ARTIST 2 ARTIST – BETHANE X IMMI DASH
A new feature for LIMFACADEMY.com will see two of our esteemed Academy fam chat about their creative process, careers and concerns. First off, Bethane and Immi Dash.
IMMI: My first for you is…what’s your mid studio session snack?
BETH: Oooh.. that’s a good one, I feel like it depends on the mood but, if I’m coming into a session knowing that I want a snack and knowing it’s going to be a long session, I think…I’d either get a nice little smoothie so I can keep the energy up. But I’d say if I need a snack maybe Thai Chilli Sensations or Maltesers. I think you should answer that too!
IMMI: It depends what kind of studio I’m at but if I’m at one where you can leave and go into town I will just get a Greggs halfway through…
BETH: Ooh that’s a really good place, what do you get?
IMMI: Erm…at the moment Festive Bake..Sausage Roll.
BETH: Classic, can’t go wrong.
IMMI: It just gets you through the day.
BETH: Maybe a Vimto, I always seem to get a Vimto when I go to Greggs. OK… If you could go back to any other era of music, which one would you pick?
IMMI: Erm…I kind of wish I was alive for 90’s RnB. US 90’s RnB to experience and appreciate that I think…
BETH: Yeah!
IMMI: That would be really cool.
BETH: That’s a really good choice.
IMMI: And then also I’d take that knowledge and use it now. There’s parts of it I don’t really get because I wasn’t there.
BETH: Yeah! No, I get that, like you weren’t in the rooms that it was first playing in…
IMMI: The drama between certain celebs…
BETH: Yes! The tea…I love that good choice.
IMMI: Would you rather have a home recording session with candles, incense-super cosy. Or feel like a real life super Artist and be in a big fancy studio with LED lights and crazy tech. What would be right for you?
BETH: Hmm, I think for me especially with my new song ‘Homebird’ which references ‘candles lit’, that’s my vibe. I think I’d rather be in an environment that I can make comfortable like lighting the candles to make me feel a way…more comfortable, being in my comfort zone. It’s always good to branch out in other studios but I feel sometimes like, if I sit in a space that feels familiar or like home, I just get more out of me because I am a homebody. If I feel like that then I feel like I’ll be more honest. It just flows out of me easier. If I’m in an environment where it’s like ‘we’re here ’til a certain time’…
IMMI: The pressure…
BETH: and I feel like I’ve got to create this by a certain time it will be a waste of money or whatever…the dream would be to have a gorge…like imagine having a barn where you live and making it all candles and a gorge studio with a Persian rug…do you get what I mean?
IMMI: Fairy lights…
BETH: Yes, aesthetic! That’s a good question I like that. Ok… this is a good one. If you had to make an album or song in a completely different genre, what would you choose?
IMMI: Oooh interesting!
BETH: Like, it can’t have any elements of what you already do.
IMMI: Ok. I think I would choose country.
BETH: Oooh!
IMMI: Because there’s something in me that really likes writing country music. I don’t know. My dad used to listen to a ton of country music so I think it’s seeped into my brain somehow. I did one for a songwriting class for uni and had so much fun with it because I was like pulling these outrageous statements out of nowhere and it just works with country, you can say whatever you want.
BETH: I want to hear that…
IMMI: It’s actually really good, there’s a lot of whiskey references in that one…Yeah I’d say country. There’s a little part of me that wants to do that.
BETH: You should, I love that. I can see it. I’ll get you a big belt.
IMMI: Oh yeah…buckles. (Laughs) For you, what was your first CD?
BETH: Do you know who it actually was…it was when I got a little CD player in my room I used to listen to music to go to sleep and…I couldn’t not listen to music in order to sleep…
IMMI: That’s actually really cute!
BETH: I know…and I used to put it on and it was Leona Lewis’s album. I don’t know how old I was I must have been about 8. That was the first album where I used to play it front to back and I’d fall asleep mid album and that was…I don’t know why it was Leona Lewis because I loved so many other Artists but that was the one I remember me choosing to listen to in my little CD player.
IMMI: Wow she’s clearly really relaxing to you in some way.
BETH: She must be!
IMMI: Soothing…that’s cute.
