error. I would click on random things and then bank that sound in my head, thinking, ‘if I want something to sound like this, I'll just come back to it’. But I'm not a technical producer. I’ve literally just done it by gut and testing things out, failing and then not failing basically.
What would we find on your Spotify playlist?
I’ve been listening to a lot of TV GIRL, and Tentendo (check out ‘Find My Way’, I reckon that’ll be my #1 on Spotify Wrapped). A lot of Rosalia.
STUDIO OR STAGE?
I have to say in the studio, writing!
I do actually really love performing live. I think when I first started out and realised that I would have to perform live, I was like, ‘What the hell? I can't do that.’ But, I've been doing it for years now, and I love it. My band is my friends and I've been playing with them for years. We have that connection that you feel like there's like this safety net behind you. So it feels so much more like there's literally no feelings when I'm, apart from happiness, obviously.
When I perform on stage, there's no like worry because it's like, I know they've got me. And even if I fuck up, they're going to know exactly where I am and where I need to be.
What’s next for you?
In the Winter, I’ll be doing lots of gigs in London. And my next big goal is getting a really sick support slot.
ddd