Over these last few years, emerging artist RAPHAEL has delivered a heady mix of riveting pop aesthetics in which to call his own. And after plenty of praise for his recent efforts, he has now cemented his legacy to date with his stellar debut album ‘7 AM’.
So we decided to sit down with him to discuss his background and influences, as well as what he has planned for the future as well.
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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in music?
I recall writing my first song when I was seven years old. I would say I am a writer first and foremost and I love to sing the songs that I write as they tell my story and I sing them from The heart. It’s a very passionate love affair with music.
Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
I grew up listening to the greats like Burt Bacharach, The Carpenters, The Beatles, The Jackson Fives and all of those were on the stereo at home, mum and dad played them. I had a good exposure to classic pop songs from an early age and it influenced the structure of my songs by making me write songs that are concise and it developed my ability to tell a story with a chorus.
Was there a specific moment or experience that made you decide to pursue music seriously?
I wanted to be like Michael Jackson and Madonna when I was young. It was hedonistic and playful and very self absorbed. In hindsight, it served as a springboard for me to explore music.
I believe artists who write and perform their material are authentic beings who have a gift that can serve a purpose. I’ve grown into myself, as a person and artist, and I wouldn’t want to be anyone but me.
It’s a gift that I can write and perform my songs and if I can share it with someone who might be going through a similar experience, then it motivates me to want to record and release.
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?
I will always most likely get the lyric and the melody at the same time. More often than not this will be to express something I feel strongly about, be it heartache or joy, or finding a sense of pride or what have you. It’s something I will want to express in a song because I will have strong feelings about it and it’s a challenge to process it and the music helps and heals.
In artist language, it will feel like the wind has blown through me and there is release when I write a song. I will then sit down and work out the chord structure that will translate the mood of the song and when it resonates with how I feel, it will have written itself.
I felt very dark writing Mad World and Champagne. I am grateful for those songs as they saved me.
How do you find inspiration for your music and lyrics?
I would say life is a journey and that is where I find my inspiration. 7 AM, the album is about my personal journey as a person and it’s about my arrival. I have finally arrived at a place where I am at peace with myself and it took a lot of work to get here. I feel a lot of people in the real world deal with similar issues and the songs on the charts are not necessarily reflective of this struggle.
What themes or messages do you hope listeners take away from your music?
We are human, we are more the same than we are different. Life is not easy and we have to find a way to make it work for us. It’s ok to not be ok. It’s ok to be yourself. There is more to life than money and fame. God is love. Never give up. Those are things I experienced and learnt while writing this album and I wanted to share them.
What challenges have you faced as an emerging artist in the music industry?
As an emerging artist, you need a support system and access to funds to aid in promotion and with the logistic side of things it’s a huge undertaking to bring your work to an audience of listeners. It’s a lot for one person to undertake on their own.
The operational side of the industry is different from the creative. While it’s our duty to promote our work, it’s a challenge for an artist to play the role of creator and promoter. If the work is truly authentic, it can create a discord in the artist.
Artists create to express. Support systems are there for promoters who have found listeners and it’s not always the case that the content is authentic. No shade.
It’s a challenge to be yourself and stay true as an artist these days. But I do it.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your musical journey so far?
When I completed the mix down of 7 AM, it felt great. This was a journey for me that I wasn’t sure I would be able to complete. The fact I was able to record an album and drop it independently in a way that I was proud of and on my own terms is a great achievement.
It is a huge reward.
I will always have that.
I did it with my hard earned honest money, blood, sweat and tears and with no industry funding.
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Listen to RAPHAEL’s new album ‘7 AM’ below.
