INTRO BY MADDEN LEVIN
INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY
STAND UP / SOMAYA
Like many artists, Somaya started writing music to cope with difficult times in her life. But what makes her unique is the sound that is produced from that therapeutic time. Her newest single, Stand Up, is no exception. In our exclusive interview with Somaya, we discuss the writing process of the song and what the true meaning is. Make sure to catch up with her on all of her social medias, @somayamusic!
What made you want to get your start in music?
SOMAYA: "When I was 13, I started to go through a difficult time, and music helped me feel better. Writing music was very therapeutic for me, so I figured if I could make a career out of helping myself and others through music, that would be amazing!"
What is your writing process like?
SOMAYA: "I tend to start with words first. I’m someone who’s very lyric oriented. Any time I think of a line I could use for a song, I write it down on my phone, and then whenever I sit down to actually write a song, I start with one of those lines. On average, it takes me 20-25 minutes to write a song. If it takes me more than half an hour to write one, odds are it isn’t going to be a very good one!"
What do you find inspires you the most when creating music – people, nature, etc.?
SOMAYA: "Most of my songs are written based on my own life experiences. But outside of that, watching emotional tv shows/movies motivates me to write a lot. A teacher of mine once told me that listening to a really good song makes you want to create music too, and I definitely think that holds true as well."
Your recently released single Stand Up has an extremely powerful message – can you tell us a little about the song and the process on creating it?
SOMAYA: "The song is about standing up against sexual assault. I wrote it last October in about 15-20 minutes! I had actually already written another song about sexual assault, but it was much more personal and sad, so I decided to move forward with Stand Up because it felt more empowering to me. Sexual assault is a very big issue that isn’t always taken as seriously as it should be, so this song is my way of raising more awareness and letting victims know they’re not alone."
If you could collaborate with anybody, who would it be and why?
SOMAYA: "Ooh that’s a tough one! There are a lot of really talented people I’d love to work with, but I’ll go with Ed Sheeran! He has a beautiful voice and I consider him to be one of the best songwriters of our time, so it would be awesome to collaborate with him."
Is there anything we can expect from you in the near future?
SOMAYA: "I’m constantly writing, so look out for new songs! I also sometimes post snippets of songs on social media, so be sure to follow @somayamusic on Instagram and Twitter!"