by kaleigh gieraltowski
photo courtesy of selin
Cunning and whimsical single “LIGHTS OFF” has recently been released by on the rise Turkish pop star Selin. This song sets off a mystical and emotional rollercoaster that glides you through Selin’s strenuous love story. The singer expands into unique horizons with her upcoming album PARANOIA by dipping into an assortment of genres and experimenting with new sounds. As Selin is finishing off her tour in the US, we can expect lots more exciting music to be coming our way. We had the pleasure of speaking with her about all things music, songwriting, and touring that you can read about now!
In your single “LIGHTS OFF,” the lyrics encapsulate the story of a breaking relationship and the struggle to put those pieces back together. When writing this song did you pull more personal experiences into the lyrics or are they more generally speaking?
Selin: “I tend to put as much of myself into a song as possible. Sometimes for the sake of the story I'll add other details, but most of the time I tend to keep it as real as I can. Just because I find it adds to the emotional output when I'm performing it live.
It almost feels like I'm telling a story to my friends in the crowd, and the more real the story is to me, the more I can convey the emotion to the outside world.”
What was the title inspiration for your upcoming album, PARANOIA?
Selin: “I'll be honest, I change my mind about things every day just because my creative process changes. One day I'll decide on something but then the week after, I'll think about a totally different angle to approach it from, which is a good and a bad habit, I guess.
I went with ‘PARANOIA’ because the past year has been an emotional rollercoaster in terms of internal emotions. I guess I could say I get into my head a lot and people get into my head a lot and I allow myself to be affected greatly by these external factors. So I chose to write music about these paranoid thoughts one gets when left alone with themselves. So let's see, I might go with this title, but I might also change it — it'll be a surprise for us all! [laughs]”
How do you think listeners will receive your sound as their first time seeing you live on your US tour? How do you hope your message is portrayed?
Selin: “The tour has so far been one of the best things ever. I think there are definitely people who already knew my sound, knew my music and kind of knew what to expect. Equally there were some people in the crowd that didn't know my music and didn't know what to expect. Since I'm now almost done with the tour, I can confidently say that it's been a very good run and I hope that I have perhaps touched some people with my music.
I wouldn't say I have a specific message to give on stage when I go on, it's more of an experience. I’d like to think that people can take away whatever they want from the live shows. Let’s say they're in a bad mood and that's what's gonna make them feel better, then I feel like I've accomplished something. If they're looking for some inspiration, then perhaps they can find something in one of my songs, then I'll also feel accomplished.”
What do you think PARANOIA will bring to the table that is different from your past work?
Selin: “Definitely way more honesty, with myself and with others. Less filtered writing.”
Do you have a musical or creative inspiration that you think helped sculpt your new album?
Selin: “I listen to as many different types of music as possible to inspire my process and direction. There’s definitely a lot of music that inspired me, but I would love to say that RAYE’s album My 21st Century Blues has definitely inspired me in terms of breaking the barrier of multi genre albums.
I feel like sometimes I get so caught up trying to make everything have one specific theme that I forget to just let myself go completely with the music. So after listening to her album, it made me realize she's put all sorts of pieces into the record. I think that's quite beautiful because it's almost like our thoughts and our internal feelings, they will never be the same theme. They’re gonna be different and most probably chaotic. So to have an album with different genres in different topics, but under the same roof is definitely what I want to do. And it's what I'm working on currently. I think that's the beauty of art, it’s how well we can play with the rules (if there are any), but almost shifting them for our own liking.”
What are you most looking forward to on tour? Do you have any specific locations that stand out to you?
Selin: “So far Austin would have to be one of my favorites! Show wise but also just the music scene! I've got a couple pairs of authentic Texan boots and definitely tried some line dancing! [laughs]”
Your style of music and songwriting is magnificent and puts an intriguing spin on pop music. Have you always aimed for this sound? Or would you ever consider expanding into different genres? If so, which ones would you experiment with?
Selin: “I'm not sure if I would say I have a specific sound, but I definitely play with elements of pop and rock and try to throw in some soul when I can. But as I mentioned before, depending on my mood, the season or the emotional era I am in, the sound will always be reflected on that! I’d love to explore the jazz world a little more, and perhaps at some point go a little more heavy on the rock blues side too! There’s so much to do!”
Lastly, what else should we be on the lookout for when it comes to new music by Selin? Any exciting music videos or collaborations you can tell us about?
Selin: “Definitely some new music and hopefully some collaborations for you to find out about soon!”