Q: “Lets Ride” is the exact type of upbeat, vibey track that I want for summer! What do you hope listeners take from this song?
SWT VALLI HI: Glad to hear it! I think trust, loyalty, the journey and that everything is going to be ok! Personally, I think with everything that’s happened over the last couple of years we can get so caught up in the moment trying to make sure that our futures are perfect that we can often forget that the present is just as important to experience as well.
Q: I could be totally wrong, but is “Lets Ride” about friendship? The lyrics, “It’s me and my loyal ones”, at first I thought was about a romantic relationship, but looking more into it, it seems to be about having your friends along for the ride.
SWT VALLI HI: Primarily friendships but encompassing a romantic relationship as well. It’s about having friends and people you love around you that you can impact and vice versa. So much of what we look forward too is often the thought of experiences that we might have rather than the experiences that we may gain from those people we meet along the way. I believe it is these experiences which make the journey so much more than the sum of it’s parts.
Q: If you could collaborate with any musician (dead or alive), who would it be?
SWT VALLI HI: Oh I don’t know – so many to choose from! I’d love to have been able to work with Emile Haynie, Max Martin, Dev Hynes, Ariel Rechtshaid, Larrance Dopson, Ye, The Machine and Pharrell Williams to name a few.
Q: “Lets Ride”, along with your other music, has so many elements of different genres; in your own words, how would you describe the music you typically create?
SWT VALLI HI: I think in short, I create emotive music that hits a spot or a feeling. Sometimes you can get caught up thinking about writing in a certain style or hook rather than a feeling or message. My process is very organic both lyrically and musically with a lot of the process being very spontaneous which is why I think we manage to touch on so many genres!
Q: I love how SWT VALLI HI is a hotspot of people from around the world; your band has people from America, Nigeria, Spain, & France. How has this changed the way you create music together?
SWT VALLI HI: Yes our mix of backgrounds really allows us to create a fusion of different experiences with everyone bringing something totally unique to the table. I think ultimately it’s allowed us to learn from each other and broaden all of our horizons.
Q: What is your favorite song to perform live? Have you performed “Lets Ride” yet?
SWT VALLI HI: I love to perform Nirvana. We have not yet publicly performed Let’s Ride – but looking forward to it! I don’t know if we could choose a favorite as we’ve enjoyed the process so much of putting this project together but Let’s Ride is certainly up there!
Q: What would you like to tell your listeners out there?
SWT VALLI HI: Thank you so much for all the support and I hope to see you on a dance floor somewhere!
Q: Tell everyone what’s going on with you! Any projects, tours, etc. coming up?
SWT VALLI HI: Should have some really exciting live events coming up for later on this year which we are so hyped about! Lately I’ve been getting my film chops up. Sitting in some read ends for some scripts that I’m taking into consideration on the acting side and getting together two other projects simultaneously along with MOOD BOARD – the project I’m soon to release.
Interviewed by Melissa Cusano
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