Interview: Los Angeles Based Singer-Songwriter Goldë
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Goldë is a Los Angeles based singer-songwriter, originally from San Francisco, who as she puts it, “has been singing and writing to make sense of the world since her story began”. Goldë just released a great new single entitled “Mirror, Mirror” that we’ve featured on DCWS, so it’s only right that we follow that up with an exclusive interview to find out more about the song and her initial motivation to write it, her creative process for developing new music, and much more.
After reading our Q&A with Goldë, be sure to connect with her on social media so you’ll know when she’ll be dropping new music and her upcoming EP!
At what point in your life did you decide to focus on becoming a singer-songwriter? Were there any artists who influenced you musically that helped to make that decision easier?
You know, I started writing songs when I was about twelve simply to make sense of the world. For me, it was necessary in processing emotions and experiences. I had always loved the idea of doing it, but started focusing on musical theater once I got to high school. It was when I was living in New York after college that I really returned to songwriting in a professional way. I had a group of wonderful friends and musicians who I would play my songs for privately. They really encouraged me to go for it, and eventually became the band that played with me and got me out into the scene. I am so grateful for them and their belief in me. So, that was a huge influence in my songwriting career.
There are so many artists who inspire me, from tons of different genres, and eras, but one whose music really encouraged me on when I started focusing on songwriting was Kacey Musgraves. Her songs are like a good friend who will come sit on your couch and say just the right thing to make you feel better. I so admire her integrity, depth, and courage, and her tunes remind me to strive for these qualities not just in my music, but in how I go about my career, my relationships…my life.
Congratulations on the release of your new single "Mirror, Mirror". What motivated you to initially write the song and what message can we and all listeners take from it?
Thank you very much! I wrote this song to address my experience as a woman in the world, the music industry, in my daily life, as well as what is going on in our country currently. I also wrote it for the heroines in my life and in the world at large. I wrote it to honor them and to honor myself. There are a number of messages I would love to elaborate on, but the main one can be summed up in the last line of the song: “We’ve had enough of it.”
Can we expect "Mirror, Mirror" to be featured on an upcoming EP or album? If so, what can you tell us about it?
There is definitely going to be an EP in the not so distant future, and while “Mirror, Mirror” is the first in a series of singles I’ll be releasing, I do plan on compiling them on to an EP by the end of the year. I still really love the classic format of a compilation of songs that has a common theme or style. I enjoy writing series of songs that complement each other, and I’m excited that “Mirror, Mirror” is the catalyst for that.
Describe your creation process for developing new music. When do you definitively know that a song is finished?
Something I am still asking myself, hahahah. I have to admit that I’m not a perfectionist, so I’ve released plenty of music that just felt ready to see the world. I do care deeply about details and authenticity, however. In some ways I wonder if songs are never finished. Of course there is the production side, there’s perhaps a definitive moment of completion where you release a certain version of a song. But there are songs I’ve been singing for years now that keep evolving, that change as I change. Perhaps that’s why I don’t get overly attached to a song being perfectly finished-I know that when I am telling a story to the best of my ability, it will just keep evolving in feel, expression, and sometimes even structure.
Do you feel that it is important that your music be a voice for women who may be voiceless?
That’s a really interesting question. I am hesitant to assume the role of being a voice to other women. I recognize that no two humans are alike, and certainly my experience, background, culture, ethnicity, etc. mean I’ve had a completely different experience, and been granted a completely different set of privileges, in relation to other people who might listen to this song. That being said, I do hope this song provides a safe space, and some sort of catharsis, to any person that it resonates with. So while my intention is not to define an experience for women, it is to provide support and musical healing to those that identify as such, and see themselves in the story I am telling.