Formula Indie Sessions : Interview with Blackbird
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Music was always around me growing up, but one of my earliest memories is my mother singing me to sleep. She didn’t know any traditional nursery rhymes so Marvin Gaye, Dido and Bon Jovi were some staples. Which then transitioned to me singing myself to sleep. How did your passion for creating music begin?
It started as a need more than a choice. I began writing as a way to process emotions and make sense of my environment. Over time, that turned into a deeper curiosity about sound, storytelling, and production, and eventually into a full commitment to creating music that feels both personal and cinematic.What’s the story behind your current music project?
My current project lives in the world between identity, culture, and reinvention. With my latest releases like Burn It Down, I’m blending traditional Mediterranean elements like zeimpekiko and bouzouki with dark electronic pop to create something I call Zempekipop. It’s not just music, it’s a full universe with visual storytelling, characters, and themes of legacy, love, and transformation. I am trying to bridge the gap between past generations and new generations, giving them a sense of reinvention but without forgetting our roots.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
It’s where Hayla, Dua Lipa and Lana Del Rey-style vocals meet Lady Gaga energy, next to production inspired by artists like Duke Dumont, but infused with Mediterranean scales and rhythms. Imagine ancient emotion colliding with modern electronic pop in a cinematic way.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
That authenticity cuts through more than perfection. Once I stopped trying to make what I thought people wanted and leaned fully into my cultural identity and storytelling, everything became clearer, my sound, my visuals, and my audience.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
My voice is my main instrument. Beyond that, I love starting a song on piano or guitar to bring the melody to life. On the production side, DAWs like Ableton or Logic are what my producers use the most, but honestly, the most important tool is the initial idea, everything starts from a feeling. I don’t write just for music content, I write from the heart.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
I recently discovered Laufey and fell in love with how she blends pop and jazz so seamlessly, it feels nostalgic but still modern. I’ve also been listening a lot to Naika and Faouzia. I really connect with the way they write and how they’re opening doors for artists like us international, island, Middle Eastern girls, to exist more fully in the pop space.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Completely! Growing up between cultures and navigating identity, family dynamics, and independence has shaped everything I create. My work often explores the idea of “home”, not just as a place, but as a feeling you’re constantly trying to find or rebuild. My Cypriot roots are what definitely shaped my musical influence but also my adolescent years in Los Angeles have fine tuned my sound.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I want people to feel seen and empowered at the same time. Music helps us process what we don’t always know how to say. I’m really inspired by the duality of emotions; how you can feel vulnerable and strong at once, and how those contrasts actually coexist. If someone can dance, feel something real, and reflect even for a moment, then that means everything to me. My message is: keep dreaming, keep going, and don’t stop feeling.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Consistency, perseverance and resilience matter more than moments of inspiration. Talent opens the door, but discipline is what keeps you in the room.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Coachella has always been the goal. Specifically performing on a main stage where I can bring a full cinematic, high-energy show that blends live instruments with electronic production. I want it to feel like a cultural experience, not just a performance. Just wait…it’s going to happen soon. I feel it.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
RAYE and Lady Gaga, without a doubt. RAYE inspires me because of how fearless she is with her writing, her brain, her honesty, her raw vocal process. You can feel that everything she creates comes from a real place. And with Gaga, it’s her artistry as a whole. The way she approaches creativity, builds visuals, and turns every era into a fully realized world. Both of them create with intention, just in different ways, and that’s something I really admire.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Website – which also has Blackbird Merch! – https://www.angelamavropoulos.com/category/all-products
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Q0eFvLI2Q7Ui6LZ1Ig69K?si=6IcfMxe2QNCR_8VsRcii8w
Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/us/artist/blackbird/1681708096
Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/@ablackbirdmusic
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/a.blackbird/
TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@a.blackbirdmusic?_t=8g4SlBdmQYw&_r=1
Bandcamp – https://ablackbird.bandcamp.com/?from=menubar
And more: https://linktr.ee/a.blackbird
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I want to expand beyond music into full visual worlds, films, live experiences, and immersive storytelling tied to my releases. At the same time, I’m building Blackbird Studios in Cyprus to create a space where artists can bring their visions to life. The goal is to bridge cultures and create something that feels globally impactful but deeply rooted. And of course, playing Coachella!
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
My authenticity. I hope listeners discover the truth behind the sound; the layers, the imperfections, the intention. I am who I am, and that’s the story I’m telling.
Representative Youtube video
