by emmalyne errickson
photo by bellamy brewster
Being only 21 years old, you would expect to only get to do so much in such a short lifespan. Maybe travel the world a bit, go to a few festivals, and so on so forth… But, for Callie Reiff, she became an accomplished producer, DJ, and all-around performer at that age. She got to perform with some well-known artists (Ed Sheeran and Skrillex) and perform at festivals as well. Her new single “What Ifs” (ft. Louella) came out on May 14th, releasing some indie-pop and electronica vibes when listening to it.
How does it feel being 21 and already performed with well-known artists?
Callie: “It’s crazy to think back to all the artists I’ve been lucky enough to open for and do shows with. I’ve been playing shows since the age of 15, so I don’t really think of it as an age thing, more so I’ve just been enjoying those moments and letting them inspire me to be a better artist every day. Those early experiences of playing for zero people to thousands of people and playing for all sorts of different crowds has definitely shaped the music I make today, 100%!”
How did you get into this career of the music industry and how’d you find your genre of music?
C: “I started off learning how to drum, just out of curiosity and wanting to try something new. I loved it but once I heard about DJing, I looked up some schools in NYC to try that out next. I took my first vinyl mixing lesson at Dubspot when I was 12 and instantly knew this was what I wanted to do. Finding my genre has really just come with going to shows, listening to hours of music, playing shows, and trial and error in my production. I like to call the music I’m making now ‘indie club.’”
What inspired you to write your single “What Ifs” (ft. Louella)?
C: “The whole track came together after Isabella [Louella] sent over this vocal idea, which then turned into the main story of ‘What Ifs.’ I was super taken by the way the vocals continued to build energy throughout. I took her vocals and built the melody line that comes in for the drops and parts of the verses. The rest of the song came together pretty fast. The song is about the ups and downs you can go through with your decisions and wondering about what if you did this or that? I think we all have those questions, especially in the past year, so it felt like great timing to release this song.”
What’s it like creating music during a pandemic? Any inspiration from it? Hardships?
C: “At the beginning, it was very tough for me to feel inspired because I think we were all just scared and the world was on pause. However, it did allow me to go to music as my safety net, which drove me to start producing a lot. The one plus side of having no shows was that I had a lot of time to focus on my music production. Once I got into the groove, I was able to improve my sound more than I even thought was possible before all of this.”
Any word of advice that your fans could take from your music/songs?
C: “I love to produce songs that have a mix of escapism and New York club energy, that make you stop everything and just really be in the moment. I also love to add hope and joyfulness in my melodies to counter some of the darker stories we tell in the lyrics. I think the main advice you can take from my music is that it’s good to just stop, enjoy the present, feel your feelings, and do what you love.”
Any new EPs/singles/albums that your fans can expect within the year of 2021 without spoiling too much? If not 2021, 2022?
C: “Yes! I will be releasing a few more singles this year and then putting everything together later this year into an EP!”