Fayona Matisse Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Fayona Matisse is an incredibly talented singer, whose upcoming single, "Broken Bullied and Bruised" is one I can't wait to hear. I was thrilled that she was willing to visit with us and discuss her music, future goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll enjoy everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Fayona Matisse visits Section 36 Music!

I am incredibly excited for your upcoming single, “Broken Bullied and Bruised”. What can you tell me about it?

Broken bullied and bruised is a song that I wrote to call out someone very close to me on their abusive behavior in the past but wanting to heal along side them. I actually wrote it on the 4 hour car ride to my college 2 days before moving day. And it took about a year to edit and then 3 months to produce. 

I really enjoy the “covers” videos you posted on Youtube. What did you enjoy about making those?

Lol so I unfortunately haven’t made any covers in about a year. I want to it’s just I don’t know how to make the sound clear like a lot of singers on social media do. But I liked people to know that I’m a flexible singer and that I will not let my stage fright hold me back. 

You are currently attending Berklee College of Music. What’s the biggest thing you can see Berklee doing for your career?

The biggest thing that i learned as soon as I toured Berklee for the first time is that through teachers and other students, you make connections and friendships that can get you anywhere. Not only can Berklee give me a proper degree which is something that I hold very strongly as a woman but giving me a chance to hone and find new skills that can be extremely useful as an independent artist. 

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

I would consider Carole King and Elton John some of my biggest musical influences. But I really don’t have a “favorite artist” per se. I love music of different genres in general. I actually had the amazing opportunity to meet Louise Goffin who is Carole King’s daughter at a song writing class in NYC with my former piano teacher, Margaret Donlin. 

What would you say is your biggest challenge with your music career?

A very big challenge for me in my music career right now is to not just look at the big picture but focus on the small details and not let my ADHD distract myself. But also I get writers block very easily and I Amy own biggest critic. I come from a family who is very supportive of my music but I have been bullied and those comments have stayed with me over those years. Dealing with mental health I cope by writing music but sometimes it just doesn’t flow through and that has to be a big block in my career. 

What are your immediate music goals?

My immediate goals are to release Broken Bullied and Bruised and then record two more songs I wrote and release one by the end of this year and then in the new year, release the second song. I also want to build up my business which I want to turn into a record label but for now will be a marketing agency. 

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Sounds like she has plenty of fun things on the way!

As always, I want to thank Fayona for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to listen to Fayona and follow along with her to see what she's up to. I would definitely follow her on Instagram, and follow her on Spotify. In fact, check her out everywhere! 

Thanks again Fayona, and good luck with the release!

“Heartbreaker" by Maxine (Aug 25, 2023 Release)

“Heartbreaker" is the fantastic new single from Maxine! 

Be sure to check it out right away.

I’m sure you remember Maxine from her interview with us, where we discussed her single “Gasoline". That song was part of a long stretch of amazing releases, including her previous single "Stranger's Bed". "Heartbreaker" definitely deserves its place in that string.

You can find “Heartbreaker" just about everywhere you usually find your music, like Spotify, and Apple! So, there's no reason why you won't be able track it down…which I highly suggest you do.

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If you want to learn more about Maxine, check out her interview right here on Section 36 Music. That will give you an opportunity to find out about this amazing singer.

Be sure to give “Heartbreaker" a listen!

“It Hurts Too Much To Speak" by Lina Cooper (Aug 25, 2023 Release)

“It Hurts Too Much To Speak" is the debut EP from the incredibly talented Lina Cooper!

Go listen to it right now!

As Lina herself recently said, "I got an idea to make this EP back in December 2022 while crying in the shower to YUNGBLUD‘s self-titled album. I was crying because I felt so overwhelmed and broken, I’ve been under so much pressure and experiencing so much hurt and grief over such a short amount of time, it felt like I was ripping at the seams. And then I just decided to put all of this hurt into a concept project, an EP or an album. This decision kinda came out of nowhere and happened in 2 minutes. All during that one shower. I wrote the first track in 10 minutes right after getting out of the bathroom.

