Giovanna Khair Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Giovanna Khair is a fantastic singer, whose recent EP, "Habits" is one you should listen to on repeat over and over. 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 Giovanna Khair visits Section 36 Music!

I absolutely love your recent EP, “Habits”. What can you tell me about it?

Thank you so much! I wrote almost all of Habits in the span of three weeks in summer 2022. I went to Rio de Janeiro - my hometown - for summer break, and I had absolutely nothing to do. The thing about changing hemispheres to go to school is that all of your friends are in school when you’re on break… So I really had nothing to do but sulk over my piano. The songs came about almost by accident; I was just writing because, as a songwriter, I need to write almost as much as I need to breathe. The title song, Habits, was based on a very upset note I wrote to myself after a fight with my mom, in which I regretted going through the same motions and making the same mistakes I did my entire life. I wrote the entire lyrics laying on my bed, and then the piano basically played itself the next day. I think Habits was meant to be, it was supposed to exist at that point in time, and it has taught me a million things about myself as an artist and as a person.

The concept of the EP was the theme of all the songs in it, since they all spoke of habits I had and was mostly trying to get rid of. The cover took me a long time to choose, because I wanted it to have as big of a meaning as the music, and it ended up being perfect. The picture was taken in a house my family owns in upstate Rio de Janeiro, in a town called Miguel Pereira. The colorful windows are in a shed separate from the house that used to have a grand piano when I was growing up, but it now stands completely empty. It still feels so familiar, although the emptiness doesn’t; it’s like a habit, except it’s not. It’s broken. So it became the cover for Habits.

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

Being at Berklee, there’s talent all around you; that means there’s something to learn everywhere you look. The Berklee community has people from all over the world, with all types of backgrounds, and they’re mostly excited to share their knowledge with each other! This means that, by interacting with other people, I get to learn things I didn’t expect and didn’t know. Also, the resources that Berklee offers - like the studios, where I actually recorded Habits - are spectacular if you know how to take advantage of them.

You had the opportunity to appear on The Voice Brasil Kids. What was that experience like?

This is actually a really funny story: I auditioned by accident. The producers came to the music school I took voice lessons in, and my teacher told me they were “auditioning for a TV show” and I should do it. My fourteen year old self didn’t even think of asking what show it was, didn’t practice, and just convinced a friend to accompany me five minutes before walking into the audition room. Long story short, I was on national TV just a few months after! I sang “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, and all the chairs turned. To be honest, I was so nervous I don’t even remember my Blind Audition, but I remember sitting in the dressing room after and just staring at the wall, trying to process what had happened.

Being on that show changed how I saw music. I was surrounded by people who saw it as a career, not a hobby, as I was used to. Besides, the backstage was always crowded: makeup artists, hairdressers, wardrobe, stage managers… There was never a dull moment. That’s when I realized that I could pursue music as a career, and that the industry was much more than what happens onstage. It pushed me to research more about the different areas, which led me to falling in love with Songwriting and Music Business.

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

I grew up listening to classic rock with my dad, so I would be lying if I said Queen, Guns ‘n Roses and Aerosmith haven’t influenced my music, but as I’m heading towards a more pop/singer-songwriter path I have to highlight Taylor Swift. She is definitely my biggest influence, her lyrics push me to find deeper meanings and metaphors anywhere I look. My love for her is even a bit of a joke among my friends at this point; when she released a 10 minute song, I got it banned from my dorm within two days, because I would just play it on repeat. When Spotify Wrapped came out, it turned out I listened to that song almost 800 times (yes, that’s about 8,000 minutes of the same song). Besides her, I am a big Louis Tomlinson, Conan Grey and Niall Horan fan, which automatically makes Amy Allen one of my favorite songwriters, especially considering she graduated Berklee in 2015.

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

Personally, I have an issue with putting myself out there and following through with my plans. Sometimes, I get paralyzed by the importance of things I want to do and let my fears overcome me, so I freeze and don’t do things I planned on. This happens especially with marketing and social media: I get anxious about possible repercussions - be them good or bad - and end up not posting. I think most artists go through this in this time where social media presence is so important, and it makes it a little bit easier knowing I’m not alone in this struggle.

What are your immediate music goals?

Although I want to keep marketing Habits and enjoy this “era” of my music, I’m already working on my next album! I want it to be considerably longer, and I already have five songs that will be in it. It’s been refreshing to work on some new stuff and I’m hoping to release a single next spring!

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I'm definitely excited about a new album!

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

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

Thanks again Giovanna, and good luck reaching your goals!