Welcome to another Art Appreciation Monday!
I have spotlighted quite a variety of different artists on Art Appreciation Monday.
We've seen the beauty captured by photographers and the unparalleled talent of traditional artists like the brilliant Joshua Edwards of Grefell-Fine-Art, last week.
However, we haven't touched upon the great artists who create art that is heard, and seen differently by everyone who hears it.
This art that I'm referring to- is music.
And I have, for a very long while, been enjoying the amazing music by the beautiful and talented singer and composer, Phildel!
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Ariana: What's your name?
Phildel: Phildel is the name on my birth certificate. It is made up of my parents names - Philip and Della...they took the first half of each of their names and put them together.
Ariana: How do you pronounce "Phildel"
Phildel: It's pronounced as it is spelt...Phil-del
Ariana: What Country/Planet/State are you from?
Phildel: Moonsea.
Ariana: Do you have any pets?
Phildel: Yes, I have three beautiful cats - one is a stray we took in.
Ariana: What is your favourite colour?
Phildel: Red...I love the energy and strength of that colour.
Ariana: Favourite movie?
Phildel: Punch Drunk Love
Ariana: Favourite book?
Phildel: The Prelude, by William Wordsworth
Ariana: Currently reading?
Phildel: Interview questions.
Ariana: Guilty pleasures?
Phildel: We have a gossipy reality show in the UK called 'Made in Chelsea', it's about wealthy, young people and their soap-drama-ish lives...I lived in Chelsea for a long time and I find it funny seeing how the area is presented in the series - it's all super aspirational and the post-production makes it look really idyllic. It's pretty different in real life, it's grubby and littered in places and the area has in recent years been dominated by numerous Tesco Express outlets. The plot (basically that someone cheated on their girlfriend) never develops beyond that topic and it's been that way for about two years - but still, I seem to gravitate back to the show again and again...
Ariana: Birthday?
Phildel: 23rd November
One of the first songs I ever heard by Phildel was Storm Song. I was introduced to her music by a good author friend of mine, who happened to post this video on his Twitter feed, I was spell-bound! (I literally listened to this song on repeat for a week!)
Listening to Phildel's enchanting music brings back memories of my childhood when my mother would listen to Enya.
Ariana: What inspires you most to sing?
Phildel: The emotional release
Ariana: How do you cope with lack of inspiration?
Phildel: It's rare I suffer from a lack of inspiration...generally, I can always write when I sit down at the piano. I'm a very emotional person so musical expression flows from that and I'm always 'feeling' something. If anything, it's having the energy to sit down and engage so deeply emotionally to create music that can be hard. It takes a lot of energy and focus. So - I just try to get a lot of sleep and eat well. If I'm tired, I never battle on...I have a rest and cancel social plans to make sure I get enough rest. Despite enjoying a generally active and easily inspired imagination - I find that reading poetry, opens my mind up to a very creative mood. Especially existentialist or metaphysical poetry that features nature or humanity, such as TS Eliot, Ted Hughes, or Wordsworth.
Ariana: Talking about munchies... do you have a favourite food/drink?
Phildel: My boyfriend Chris makes the most delicious sweet potato cakes...at the moment I'm loving those. My favourite drink is probably homemade banana milkshake...
Ariana: Do you ever get nervous before performing anywhere?
Phildel: Sure, if I haven't performed in a long time - like say, six months or more...I get a little nervous before I go on stage. But I think it's something you just learn to ride out. As soon as I'm on stage and start the show, it quickly disappears.
Ariana: How do you handle your jitters, and is there anything that might be helpful to other singers/performers to overcome their fear of performing publicly?
Phildel: It's good to keep a sense of perspective, it's natural to be nervous, to fear things going wrong etc - but just remember, the bottom line here is that you're a music artist, not a heart surgeon - it's not like anyone's life is depending on your live performance - it's not like anyone is going to die if you make a mistake. That isn't true across all career paths. In fact, there's pretty much zero consequence if your performance goes wrong other than you might feel silly for about five minutes. But this time next month you and everyone else will have totally forgotten about it. And plus when you're starting out and mastering your fears on stage, it's likely you're not going to be playing an arena show. You're most likely going to be performing a reasonably low key venue to a laid back audience. And now is the time to make mistakes and learn how to calmly navigate around those mistakes. The vast majority of the time, only the artist is aware that something has gone wrong. Because even the biggest acts make small (and sometimes large) errors when they play live. So try to relax and know the more experience you gain, the more relaxed you will be...it's never pleasant breaking through the barrier of your first ever show. But it will get easier...I remember my first ever live performance, I was so, incredibly afraid of performing live. I feared I'd break down into tears I'd be so nervous and be a shaking, nervous wreck...and you know what happened!? I broke down into tears and became a shaking, nervous wreck. I totally crumbled. BUT - I knew it would never be that bad again - and it was a million times easier the next time. If you can learn to accept the worst that could happen - you will be a lot more confident and relaxed - and nothing will stop you in the long-run.
Ariana: Of all the songs you've written/sang so far, which one is your favourite?
