A Q&A with Barnet singer songwriter Raphaella, whose debut EP, Idiot, is out now
10:00am Thursday 4th April 2013 in MusicBy Rosy Moorhead
Raphaella grew up and lives in Barnet
She has played alongside Texas, Joss Stone, Beverley Knight, Rizzle Kicks and Lianne La Harvas, is classically trained in piano and violin, and has just been signed as a songwriter and independently released her debut EP Idiot. Rosy Moorhead sits down with 22-year-old English/Scottish/Persian singer songwriter Raphaella from Barnet and a cup of Persian tea and discusses chocoholism, pianos with missing keys and Persian poetry.
Tell us about your new EP.
It’s a five-track EP that has been forming for quite some time now. I’ve written every song on the EP and so it’s come from a really personal and real place - from my experiences and influences over the past few years. It’s essentially pop but with a singer/songwriter, soulful edge to it.
What’s the story behind the sound?
Well I love pop with soul lead by strong melodies, deep lyrics and string arrangements and so I really try to incorporate all of that within my sound. In songs likeBroken Satellite andDelicate I also tried to incorporate part of my Persian heritage within the melodies and tone of my voice, as my cultural background also massively inspires me.
Who are your influences?
Nina Simone, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Bon Iver, M83, Emeli Sande and Bruno Mars.
I grew up with my grandad’s old record collection, which was hugely diverse. He’d play anything from Berlioz to Schubert, to Ella Fitzgerald to old Motown classics, and my parents were really into soul, Motown, reggae and traditional Persian music (my dad is Persian) so they definitely affected my earliest memories of music. I remember being in the house or car and anytime my dad would put Michael Jackson or Persian music on, the beat just grabbed immediately and it was like it went straight through me. And with Bob Marley, the soul and the quality of his tone so moved me even at such a young age. That’s the part of music I love and what I always try to recreate whenever I write - melodies, beats, rhythms and emotion that can move the listener at their core.What music did you have at home, growing up?
What was the first album you bought?
The first album I bought myself is testament to the wonderful decade I was born in, the 1990s – S Club 7! Very cool of me. But the first album that I was properly aware of was my dad’s Off The Wall by Michael Jackson.
Did you have musical instruments when you were growing up?
In my grandparents’ house they had a beautiful piano, which I would always just go and tinkle on. But we didn’t really have any in my house until I started playing the violin when I was about six. When I started piano a year later, my dad bought this really old piano which looked beautiful but sounded horrendous! There were keys missing, notes that wouldn’t work and only one pedal… but it was mine so I loved it.
When did you first start performing music?
I remember my first ever performance at Holly Park primary school in Barnet - just around the corner from where I live. I was about six years old and I’d been given a solo in the school choir Christmas performance and I was so stupidly excited! I spent the whole song in anticipation with a huge smile on my face just waiting for my four lines to come!
Where else did you go to school?
My secondary school was Palmers Green High School in Winchmore Hill and my sixth form was North London Collegiate School in Edgware. I started my degree at Goldsmiths University of London and transferred and completed my music degree at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London, where I graduated with first-class honours.
And when was your first gig?
My first music gig was when I was 16 and I was asked to perform by Sinitta at a charity concert she was putting on at the Bush Hall in Shepherds Bush. But I had been going to Pineapple Performing Arts School since the age of 13 and so was always performing at the end of term shows in big London theatres which I absolutely loved, so I’d gotten used to performing in a much bigger setting.
What’s your current favourite song you like to perform live?
At the moment it’s probably either my cover of Justin Bieber’s As Long As You Love Me because it’s so, so different to the original and I love to see people’s reaction to it, plus so many people know it so they can sing along which is great fun. Or one of my own, Clockwork Angel, because I just love the beat and it’s so much fun to sing. I’m basically saying ‘I’m not perfect, but I’m myself’ which is so true and so important to be proud of and say. Plus my bassist and I do a cool slow-mo moon walk thing in the middle of it which is always fun!
What inspires your music?
Definitely real life experiences, I think it’s always so powerful when you can draw from an emotion or experience that’s real, because it’s often so much more believable. But I also get inspired by photography, film, literature and poetry. I’m really into the Persian poets - Hafez, Rumi, Ferdowsi. I just find their take on the world and the way they can with just a sentence totally change the way you think or see something so inspiring.
Have you had any bizarre fan moments?
Not bizarre as much, but amazing! There was this one time around Easter where I’d tweeted all the types of chocolates that I love because I’m a chocaholic and it was Easter. The next week, one of my fans from Switzerland flew over to England with a huge bag full of my favourite chocolates! And last year I had two people fly from Belgium and France to run with me in the British 10K in aid of Global Angels, one of the charities I'm an ambassador for, which was amazing.
What’s on your rider at gigs?
I’m so boring, literally just some still mineral water. But I’ve always wanted to say something ridiculous just for fun, like ‘green tea, handpicked, at exactly 67 degrees and served in a golden chalice’ and see what they say!
What’s next for you?
Getting my EP out to as many people as possible, gigging lots, writing and finishing my second EP – and one day taking over the world with my music!
- Idiot is out now on iTunes. Details: www.raphaellamusic.co.uk
