New Music Friday: Indira May

London, UK

The Stööki Craft Makers continually strive to push the boundaries of jewellery making. One of our key...

Tuesday, 26 October 2021

New Music Friday: Indira May

We’re back with another #NewMusicFriday! This week we linked up with the British singer-songwriter, Indira May as she wows us with her debut EP “Simpler Things”, a soul and jazz soundscape, inspired by her mother’s life lessons.

We caught up at the Stööki studio in London to learn more about Indira May, including her future goals, the creative process for her latest single and her favourite all-time artists… 👀

1. Hey! Who are you and what do you do?

Hi, my name is Indira May and I’m a singer-songwriter based in London. I also co-own an independent label and film production company called TRASH – “run by women. for everyone”.

2. We love your latest E.P ‘Simpler Things’. Can you tell us a bit about your creative process making it?

Making this EP was a really important process for me, I’d consider it my first proper body of work. I shed many insecurities, people, places, old ways of thinking. Some of the songs were written years ago, and a lot of them were passed through many hands. At various points, I thought I was never going to release it. The songs touch on politics, climate change, heartbreak, mental health – I guess it documents me becoming a woman and learning my own abilities and boundaries. I learnt so much from the process, and I also learnt so much from my peers around me who helped me create it – and I’m ready to do it all over again.

STÖÖKI X INDIRA

3. When did you first discover your passion for Jazz?

There was always music playing in my house when I was growing up. It was always quite a mix of stuff (a lot of David Bowie) but my dad had some old Jazz records which I used to play all the time, I must of been about nine or ten. I became obsessed with Nina Simone, Herbie Hancock, Fela Kuti, Chet Baker and then as I got older and started making music with other people, my taste for Jazz, Soul, Blues, Funk and Hip Hop grew even more. The producers I worked with at the time sampled a lot of shit and I used to just spend evening upon evening down a rabbit hole, searching for new music.

4. Who would you like to work with musically in the future?

Tough question, there are so many.. Sampha, James Blake, Mark Ronson, Gotts Street Park and Little Simz.. the list goes on.

STÖÖKI X INDIRA

5. You co-founded the awesome creative community ‘TRASH’. You and your business partner sound like the perfect tag-team. Tell us more about how it all began?

I don’t think there was one specific moment that kicked it all off. I think it was a build up of experiences, years of frustration, whether that be within my own life or watching my friends go through stuff within the industries they’re involved in. Hurdling the obstacles that can arise in these creative industries is hugely important to us, especially with regards to mental health and the inequality that women face. Personally, I felt like I had gotten to a stage in my career where I didn’t really have a choice. If I wanted to carry on pursuing a career in music, I had to be able to do it on my own terms and also feel safe doing it. You’ve got to lead by example sometimes, as scary as that can be.

6. What’s next for ‘Trash Talk’?

There are so many things in the pipe line, we’re very excited. We’ve got a music video shoot coming up for the lovely Lyza Jane, a podcast series called Trash Talk and some events planned for next year. Oh and definitely some more music!

7. We heard that you’re working on some exciting upcoming youth workshops & events! Can you tell us a bit more about them?

Yes – we have a few interactive events cropping up next year which will be a mixture of music, film, art and fashion – all different sizes and scales, so there’s something for everyone. That’s all I can say about that for now..

8. Where can people find more of your work?

The best place to go is Instagram – I release all my music on TRASH, so head over to @trashfilmsandmusic. Or alternatively, all of our video content is up on Youtube.

STÖÖKI X INDIRA
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