What is your name?
Cloudy Galvez.
What is your genre of music?
Acoustic soul with a bit of pop and modern jazz.
Give us a little bio about you.
I grew up playing music; my grandma taught me to play piano, and at eleven, when that wasn’t enough, I started ‘borrowing’ my brother’s old classical guitar. Not long after, I heard KT Tunstall’s first album, ‘Eye To The Telescope’. That was the moment I thought to myself, wow, she has a sound. I play music, I write songs, but I don’t have a sound. So I’ve been working ever since to find my sound, and I think I’m starting to find it. I’ve been lucky with my opportunities to develop myself as an artist; I used to be a youth mentor on the charity project Motivated By Music, funded by Youth Music, and have pretty much lived in studios since I was thirteen. I’ve been completely immersed music since I was a kid really, and especially now going to the London College of Music, I’ve been able to spend almost all of my time getting involved in the music industry.
Are you a signed?
No, at the moment I’m totally independent.
You work with DittoMusic, how did that come about?
I’ve been in touch with Ditto for a little while, and originally I just asked for some feedback on my website and general online presence. Then, when I had finished creating my new EP, I sent it over to them just to see if they liked it. Luckily for me, they did! So now we’re working together on it, which is pretty awesome. Everyone over there is absolutely lovely, couldn’t ask for a better team really.
You are releasing NEW EP ‘Dust Under A Rug’ tell us more about it.
This EP is so close to my heart, I’m so excited that it’s finally out in the world. The title track is quite a personal song for me, and seeing it get some love online has been the coolest feeling. It’s about going through a hard time, and opening up to people about it, only to have them sweep it under the rug. That heavy lyrical content set against an upbeat, groovy backing, creates a nice juxtaposition and sure makes for an interesting conversation! The next track, ‘Same Hurt’, is definitely a diary entry for me; I can’t even remember what I was annoyed about when I wrote it, but it made for a pretty catchy melody! And the final track, ‘See The Sunrise’, was recorded live, as I wanted there to be a little piece of me in my most organic form on this EP. I wanted it to feel like the listener is right there in the room with me, as this song was written at the summer solstice gathering at Stone Henge a few years ago. It was a personal epiphany for me, the realization that it’s okay to mess up sometimes, as the sun is always going to rise again the next morning, so there’ll always be a chance to make up for whatever it is you’ve done.
How long did it take to write?
Well, the title track actually took the longest. It changed its vibe a few times, but when I started playing it with my live band, it really found its feel. I’d say it took about six months to get it right. The other two were pretty instant; I wrote ‘See The Sunrise’ as an improvisation at first, and lucky for me I recorded it as I went! ‘Same Hurt’ was just because I had a spare half an hour, but as soon as I wrote it, I took it straight to the band the next day. They felt the groove of the track almost instantly, and by the end of our rehearsal we had a clear idea of where the track was headed. The tracks were written across about two years.
what was the recording process like?
The recording process was absolutely amazing. We recorded at SoundLab with James Horwood, who is the nicest guy on the planet. It was definitely hard work, as we’d get to the studio at 10am and wouldn’t leave til pretty late in the evening, but it was so much fun I didn’t mind. The studio is my favourite place to be and has been since I was young, and being in a new studio is always exciting. All in all we spent around two weeks recording and mixing.
Describe the tracks in two words.
Catchy and honest.
Do you have any shows coming up, if so where will you be heading?
Yes! I have my next one at One Bourbon in West Hampstead on 28th September.
Where can tickets be purchased?
It’s free entry!
What made you go in to music?
In all honesty, I have no idea. Music has always been a part of me; my mum always tells people that I was singing nursery rhymes as a baby before any of my friends could even talk. My love of music and sound has always been in my blood, so for me it’s never been a question of why do I do it, but more how can I do it all the time, haha!
Do you play any instruments?
I do yes. I play piano, guitar, sing, and just recently I’ve been getting into production a little. When I was much younger I used to play the French horn and the violin, both of which I’m pretty keen to pick back up again.
Who are your influences?
KT Tunstall, Estas Tonne and Tracy Chapman are my main three. All of them have albums that are so significant for me and have really inspired my sound.
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
I treat song-writing as a form of escapism; whenever I have any emotion, be it positive or negative, the first thing I turn to is my guitar or my piano. Letting it out to myself in song helps me to deal with whatever situation I’m in and keep myself fairly level-headed. Loads of the songs I write never see the light of day.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Hopefully being able to make music for a living and play around Europe, I’d so love to perform and make myself a life out there, particularly because it’s nice and sunny! I think the European market would enjoy my sound, so that’s the goal really.
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
I’m a third year student at uni, but I study music management, so music has its hooks in every part of my life. I also work in music management, so it’s pretty much a constant for me.
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
‘Heal Over’ by KT Tunstall. It’s such an underrated song from her first album, and it was one of the first songs to give me goose bumps. When I first heard it, I was so sure that I wanted to make music that would give other people the same feeling I was having.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Trust your gut. Because the way I play live is so different, I’ve had a lot of people try to help me by giving their opinion on it, which is great, but it turned into something that I was doing just to please everyone else. The moment someone who was actually in the industry told me to trust my gut and make the music I want to make, everything changed for me. I started performed with much more confidence and conviction, and I was just a lot more comfortable on stage. It made all the difference.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
Keep creating. It can be so disheartening getting the knockbacks that all young musicians inevitably get when they’re just starting out, but it’s so important to keep making music. I truly believe that when your music is really ready, and it’s really on the first step of that journey to being the best it can be, then you’ll make some noise in the industry. So keep creating, because if you stop making music, you’ll stop developing as an artist, and you’ll stop being proud of the work you’re producing.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Ever since I was little, my dad has always had this saying ‘slowly, slowly, to catch a monkey.’ Now, he’s Colombian so I’m not entirely sure this has been translated properly, but it essentially means ‘slow and steady wins the race’. My family are all believers in the idea that if you keep your head down and work hard for what you want, then eventually you’ll get there.
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Ear defense is number one. I hate the idea of losing my hearing someday, so I take my ear protection with me everywhere I go, just in case! Next up is a capo, as I always need that for my set. Next is an extra jack, as you never quite know whether the venue will have enough, or whether the other artists on the lineup will need one. I also always take a bottle of water for the way home, and finally I’ll take some promo material, as I’m always having to explain how to spell my name!
I’m most active on twitter, I do have Facebook and Instagram as well.
