Q: “Running Hills” is an amazing pop and vocal EDM song that I know people would enjoy dancing to in the clubs. It’s a fun song! What was it like creating the song? How was the energy?
ENOKA: Thank you. Happy that you think it’s a fun song. That was what we wanted to achieve, not obvious small surprises that take you through the song and the energy grows and grows. It was so fun to see the song take shape and become what it is now.
Q: I get a mixture of Madonna and Jennifer Lopez in “Running Hills,” but with a more modern touch to it. And that shows how versatile you are, which I think is important in the music industry. Who are your influences and how did they have an influence in this song?
ENOKA: Oh wow, what a compliment to be mentioned with Madonna and JLO. They are definitely two big influences in my life both as people and in music. I have listened incredibly much to JLO, her songs and the way she sings, but also Toni Braxton, Angie Stone to Alicia Keys, and Lucy Pearl. I am so incredibly mixed in my style but kept myself in pop and soul. I myself have a hard time sticking to a style, for better or worse.
Q: You worked with different producers and singers? What is it like? What have you learned?
ENOKA: I have always worked hard and made sure to deliver. I hope that is why I was lucky enough to work with awesome producers and singers. I have learned to adapt to other voices, how to use small means to make the voice sound in a certain way that is required in certain styles. TO make my English sound American. The list is long and I am very grateful.
Q: You’re a rising artist yourself, what’s the best advice you’ve received that has helped you in the industry
ENOKA: To dare to be tough. I’m a real softie with a lot of emotions and do not want to hurt a fly. This is not how this industry works. Here, you should take it for granted and dare to bow down to be seen and heard. It is not easy but I am a good distance on the road but with my feet on the ground and humble and grateful for every success.
Q: The music industry keeps changing, making it harder for artists. It’s not the way it was where a producer or agent would walk up to you with their card, although that still could happen. What motivates you to keep going while in this tough industry?
ENOKA: What motivates me is my passion for music. It is tough to get there today and there is so much that comes into play and it is difficult to achieve. But, my love for the song is so great that it outweighs it. I have a family that supports and helps me enormously, my husband, Johan, supports enormously in every way. Without it, it would not have been possible. I have worked so hard for this, so I drive on as long as I have people who want to hang on to my train.
Q: What’s the biggest advantage and disadvantage to being an up and coming artist?
ENOKA: I have been with it for a long time and have been shaped for a long time. Therefore, I dare to do my thing in a different way with more confidence.
Q: Is there anything you want people out there to know about yourself and your music?
ENOKA: I am a mother of two children with a full-time job and a wife who does not give up her dream. As long as possible, I will drive. Enoka is my Sinhalese name and it feels incredibly fun to be able to draw my roots into my career. It feels oriental and different in a fun way. Music will probably never be a common thread more than my voice because I really love to have a breadth within this.
Interviewed by Taylor Berry
