stand up — MUSIC — Unclear Magazine

INTRO BY KAT VISTI

INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY

Singer-songwriter Christina Holmes is going on her first headlining tour this upcoming summer for her second album Stand Up. Christina is an openly gay artist who wants to influence others to feel comfortable in their own skin. By Christina opening up and sharing her own experience about how she met her wife, she has drawn a connection with her fans which has lead her to share the stage with Trevor Hall, Medicine for the People, and Xavier Rudd. We sat down for an interview with Christina to learn more about going into music, her album, and how she wants to grow as an artist.

When was the moment that you realized you wanted to be a musician?

"I have been writing music and singing since I was about 8 years old but I wasn’t until I was about 13 when I realized I wanted to perform live. I went to see my first concert ever, Edwin McCain at BB Kings in NYC, and I just fell in love with live music. It was all I could think about and knew I was meant to be a musician. Even though I knew it at 13, I didn’t perform live until I was 18. I spent my days singing in the shower and in my room until then.:

Last June you released your second studio album, “Stand Up”. What was the process like creating the record?

"It was so effortless. It was the most fun and most creative I had ever been in the studio. Working with Warren Huart and his team was amazing. I couldn’t have picked a better team to help me bring my visions to life. I played almost every instrument recorded (acoustic guitar, drums, piano, bass, percussion) and I feel it came out exactly how I wanted. The album is me and I can’t wait for you guys to hear more."

For those who haven’t heard your music yet, which song of yours would you want them to listen to first?

"I would say Stand Up. I feel like it is a super powerful song about humans coming together and standing up for what they believe in and I am all about bringing the people together."

Where do you find most inspiration when creating music?

"My life is my inspiration. The people I met and the places I go are where the stories in my songs come from."

As an openly gay artist, what do you hope others in the LGBTQ+ community take from your music?

"I hope that they find a sense of love, confidence, and hope. Love in the way of them finding out how to love themselves but also knowing that even when they hate themselves, I still love them. Confidence in in their appearance and in their true self. And hope that even when they feel at their worst, it will always get better."

For anyone in the LGBTQ+ community struggling currently, what would you tell them?

"I would tell them to love who you love and be who you are and the way they are feeling now, isn’t forever."

You will soon be heading out on your first headline tour. What are you most looking forward to?

"I am looking forward to it all. The music, the fans, the traveling, sharing stories, busking on the street after shows, finding great food, and meeting new people. I am also super excited to be hitting up some festivals that I’ve been itching to be apart of."

How do you hope to continue to evolve as an artist?

"I hope to be able to reach as many people as possible. To show them that life can be better than it is at its worst and you can be who you are or whoever you choose to be. My main goal has and always will be to help heal people with my music. I intend to do that for the rest of my life and will always be figuring out ways to help my message grow."

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INTRO BY MADDEN LEVIN

INTERVIEW BY CAMI LIBERTY

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!"

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