GET TO KNOW: SHALOM
Hey Shalom! Where are you from? And where are you based now?
Born in Maryland, raised in Johannesburg, I got priced out of Brooklyn, so now I live in Queens, but I tell some people I'm from New Brunswick, NJ which is where I went to college and got my start in America.
What do you love about the music scene where you live?
I mean I live in New York, which is a dream in and of itself, so probably the eclectic mix of people and talent in this small pool. My friends are the best musicians I know and I feel so lucky to share space with them, whether it’s a stage or our rehearsal space or anything. I also love that I'm close enough to hop the train and go back to New Brunswick and see what’s going on in the DIY scene over there.
Where do you draw creative inspiration from in the real world?
Any and everything. Existing is a miracle and there’s so much around, if you close your eyes and point you can find something that inspires people, and it might inspire you too, if you let it. I draw a lot of inspiration from my relationships though.
When and how did you know that you wanted to make music? Which instrument(s) do you play?
I've always been a writer, I only started playing music in 2019 when I bought my bass. I play ukulele (ish) and bass. I’ve been writing songs though since i was a child (I used to write songs about how much i thought my sister didn’t like me - peak 12 year old angst)
Which artists are you inspired by, sonically?
Lorde is a hero of mine in every way, but the way she and her producers work to get the songs where they need to be for them to have the impact that they need to have is very inspiring.
Love me some Florence and the Machine (my first cd I ever owned was the deluxe edition of Between Two Lungs) and love me some Maggie Rogers sounds.
Indigo de Souza (duh), Lucy Dacus: anyone who’s able to put the feeling in your chest when you talk about your feelings into the right sounding part of a song is inspiring.
We’re loving the singles from the album, ‘Soccer Mommy’ and ‘Lighter’! Congratulations on getting these out there! We’d love to hear about the creative process behind bringing them to life.
Thank you so much! Soccer Mommy was one of the first songs my producer and friend Ryan Hemsworth and I made together, in March 2021. He sent me the instrumental and I sat with it for a while. I wrote half a song called “LA time” and then scrapped it because it felt disingenuous as I hadn't been to LA at that point yet, haha. But then 20 minutes after that, I wrote Soccer Mommy and recorded the vocals in my room (like I did with all the other vocals on the album) then I sent it back to ryan. He then mixed it and sent it back to me, and I loved it so much I could pee my pants (I did indeed pee my pants the first time I got a mix back from Ryan).
Lighter is one of my favorite things I've ever made. I wrote this song in 45 minutes with some very shitty guitar (I am not a guitar player). I sent it to Ryan like “lol just made this in 45 minutes” and he said “word, send the project” so I did, and the next morning i woke up to Lighter with redone guitars and I wanted to scream. I often call this song the best thing I've ever done and I'm so ok with never doing anything this good this fast again. I did it! it’s awesome, making this song made me like myself a lot.
What can you tell us about your new album coming out in March? Curious about what some of the themes of the project are? Who have you been working with on it? For how long have you been working on it?
Sublimation is my growing up feelings brainchild. It's just about what life has been like for me for the last ~5 years. It's very real, very raw, and super honest, and it feels powerful because of that. I made the whole thing with Ryan Hemsworth between January and October 2021, and it was mastered in Feb 2022. Some features from friends on guitar and cello for concrete, and some harmonies too, but it mostly was just me and Ryan sending things back and forth until we were like “damn, she’s a heater”. I’m really proud of it, it feels really good to have represented myself so honestly on my first go. proud of myself too - I never thought i’d be making records, and now the second one is already done. I'm very excited.
What piece of advice do you have for other women and queer folks trying to navigate the music industry?
Ask all the questions because people will not tell you. ask anything and everything you are curious about - it’s easier if you have people in your corner who have more experience (I have very much never done this before) but it’s important to not let your fear or fear of embarrassment keep you from learning as much as you can. Also, keep your human limits in mind. There’s really only so much you can do!