DREAM POP/SOUL ARTIST ‘ LAYLA’ IS DROPPING HER NEW ALBUM ‘SAVED’ ON THE 30TH NOVEMBER AND I GET THE LOW DOWN ON THE WRITING/RECORDING AND INSPIRATIONS BEHIND IT ALL, GIVE IT A READ HERE!

 

What are your names?
Layla
Layla Kardan

 

 

 

What is your genre of music?
Dream Pop / Soul

 

 

 

Give us a little bio about you.
I am citizen of the world. A wanderess hungry for life with many interest. Music gives wings to my imagination. Music for me is a medium to express my emotions and the things I want to share with the world.

 

 

 

What made you go in to music?
After watching Jungle Book as a kid I was so interested in jazz and music in general. As far back as I remember I have always been passionate about music.

 

 

Are you a signed?
I am an independent artist released under my own name and distributed globally by AudioSalad.

 

 

 

Your set to drop your new record,tell us more about it.
Saved is an intimate and raw album about my plight to go up against social conventions as a Middle Eastern woman. The songs on the album express the vulnerability of being a woman and celebrate the power found within through introspection and breaking free from the expectations of community.
It’s called Saved because I saved myself from living a life that wasn’t reflective of who I wanted to be and what made me happy. When I found my power and voice I really came into my skin. Realised I had been stifled for too long. It was kind of like a rebirth which is why the album starts with a mantra addressing the “Goddess” within. It’s written by a friend who is an incredible poet and writer, Andrea Balt. I read the mantra and it spoke to me immediately and it really sets the tone and puts the album into context.
After completing this album I felt a deep exhale of the shit that didn’t serve me to make space for light and truth.
 

 

When can we expect it and where can we pre-order/buy?
I have already released three singles from the album on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music and Anghami. The full album “Saved” will be available on all major platforms on the 30th November 2018

 

 

 

What was the writing process like?
I co-wrote and produced the album with an amazing artist from New Zealand – Rebecca Mason Melrose aka Miloux. I heard her music online and straight away knew she’d be the one to bring my vision to life. I reached out to her and she was keen to collaborate. And so it was a process of discovering each other and our respective cultures. I wrote poems that served as a base for the songs we wrote as part of my journey. It was a learning experience for me as it is my first album but also very therapeutic as I was able to be vocal about how I was feeling for so many years but was unable articulate it.

 

 

 

What was the recording process like?
Strenuous and quick. I flew to Auckland, New Zealand and recorded in a quaint and warm studio with an amazing sound engineer. There has been a lot of big names go through there and I was sure I’d be in good hands without even seeing the space or meeting the sound engineer. It was amazing to be in Auckland – nature inspires me and I felt inspired by my surroundings. I jumped in the studio and banged out 12 tracks in 5 days with all the harmonies and ad libs. So it was like 3 tracks per day for 4 days and on the 5th day we marked and reviewed the tracks.

 

 

 

What is the message you want listeners to take from the Album?
“Never without, I look within” that’s one of my favourite lyrics off the album. That you don’t need the validation of others to feel whole, that with inward journeying you have the answers to all your questions.

 

 

 

Describe each track in two words
Rebirth (Interlude) – Poem Spiritual
Goddess – Sensual Vulnerability
Way I Feel – Edgy Bass
Higher – Melodic Floaty
Ego (interlude) – Rebirth Tribal
Nothing At All – Attitude Ethnic
Save Myself – Soft yet Bold
All of Me – Power Persian
Exhale (interlude) – jazzy spring
All the Beauty – Dark Light
Just Breathe – Spiritual Gentle
Closer – Sexy Playful
Stay – Yearning Provocative
I’ll Wait- Strange Melody
Golden – Emotional Drama

 

 

 

What else can we expect from you this year and in 2019?
I have already started writing again and am working. It might be an album or an EP – haven’t decided how I will deliver it yet, but I am loving the style.

 

 

 

Do you have any collaborations coming up with any up coming artists?
AM working on some exciting things but not able to talk about it yet.

 

 

 

Would you be up for collaborations if other musicians wanted one with you? and who would they have to contact?
Yes absolutely. They could contact my management at info@laylakardan.com

 

 

Do you play any instruments?
I can get by on the keys and a Persian hand drum called the Daf

 

 

 

Who are your influences?
Jill Scott, Sade, Erykah Badu, Nina Simone, India Arie

 

 

 

How do you get inspiration to write songs?
I travel. I listen to people’s stories. I sit and contemplate on shit I’ve been through and I read a lot. I also love looking at paintings. Like “Goddess” is inspired by Botticelli’s painting “The Birth of Venus”

 

 

 

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
On International stages sharing my music. Making more music and collaborating with musicians from all over the world.

 

 

 

When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
Chill with friends, meditate, dance, watch other live music acts, read.

 

 

 

What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
Giving Up, Donny Hathaway. It’s such a beautifully delivered and emotional song that takes you on a journey. I feel so many things when I listen to that song and the lyrics really resonate with me.

 

 

 

What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
A good friend once shared with me a quote by Ernest Hemmingway and it’s really stuck with me “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”

 

 

 

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
Don’t get caught up in trying to replicate sounds/artists to create something on trend. It’s hard to keep up that façade. Find your sound/groove and do it with conviction.

 

 

 

What quote or saying do you always stick by?
“You might be the juiciest peach in the world, but not everyone loves peaches.”

 

 

 

Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?
I have multiple hometowns!!
In Sydney I would say the Bondi to Bronte Walk

 

 

 

Your coming off tour;
1/ Where do you go first?
In order: Massage, Gong Bath, Beach or Salt Bath
2/ Who do you see first?
Family
3/What do you eat first?
Iranian Food

 

 

 

When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Crystals
Cucumber and ginger infused water
Cell Phone for pics
Hair Brush
Lipstick

 

 

 

Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Instagram 
Facebook

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