Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with RUSALKA
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Hearing my dad singing and playing the piano is a memory I recall clearly to this day. One of the first songs I ever heard (and one of my favourites to this day), is “One More Mountain To Climb” by Dr. Music, a favourite of my late grandfather.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I started writing songs in my teens but had to work up the courage to share them. My uncle is a musician and has a home recording studio, so he helped me record my first few songs. I released my debut single “Claws” on Spotify and have been writing and recording ever since.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
My latest single “Dream Walking” is inspired by dreams and the subconscious. The concept is: when we have an intimate dream about someone we know – what if that person then confronted you the next day? What if they said something in conversation that made you wonder if they somehow knew what was going on in your mind?
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
I would describe my music as indie pop, dark art pop with some alt rock and cinematic elements.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
I learned that your music does not necessarily have to be a perfect reflection of yourself. When I started out songwriting I would often second-guess how other people would perceive me based on my music, but in truth, in many of my songs I am playing a role or expressing one specific emotion, rather than all parts of my personality. One of my songs is even based on a fictional character from Dostoevsky. Accepting this has given me more freedom to take risks when songwriting.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
I’m old-fashioned; when I’m writing, I’m usually just sitting at my keyboard playing around with lyrics and melody. For lyrics, I find a rhyming dictionary helpful, and GarageBand is a super straightforward software for putting together my first demo. After that, I’m lucky enough to work with talented producers at Beardfire Music who bring my vision to life.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Lately I’ve been loving Flower Face; her lyrics are extremely striking and evocative, and the musical production creates compelling tracks. My favourite songs of hers are “Eternal Sunshine,” “Maybe,” and “Biblical Love.”
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
I have always valued the power of music to tell a story or express an emotion, but at the same time I am a private person by nature, so it is a constant tug-of-war between wanting to write about personal experiences and wanting to keep them to myself. Having said that, many of the themes of my songs can apply to a range of situations, making them relatable and protecting my own privacy.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I like to think that my music is generally hopeful and has a good message, but many of my songs have darker themes. If anything, I would hope that my music validates people’s experiences and helps people feel less alone.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
That it’s okay to be different. I have never felt more comfortable and accepted than with my music colleagues and friends. We are all a little weird by nature, but we love and respect each other for our quirks, not in spite of them.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I would love to perform at Lollapalooza, partly because I lived in Montreal and it is one of my favourite cities, and partly because Meg Myers, one of my favourite artists performed there (and I have listened to her live set more times than I can count).
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
I would love to collaborate with Hozier – his lyrics are so clever and poignant and his music is very soulful. It’s clear he was heavily influenced by mythology and literature (as was I) so I would be really interested to hear what we come up with.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0p0mi53gPrdrdBZFmx6jl1?si=VFn12R0tRnaZhGzoB3KHyw
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RUSALKA6637
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/rusalka/1700965248?l=fr-CA
Instagram: @rusalkamusic
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I am hoping to release a full album in the next year or so, since I have several unreleased songs that I would be interested in recording. Since I often find myself second-guessing my song lyrics for being too personal, too vulnerable, or too provocative, I would like to base my album off the theme of censorship and classified documents. I would also love to do a music video one day, since I like using short films to tell a story.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That I am a huge nerd – my day job is in medicine/neuroscience, so a lot of my songs were influenced by my STEM background. For example, the melodic intro to “Dream Walking” was inspired by a hypnogram of the brain going through sleep stages.
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