Rock Monsters Romania

Hello? The SESAME Project here! After learning about GOSS, there is one more artist to talk about!

The SESAME project aims to support the mobility of artists from regions surrounding the Black Sea, France, and the Republic of Moldova, fostering intercultural collaboration through music. Over the course of five creative camps held in Bucharest, ten bands come together for seven days to create, learn, and perform. Each camp concludes with a SESAME Live Session event, where the artists showcase their newly created music to a live audience.

Next up, we have SHY, who will perform together with GOSS, on the 28th of November, at Echoes Haus in Bucharest. 

Who is SHY?

SHY is an artist from Ukraine, based in Dublin. Singer and songwriter, she plays with the indie-pop style. Her first EP was  “Loading” and it was launched in 2018.

SHY always charms her audience with her instrumentals and voice. She is very sincere and profound in her lyrics, and a good example for that is her latest release: “On the Roof”.

To help the public get to know you: what is one thing people should know about you before reading this interview?

One thing to know about me is that I am absolutely restless which explains why I haven’t given up on an “indie girly musician” dream in a six-years run. I can’t stop making stuff even at times when it feels like I’m nowhere near my goal and there’s no none to take notice of my music. 

If you could describe your musical style in one word and your local music scene in another, what would they be and why?

I’m based in Dublin now and the local scene here is diverse, hard to narrow it down to one genre or direction. To me, however, it is mostly associated with the word “homecoming”which is ironic taken that I am miles away from home. However, I feel it deeply resonates with what I have always thought of as “heartfelt music”.

To describe mine I’ll probably pick the word “delicate”. 

What’s your favorite milestone in the process of creating a song—from the initial idea to writing, recording, and performing it live? What makes this moment special for you?

I love having a rough demo down and listening to it on and on till my ears bleed and then no version of the song you make at the studio can ever compare to it. 

What impact has the support of friends, family, or fans, as well as your participation in camps, conferences, and workshops, had on your career so far?

Whenever I get a comment or a text from someone saying they love my music or have been listening to something lately it makes my day. Some artists say they don’t make music for the audience but rather for themselves – I am not one of them. I obviously love creating and do use it as some sort of “personal journal” but I need people to want to hear it and like it. Guilty. It affects me very much. I haven’t always been able to admit it though.

How did you hear about the SESAME Project, what motivated you to apply, and how do you see it impacting your career and presence in the European music scene ?

I learned about SESAME thanks to Music Export Ukraine. They have been great at spreading the word about all the cool possibilities for independent artists who are looking to take their music to the European scene. I always try to read their monthly newsletter carefully and apply for projects that look interesting and resonate with me. I’m very exited to hit the road and see Bucharest for the first time, meet likeminded people and hopefully make some good music. 

What challenges do you expect to face in this program, and is there anything you’re nervous about? What skills, knowledge, or qualities do you hope to gain or bring to the creative camps, and what’s your biggest goal for this project?

I’m a bit scared of not being able to “switch on” and get into the creative mode, it is sometimes unpredictable. However, I’m more curious than nervous about it, I try to see this as an interesting challenge I’ll later look back on and thank myself for. I am currently learning to produce so I hope to dive deeper into it at the camp and I’d love to experiment with mixing different genres.

What do you hope the Bucharest audience will feel during your performance? Is there a memorable concert moment from the past that you’d love to experience again?

Well I hope they’ll think something like: “Damn, that girl’s good. I better go and check out her Spotify”. Hehe, I don’t know really. I’d love to reach out to more people who like heartfelt indie.

If you could give one piece of advice to upcoming artists who are reading this interview, what would it be?

Don’t do it. Seriously. It’s tough out there. Only do it if absolutely necessary and your life depends on it. 

Also, practice that guitar because you do get rusty so fast.

Interview by Ana-Maria Corjos and Radu Mihai