Phildel: I don't really have a favourite, I love them all for pretty different reasons. I love "Moonsea" for the arrangement. I love "Storm Song" for the melody. I love "The Wolf" for its ability to transform me into a stronger person.
Ariana: What would you suggest for someone who is just beginning with singing?
Phildel: Don't be afraid to sing however you want to sing...I feel like the natural uniqueness of so many singers is stifled by techniques that promote a 'healthy vocal technique' - but in this day in age, in most areas of the music industry we have microphones that mean we don't have to do as much vocal projection work or risk damaging our voices to be heard, unless we're opera singers - we don't all necessarily need to project in exactly the same way as one another.
Ariana: I understand that you write a lot of your songs, which are always beautiful and so inspiring, how do you begin writing a song?
Phildel: Yes, I write all of my songs. I sit down at the piano, think about something I feel strongly about and then the melody and the fragments of lyrics just flow out. But it is all about that emotional connection. The emotional connection is the source.
Ariana: What is something that you haven't gotten to do yet, but really want to do someday?
Phildel: Ride in a hot-air balloon...I might be able to do it later this year as we're going on a safari holiday to Kenya. I'd also quite like to own my own horse...it's kind of a childhood dream of mine.
Ariana: Is there anything you would go back and change in your musical career?
Phildel: Not musically.
Ariana: I read on the Guardian, that you mix all your own music using the computer program- Vienna Symphonic Library, what is that essentially?
Phildel: Yes - Vienna Symphonic Library is a digital library full of samples of real recordings of each individual instrument of the orchestra. It's a fantastic piece of equipment for composers. The difficulty these days is that session musician fees are basically unaffordable for most composers and arrangers. There is no way on this earth I could afford to actually hear a live orchestra perform something I'd written. So, the only option is to rely on high quality recorded samples.
Ariana: Is the program fairly easy to use, would you recommend it for other artists out there?
Phildel: Yes, definitely. But it is quite expensive so it's probably only worth purchasing if you're already making some income from your music. The installation process is lengthy and can take up to a whole day, but their customer support is pretty good.
Ariana: Do you believe in trade secrets for your music, or would you help other musicians by sharing your knowledge?
Phildel: I'm always happy to share...
Ariana: When did you decide you wanted to sing?
Phildel: I didn't really ever decide to 'sing' as such, I more have a drive to create music than I do to sing. Singing is just something I do to communicate the music.
Ariana: Do you have any interests outside of music?
Phildel: Sure, I love gardening. I garden to relax and also get generally excited about planting new flowers/fruit/veg.
Ariana: What would you be doing now, if you hadn't pursued music?
Phildel: I'd probably be dead by now if I hadn't pursued music.
Ariana: How do you wind down after a day of performing/singing?
Phildel: Watching tv, cuddled up with my partner Chris and our cats. We've just been catching up with "Breaking Bad", "House of Cards" and are re-watching The X-Files...which is quite funny to watch again. I'm amazed by how dated it looks now! I remember when it seemed so cutting-edge!
Ariana: Do you have any live upcoming performances?
Phildel: Yes - we're announcing a September live date at The Roundhouse Studio, London.
Phildel: Experiment with music - and through that experimentation, find your own vision. Then stick to it - despite what's fashionable, despite what others say. You have to stay loyal to what you think is right. That's credibility. And it's the greatest quality an artist can have in my opinion.
Ariana: Finally, can you give us any spoilers for your next song?!
Phildel: I'm working on a collection of pretty dark songs currently. I guess in the vein of "The Wolf". I think the second album may well be very dark and atmospheric.
Phildel has an amazing ability of mixing so many sounds and tones to create such dark and beautiful music!
Not only is Phildel's music captivating and well written, her music videos also create such a new perspective of the music. The Wolf is very ominous, and dark, however, it compliments Phildel very well!
Moonsea won Phildel first place in Pop/Top 40 in the International Songwriting Competition 2014!
It is so easy to see why, the melody is catchy and the lyrics are so beautiful, this is another one with an amazing music video! Of course as always I'm awestruck with the sounds she uses and how well they all blend together!
I really wish I lived in London, because I would absolutely love it if I could see Phildel perform live, however...I don't live in London, so I want any of my subscribers or blog visitors who live near London (or in London) to go to and see her perform if they can! Phildel is an absolutely astounding singer and musician, and I highly recommend listening to her music!
If you want to see Phildel perform live get your tickets here!
If you love Phildel's music, go and buy some CDs, T-shirts, and bags here!
I want to thank Phildel so very, very much for agreeing to be spotlighted on my blog for Art Appreciation Monday! Not only for answering the questions so kindly but also for answering them with such good advice for other artists, as well as being so inspirational with her awesome music!
It is always a privilege to have an artist to spotlight and I want to thank Phildel, so very, very much and I wish her all the best as well as all the young musicians and performers who are just beginning! :)
*****All the artwork/pictures/videos/music belongs to Phildel!!!!
There are links in blue which will direct you to
the originals.**********
DO NOT USE ANY OF THE PICTURES/MUSIC/VIDEOS/or/WRITTEN WORK
POSTED HERE WITHOUT PERMISSION!!!!!!!
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