I produced and recorded this EP by myself in my bedroom. I knew I wanted this project to be very bare and honest. I didn’t want anyone to touch it except for very few people. The only two co-writers I had were Sierra Cornell and XNK"

You can find “It Hurts Too Much To Speak" just about everywhere you usually get your music like Apple and Spotify. So, there's no reason you won't be able to find it.…which I highly suggest you do.

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If you want to learn more about Lina, hop directly to her interview right here on Section 36 Music.

Be sure to give “It Hurts Too Much To Speak" a listen!

“Break Me Down" by Serena Z (Aug 25, 2023 Release)

 “Break Me Down" is the new single from the amazing Serena Z!

And you should go stream it right now!

You probably remember Serena Z from her interview with us, and her several outstanding releases since then. It's always exciting to see a new release from her, and this one absolutely lives up to expectations...and more. 

You can find “Break Me Down" just about everywhere you usually get your music like Apple and Spotify. So, there's no reason you won't be able to find it.…which I highly suggest you do.

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If you want to learn more about Serena Z, hop over to her interview right here on Section 36 Music.

Be sure to give “Break Me Down" a listen!

“Covers Only" by Elle Sera (Aug 25, 2023 Release)

 "Covers Only" is the amazing new EP from Elle Sera!

As the name implies, this fantastic EP provides some amazing acoustic-ish covers, but with the Elle twist you've all grown to love. 

You can find “Covers Only" just about everywhere you usually stream your music like Apple or Spotify, so there's no reason why you won't be able track it down…which I highly suggest you do.

Right now!

“And The Sky Blooms" by Yella Stone (August 18, 2023 Release)

“And The Sky Blooms" is the debut single from the incredibly talented Yella Stone! 

You can find “And The Sky Blooms" just about everywhere you usually stream your music like Apple or Spotify, so there's no reason why you won't be able track it down…which I highly suggest you do.

Right now!

Upcoming Show: Kai Wilson w Special Guest Ezra Kruzich & Alexis Bleu Aug 25, 2023 Rockwood Music Hall Boston MA

 

Don't miss this unique opportunity to see Alexis Bleu in her first ever Boston show. She'll be opening for Kai Wilson in an event you definitely need to witness for yourself!

You likely remember Alexis from her incredible single "Summer of '21", or from any of her other out of this world releases. So you know her set is going to be worth the trip.

She'll be appearing the end of this week, Friday August 25, 2023 at Rockwood Music Hall

Click here to get your tickets!

Alexis Bleu is a 19 year old singer-songwriter currently based in Mooresville, NC. Alexis released her first EP under her real name, Hannah, when she was just 13 years old. She is now releasing music as Alexis Bleu, and has been since 2019. Alexis got her start by competing at Battle of The Bands in Denver as a solo artist, which led her to meeting her mentor, Josh Bertrand. Recently, Alexis has been writing songs, working on her social media presence, and preparing for her first semester at Berklee College of Music! Her goal is to make music that can inspire others to be true to themselves and do what they love. Alexis can be found on all social media platforms

“If I Told the Truth" by Wendy Wang (Aug 18, 2023 Release)

“If I Told the Truth" is the new single from the incredible artist Wendy Wang! 

And you owe it to yourself to listen to it as soon as you can.

I’m sure you remember Wendy from her interview with us, where we discussed her debut single “Over Again". I've enjoyed her work ever since, and am so glad she released yet another fantastic song. 

You can find “If I Told the Truth" just about everywhere you usually find your music, like Spotify, and Apple! So, there's no reason why you won't be able track it down…which I highly suggest you do.

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If you want to learn more about Wendy, check out her interview right here on Section 36 Music. That will give you an opportunity to find out about this amazing singer.

Be sure to give “If I Told the Truth" a listen!

“90 Days" by NIKOLE (Aug 18, 2023 Release)

“90 Days" is the latest single from the fantastic NIKOLE! 

