Get ready for an electrifying interview with the supremely versatile and immensely talented artist, Phildel. She’s not just a performer, but also a gifted songwriter and a stunning singer.
In the world of collaborations, Phildel has found a perfect partner in crime for an absolutely fantastic remix of one of her tracks. Paul Sawyer, the mastermind behind Krafted Records, has taken the reins to create a spellbinding fusion of Phildel’s commanding vocals and his own musical wizardry, resulting in an enchanting rendition of “Storm Song.”
So, lean back, relax, and immerse yourself in the mesmerizing organic house-infused version of “Storm Song” while delving into Phildel’s incredible journey.
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Hey hey, thank you for your time. What have you two been up to lately?
I’ve been working on a new upcoming track with Paul Sawyer called Skylines, amongst putting out the remix of Storm Song. It’s been an exciting time.
Let’s go back in time. Where was your first performance? And how was it back then looking back at it now.
I think my first-ever performance was back at university, at an open mic night. I remember I was so nervous I cried in the middle of the song! But I knew it would never be that difficult again and I kept at it. My last big performance was a sold-out headline show at The Southbank Centre in London – I still sometimes cry on stage, but it’s generally for more artistic reasons now! So things have definitely improved.
Moving on, how would you describe your own development as an artist and the transition toward your own style?
I’ve always been in my own world, so to speak, for as long as I can remember, even as a young child. So my music was always quite different. I feel like cultivating my musical style was instinctive and quite immediate. Growing up in a household where music was banned, also undoubtedly played a part as I didn’t have the same commercial music exposure as others. To me, musical sounds don’t exclusively belong to any set genre, I like to take sounds from across all genres for us in my songs. The only important factor is that it needs to serve the spirit of the song well.
Do you think that the kind of music you grew up listening to affects the taste of music you develop?
I grew up with a tremendous amount of silence around me. And I remember at school, where I did have access to the school piano, hearing a note of music played felt like something precious and almost, sacred. It made me sad if I played a melodic fragment that wasn’t very communicative, it felt like a disappointing waste of a precious opportunity where I should have worked harder to capture something more meaningful with the opportunity I had. So I think sound being such a precious thing to me from so early on, massively influenced my relationship with music. It’s still something I feel so deeply, even now.
How would you describe your sound and style?
Melodic, emotive, imaginative.
When you’re working on a new project, what’s your typical starting point? How do you break it down and how do you like to generate your ideas?
It depends on what motivates me to begin writing. If I’ve had a difficult emotional experience, it’s very easy to sit down and write a song. But if I’ve been asked to write something on demand from the perspective of another person, it’s a different process and I need to adjust my psychology a little. But both ways start with a single note being played on the piano.
And from there, I instinctively hear what should come next, and I follow my inner ear. If my inner ear brings me to a place that I reflect is not a high enough quality, I backtrack and start from the last strongest piece of thinking. I never continue to pursue a melodic or lyric line that I feel unfulfilled by and I’m quite ruthless in my rejection of some of my own ideas.
You have a great release out on Krafted Records. You decided to blow new life into a great and earlier released track of yours, Storm Song remixed by Krafted label boss Paul Sawyer. Tell us all about it.
I’d been hoping, for years, to try out something new for Storm Song. I’d say melodically, it’s probably my top favourite out of everything I’ve released. I always felt like the song would lend itself to something more energetic and fresh beat-wise (however I am not a Trance/House producer and I don’t have the skill set to do the song justice in this format). And I feel like this remix which has been so masterfully created by Paul, has realised that vision.
What is the reason for only having a remix and not, perhaps a new interpretation of your own version yourself?
I might yet create another version myself at some point in the future, but ultimately, the original version is the version I spent years putting together. So, I feel I have presented the song in the way that I wanted to for who I was back then and the resources we had available at the time. But the opportunity to have Paul Sawyer remix this came up and I was thrilled. I love his production. I’ve always felt like a fusion between my original Storm Song elements and one of the more classic electronic genres would be a great area to explore for Storm Song. So, I’m very happy it’s come to be.
Music and sound are in some ways the most collaborative and interactive forms of creativity – what are your thoughts on this?
I think I’d have to think about that statement for a long time and maybe read some scientific articles to even begin to form an opinion! I usually find music collaboration hard as I think it can sometimes be difficult for people to get onto one another’s plan of creative thinking – particularly if that plan is a very far stretch from conventional music. Saying that there are plenty of people I have found it very second nature to collaborate with and Paul Sawyer is certainly one.
I think for now, I’m, going to say there are a lot of forms of creativity out there…and in terms of which is the most collaborative and interactive – I think that’s probably quite subjective.
Could you take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work? Do you have a fixed schedule?
I wake up, get myself ready, get my children ready for school, make everyone breakfast, feed the animals (we have five hens and two cats), bring my children to school, and then I get home and do a load of laundry and washing up.
Then at no particular time but not later than 10.30 am, I start music and I work on that for about six hours. I take quite regular breaks every couple of hours as I have ADHD and the breaks really help me to focus, I break for lunch and a walk in nature and I like to use my walking time to listen to drafts of mixes I’m working on.
Sometimes my music day will be filled with creativity, sometimes various admin, or a blend of both. There’s no fixed schedule I just do anything that’s urgent first, and then spend the day just creatively going wherever my ideas take me.
Have you ever hit roadblocks with making music? If so, what have you found to be the best ways to overcome this?
I’ve had times I’ve been burnt out. In my 20s after a five-week tour of North America following a whole year of release promo for “The Disappearance of the Girl”, I was exhausted and it took me a whole year for my energy in general to bounce back. Creativity takes a lot of energy. So there was no real antidote other than just having a lot of compassion for myself and taking the rest I needed. My best advice to anyone is to follow your instincts toward caring for your own well-being.
What releases have you planned for this year that you can tell us about?
Paul and I will be releasing our collaborative track “Skylines” and I’ll be releasing my next album, “Into the Woods”. I’ll also be writing some new songs for forthcoming releases. But those are currently works in progress.
Thank you
