Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Camelia
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Oooh, that’s a hard one. I can recall two moments precisely. The very first one was in my dad’s car. During our drives, he’d have CDs playing, a mix of old French and English records, and I would always sing along without even knowing the artist or the song title.
The second one was me doing karaoke in my room. I would drag my younger sister along to host mini shows in front of my parents and older sister. I’m sure that was quite hilarious to witness. I wish I had that on tape, actually.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I was constantly trying to find new ways to occupy my time as I was often bored as a kid, without any equipment, just my imagination. I remember, when I was very young, playing “shows” in front of a wall of stuffed animals. I vividly remember thinking, I want to do this forever, even if it’s for free, not knowing that you could actually make a living from art.
I also did ballet for three years, but I started at nine, which is quite late. Ballet demands the use of all your body’s muscles, especially flexibility, which is best developed early, if not innate. Most girls in my group had started at three, so it was arduous to keep up without the same foundation. As it was getting too expensive, I quit.
By the time I was fourteen, I realized I wanted to pursue music professionally. I began writing poems, I was still learning English and new words, so those early writings were probably an interesting read. I wrote constantly after school, pages and pages of word vomit. It was very therapeutic to have that during that period of my life.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
I’m releasing a new song in the first half of 2026, called ‘Golden Boy’ and this will be my most produced and polished track to date, something I wasn’t able to afford with my earlier demos, so it feels especially exciting. I’m working with a Swedish independent record label for this release. It’s a song that feels both nostalgic and warm. That sunlit feeling at the start of a relationship, when everything feels bright, effortless, and full of possibility. It defines that moment when deciding if it’s worth the risk and the self-evaluation and emotional guardedness that come with it. Choosing to step back and let life unfold, or realizing that the timing might not be right, for now, or forever?
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
I don’t know what my sound really is. If I have to put it into words, I’d say that I love experimenting with different styles and genres and infusing them into my main lane which is pop, something fresh sounding. I grew up loving rock music, particularly 70s rock 😉 I believe that naturally weaves into my current work.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Mmmh, I want to make music that I like and want to listen to, so that’s a thought I try to keep close. I also don’t want to cater to what’s popular just for the sake of it. I’d like to believe that if I create music that is great and proud of, that would be my definition of something new and exciting. There are eight billion people on Earth; I think there’s room and an audience for every artist. It’s up to you to define what success is, it’s whatever you decide to make special that truly counts.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process? I sadly don’t play any instruments, but I hope I can learn in the near future. I do have a guitar I got for my birthday when I was sixteen from my parents, but I didn’t have the opportunity to take classes. I’m quite bad with technology so I wouldn’t be able to tell you much about softwares or any tech savvy terms. I’m still just as confused when recording my songs from my room, haha.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
This is neither a new song nor a new artist, but I’ve been listening to ’Landslide’ by Fleetwood Mac a lot lately. I’ve had it on repeat in my room all winter.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision? It fundamentally is an extension of that, everything you live and experience affects you at your core, and that becomes the material for your craft. I write about my personal experiences and thoughts, but I also draw from different narratives and observations. I can narrate either from a third-person point of view or incarnate a persona, almost like a character. I don’t know if I could do it for someone too different from me or morally corrupt, but I’ve never run into that scenario yet.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I hope they feel a sense of comfort listening to my music. I want them, us, to have a space where we feel at home and at peace with our emotions and existence. A place
where we can have fun, dance, scream our lungs out, laugh and cry. A brief disconnect from reality is something I hope to create with my music.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
It’s a pretty strange process, from creating the melody to the final mastering of a track. Sometimes it can take such a long time for a song to be finalized. You start somewhere and don’t know where you’re going to end up. Then you just scrap ideas and start over, but I never waste a melody or idea if it’s good, I just save it for a better time.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Wow, playing in different venues is such a big dream of mine. I’ve seen these ancient open-air venues and amphitheaters that look so monumental, in Italy for instance. How cool would it be to play on a stage where so many great artists have performed throughout time? Some stages are literally engraved in the stones, it’s just so cinematic.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why? This is so tricky, I grew up listening to a lot of One Direction and BTS, so it would be very heartwarming for me to get to work with them someday.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links) On all streaming platforms it’s just my name ‘Camelia’ and on all social platforms it’s @cameliasocials as my name is already taken for now.
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I do have big ambitions for my career but long term thinking in general is not something I enjoy. However, I hope I’ll get to create and release my first album, one that I’m proud of and excited to share and see where that takes me.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way? I hope that each song I release resonates with them, bringing them the same joy and excitement it brings me. I strive for my discography to reflect the quality and standards I have in mind for each track and to honor the artists who inspired me in the past.
Thank you for the interview. Sincerely,
– Camelia