If, like me, you are a fan of her recent songs like "Fade Away", you'll want to check this one out. In fact, either way you should give this one a try.

What else can you expect from the song? Here's what NIKOLE had to say about it recently:

"This song really got me through a lot of emotions and anger I was feeling following a break up I had been through. It’s all very honest and real and that’s the art I’ll continue to share with you all 💘 Healing is not a linear process and throughout we must remember our strengths and ultimately love ourselves before anything else. I love you all and I can’t wait for you guys to listen to this tune that I worked on with humans I love and look up to. This song would not exist without everyone who went to these shows and continue to support this whole journey with my art. I’m so forever grateful for you all."

You can find “90 Days" just about everywhere you usually stream your music like Apple or Spotify, so there's no reason why you won't be able track it down…which I highly suggest you do.

Right now!

“Lilith" by Riley Wells (Aug 18, 2023 Release)

  “Lilith" is the new single from the amazing Riley Wells! 

And you absolutely need to listen to it as soon as you can.

I’m sure you remember Riley from her interview with us, where we discussed her single “Every Language". I've enjoyed her work ever since, including her recent single "I Am". 

You can find “Lilith" just about everywhere you usually find your music, like Spotify, and Apple! So, there's no reason why you won't be able track it down…which I highly suggest you do.

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If you want to learn more about Riley, check out her interview right here on Section 36 Music. That will give you an opportunity to find out about this amazing singer.

Be sure to give “Lilith" a listen!

“Never Get With Them” By Maya Karli (August 18, 2023 Release)

“Never Get With Them" is the latest single from the amazing Maya Karli! 

If, like me, you are a fan of her recent songs like "Glad I Let You Go", you'll definitely need to check this one out. Actually, either way you should give this one a try.

You can find “Never Get With Them" just about everywhere you usually stream your music like Apple or Spotify, so there's no reason why you won't be able track it down…which I highly suggest you do.

Right now!

More Rumors from Duda

If you know me, you know I love the behind the scenes stuff. I’m the guy who looks backwards on It’s a Small World to see how everything works. So, when I heard “Rumors” by Duda, I asked if she’d be willing to share some of the background behind the EP. She thankfully agreed, and here are some of the things I learned.

It was a quick process. From the decision to actually make the EP to completion was about three months. As someone who had never released a song before, it made for a crazy three months, but it was so worth it. Since she is an independent artist, so much of it was up to her. Sure, she had amazing friends help out, but everything from the marketing, planning, scheduling the photo shoot, the concept, to the lyric video was all on her shoulders. It was so much work. Since this was her first time though this, she thought it would be easier than it ended up being. But it was absolutely worth all the extra effort. 

She has always wanted to work in music, as a singer and songwriter, but was never sure she was good enough. That’s probably a common theme amongst young songwriters. But, she wrote “Lost Messages” in April and knew it was THE song. This was the song that she could take that leap with. This was the one to start the process rolling. The next day, she decided she might as well go all in and write a whole EP. She started figuring out what it would actually take to make it happen. She didn’t have a blueprint, so she felt her way along on her own. The rest of the songs were written with that EP in mind, other than “Done”. That was written a year earlier and could have been a single on its own, but it really matched the energy and vibe of the EP she was creating. It felt right to include it, especially as the last track…”Done”. The last song written was “Memories” and it’s honestly her favorite. It came together so quickly that she wrote it in about an hour. It almost didn’t make the EP but she loved the lyrics and the vibe, and decided it fit well with the concept.

The most stressful part ended up being trying to find the phone for the photo shoot! She had a picture in her mind of the phone she wanted to use, and knew it should be an older style, but she didn’t have one. Friends tried to convincer her to just use a new phone, but she knew what she wanted. Thankfully a friend was able to track down a phone for her. She had been thinking a red or pick phone would be the way to go, but really likes how the silver one ended up looking. It was a marathon to find the phone, but she was eventually able to find her vision and do the shoot.

