Interviewed by Medina Shala
Tell me about yourself and your beginnings in music?
I was born and raised in Australia, my family are originally from Ferizaj, Kosovo. Since I can remember I always loved to sing and perform, I would sing in every talent show at school, I’d choreograph dances when I was 10 and ask the teacher if I could perform them in front of the class every Friday haha! (My class mates probably hated me for that). I started properly writing music when I was about 14, around that age I really realised that this was something I’d pursue forever. I started recording music in 2016, but never released anything until 2018 because I was too self critical. Sometimes you just need to take the leap and learn as you go.
What made you want to become a singer?
What made me want to become a singer was just that feeling of freedom I felt from singing, the rush of being on stage and the freedom to express whatever I want in a song. Music is therapy for me and having the ability to write and channel an alter ego through music was something that really captured my attention. I love the feeling of being able to be completely yourself or play a different character through music and performance.
What makes you really happy?
What really makes me happy is spending time with my family, laughing and joking and seeing them happy, seeing my parents proud of me. Music makes me happy, the feeling you get when you write a song you’re excited about and not being able to wait to get to the studio and record it. Dance makes me happy, I feel the same freedom in dance as I do singing. The ocean makes me happy, I live near the ocean and I honestly struggle when I’m away from water for too long, the ocean makes me feel grounded and content.
How has your style changed over time?
My style has changed quite a lot over time, I see myself maturing in my music more and moving with the times. Sometimes it’s hard for me because I have so many different styles, I love so many different styles of music so I don’t always want to put out the same type of song out, but I also don’t want to develop a messy catalogue, so I try to tie in different styles into one and stick to what I truly like.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Advice I’d give my younger self would be to just take the leap, be less self critical and not waste as much time second guessing myself. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect, learning as you go is needed. I’d also tell my younger self to not be as “nice” when it comes to business. Sometimes people take kindness for weakness and don’t take you seriously or don’t have a sense of urgency when it comes to your projects because they feel as though you won’t say anything because your too nice! You need to be firm and direct in the music business, especially when you’re female!
Who inspired you to make music?
Beyoncé was definitely the first artist I saw and thought to myself “I want to do that”. She is still an artist that I am so inspired by, just her work ethic, her talent and boss demeanor. I love that she takes control of her projects and has a hand in everything about her brand and music, she’s not just a product of a good team, she is the leader of the team and is completely involved in everything to do with her music.
Photos by: Fadil Berisha
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