18 March 2024
Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with London based artist Marta Per to find out more…
Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I am from Lisbon, Portugal. I got into music at 6 years old when my parents encouraged me to start learning an instrument, but I became more serious about it when I was around 11 and started learning guitar by myself and writing my first songs.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
Growing up my parents listened to a lot of classic rock, jazz and Brazilian music. I loved a pianist/songwriter from Portugal called Jorge Palma who really influenced my playing and songwriting. In my teens I got really into Paramore and lots of rock/pop-punk bands. These days I listen to lots of rock, jazz and pop so my influences are a mix of all of this.
How would you describe your sound?
It’s a mix of rock and jazz with elements of pop, prog-rock. Some of my musical has classical elements thanks to my classical training in piano/composition for films, and recently I’ve incorporated more neo-soul and RnB into my guitar and vocal style.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
Caught By Surprise is a song about overcoming gaslighting and forming a strong identity. The lyrics depict the struggles of dealing with a change-resistant and defensive individual who refuses to do any self-reflection but expects you to stay invested in them. It’s about creating distance from this dynamic and starting life over somewhere new, which came with new surprising challenges but felt right and necessary. It’s ultimately about self-empowerment and self-discovery.
What’s your local music scene like?
London is always buzzing with all sorts of diverse acts. It’s almost overwhelming. You always feel like you’re missing out because so much is happening all the time. It’s great but it also sometimes feel like audiences here are a little jaded. It’s still my favourite place to be and there’s a lot of opportunities to get in front of different audiences and get inspired by all the talent.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
I will be releasing the rest of my EP. Caught By Surprise is the first single from it but I have 3 more songs ready to release. There will be some time before each single release to give people a chance to get to know each song individually and give me a chance to promote it to its fullest, create content around it, talk about the message behind each one… Apart from that I am writing a lot and have enough songs for another EP, so I am already planning for that.
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Paramore is my dream collaboration just because I’ve loved them for so long and always admired not just the music but also the way they connect with their audience. I’m also loving King Princess and Fiona Apple, I really admire these 2 artists’ uniqueness, distinct voices, lyrics and boldness in their own individual styles.
Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
One time I had 2 gigs planned with my full band about 2 weeks apart. I get to the venue for the first gig for soundcheck and most of my band starts arriving – except for my guitarist. Turns out he mixed up the dates and went to the venue for the second gig, on the other side of London. He hurried to the right venue once he realised no one was showing up… it was close but he did show up in time for soundcheck. It’s been over a year but we still tease him about it every time we have a gig.
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
Just my dedication to the process of making music. To me, every detail matters when telling a story. I loved the process of crafting all the parts on this single and upcoming EP: programming the drums, finding the tastiest bass parts, layering guitars and exploring different tones, finding cool vocal harmonies, writing lyrics that summarise what I’m feeling in an interesting way that might connect with others or make them think, finding the best way to deliver a main vocal, going into the studio with a drummer (Fran Silva) to bring the parts to life, collaborating with different backing vocalists (Carlota Rocchi and Francisco Catarro)… It was a lot but it was such a fulfilling process and it really fuels me as a person when I just dive into it. So now I really can’t wait to share what I’ve been working on for so long!
You can find out more about Marta via Apple Music, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, Threads, TikTok, X (Twitter) or YouTube.
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