The shoot, and the studio session itself, was a lot of fun since she had so many friends involved in the process. One of her friends did all the mixing and mastering so the whole process was an incredibly enjoyable experience.

She’s a big Swiftie, and loves easter eggs. So, you’ll find a lot of them on Rumors if you look close enough. From the lyrics, to the photo shoot, color palette, to the order of the songs. There’s so much to see if you know where to look.

The order of the songs actually tells a story. The five tracks represent the five stages of grief. What’s neat, though, is that she feels different people may interpret the sings differently and find the different stages in different songs, depending on their own life experiences. It really allows each person to enjoy the album in their own special way.

Overall she really enjoyed the process of making “Rumors” and can’t wait to see what the future brings for her.

And, neither can I. I’m so glad she was willing to share these stories. I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed hearing them.

If you want more stories about Rumors, Duda has released a BTS video, which you absolutely need to watch. Check it out now.

Be sure to go listen to “Rumors” to see what stages you find in each song.

Thanks Duda!

Sierra Levesque Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Sierra Levesque is a supremely talented singer and musician, whose upcoming debut single, "Get Off My Stage" is one you won't want to miss. I was so excited that she wanted to visit with us and discuss her music, future goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll enjoy everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Sierra Levesque visits Section 36 Music!

I am incredibly excited for your upcoming debut single, “Get Off My Stage”. What can you tell me about it?

“GET OFF MY STAGE” is my debut single, which I am very excited about! It will be available everywhere (on all platforms) on Friday, September 1st. The song was fully self-recorded in my home music studio where I wrote it and played every instrument (vocals, guitar, synthesizer, bass, and drums) for the recording. It was mixed, mastered, and produced with the help of renowned guitarist, producer, and solo artist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal (ex - Guns N’ Roses, Asia, Sons of Apollo) who also happens to be my guitar teacher and mentor. Overall, it’s a very fun, upbeat, angsty rock/pop song and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it on September 1st! You can pre-save it on Spotify at the link in my bio (@sierralevesquemusic) or on my website www.sierralevesquemusic.com!

What is your favorite part about performing on stage in front of an audience?

My favorite part about performing on stage would have to be the connection that my music can have with the audience. I always try to perform a wide range of covers and original songs to have something for everyone, and there is always at least one song that makes an audience member smile. There is a part at the end of each of my shows where I do a crowd sing-along to “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes, and it is always so fun to see everyone having fun and singing loud together.

This fall you’ll be attending Berklee College of Music. What’s the biggest thing you can see Berklee doing for your career?

Yes, I’m very excited to be doing a Bachelor of Arts in Songwriting degree with Berklee Online. I feel that this degree will help to open doors and to take my songwriting skills to the next level. I hope that through internships, I’ll be able to make connections in the music industry that will help me to have my music heard by more and more people.

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

My biggest musical influences are my guitar teacher and mentor Bumblefoot, my favorite band Ghost, and classic rock acts such as Heart and Scorpions combined with newer pop artists like Avril Lavigne and Lana Del Rey.

What would you say is your biggest challenge with your music career?

My biggest challenge has been expanding my range of social media posts to showcase my musical versatility.  I play guitar, piano, drums, bass, and I sing and songwrite, so it is difficult to showcase all of those abilities in one video or post. So, I try my best to post a range of instruments and song videos to demonstrate my versatility.

What are your immediate music goals?

My immediate goals are to release my debut single on

September 1st and to do my “GET OFF MY STAGE” Mini Tour where I will be performing six shows in four cities (two countries) throughout August and September to promote my song release! Check out my mini tour poster on @sierralevesquemusic for more details!

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A single AND a mini tour? Definitely lots to be excited about!

As always, I want to thank Sierra for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to listen to Sierra and follow along with her to see what she's up to. I would definitely follow her on Instagram, and visit her website. In fact, check her out everywhere! 

Thanks again Sierra, and good luck with the release!