BETH: I’ve always found it super random but that was the first one that popped into my head. Let’s see.. This could be a deeper one; what’s been the most difficult song you’ve written and how did you get past that to write it?
IMMI: Erm…probably my song ‘Overkill’ just because 1. Subject matter because its about being anxious and not knowing how to deal with all these thoughts that are bouncing round in my head and that’s basically what the song is about. And so initially the subject matter…it’s difficult to pull that out of you and like admit that to someone. And I was doing a co-writing session and it felt very exposing…
BETH: Yeah!
IMMI: But in a nice way as well. Challenging…and then we write so many different choruses for it and nothing was working and I think we actually went back to the original idea and was like ‘actually this is pretty good!’ So that processing itself was difficult too so overall I feel like that song was a lot of work.
BETH:Yeah! And I think that’s a sign that sometimes your first instinct of what you truly wanted to say came first…
IMMI: Yeah…
BETH: that was innately the emotion it brought and I think that’s a good point to focus on like, we sometimes..like I do the same thing like ‘I need to do this’ but ultimately that first..what came out of you…was what should have!
IMMI: Yeah
BETH: And that’s what you went back to.
IMMI: I always think the first melody idea you had was best. Like whether it’s to a loop or a beat or chords or whatever way you go into it, I feel like the first thing…the first element of creativity that came out of you was the best.
BETH: Honestly…the amount of voice memos, I forget so quickly.
IMMI: OK, Would you rather wake up tomorrow incredible at the harmonica or wake up tomorrow and be incredible at the harp?
BETH: Ooh that’s a hard question. I think the harp you know because I don’t think you see enough people playing it, you know what I mean? It doesn’t seem accessible to take everywhere but it’s so pretty.
IMMI: I feel like it could add a lot to your music you know
BETH: Yes!
IMMI: You should put some harp on some of your songs.
BETH: Yes! Honestly and I feel like not enough people use a harp. I think it’s because it feels like isn’t accessible in a way.
IMMI: Yeah, like where do you get harp lessons?
BETH: I know one woman who plays it and she’s in her 50’s. Do you know what I mean? But maybe I’ll start playing it, I don’t know! I pick the harp.
IMMI: I feel like if I’m going down the country route I’m going to have to go with the harmonica.
BETH: Oh yeah!
IMMI: Imagine that, you know how you can get them..if I learn guitar as well…
BETH: And you can tap your foot with the cymbal!
IMMI: I’ll try this current route I’m on for another year then maybe I’ll switch to country.
BETH: Hey Beyonce did it…
IMMI: True! Ok one more…
BETH: Is there a particular performance or venue that changed the way you viewed music or being an Artist. A live performance…is there a space you’ve been in that made you go ‘wow!’ It could have made you think ‘I actually really want to do this I want to perform here, or this has just changed my whole outlook.’
IMMI: Yeah, the first one that popped into my head was when I did a performance with…how do I describe the genre? Electronic-ska band..dub blend of genres and they had me on as a guest vocalist, I did a few shows with them and wrote a few songs and we were playing at WOMAD which is a festival, like a world music festival and it was the Thursday night so we were on at 9pm and we were like ‘there might be some people here but there’s other big acts going on at the rest of the festival. And our set got delayed and we were like ‘oh no, who’s going to be here, no one is going to come!’ And then actually it ended up being perfect timing because all the other stages had ended and everybody left where they were to come and see because we were playing at the perfect time hence we were the stage between the tents and other stages and it was packed. It was the biggest crowd I have ever played in front of. It was thousands of people. It was so fun, it was amazing. So I think that for me was…’oh my God I can do this!’ Because I felt in that moment even more comfortable than if there was ten people there because it all just blurs so that was pretty amazing.
BETH: I love that. That sounds sick.
IMMI: OK one last question for you. Aside from writing what is the most enjoyable part of being an Artist for you?
BETH: Aside from writing? Maybe singing as well because you’d have to enjoy that in order to do it but I don’t know, I think it’s just the fact that all of us understand having to work another job to do music but…we’ve all done that to a certain degree but it’s the fact that when I do music, I could do 12 hours and I just enjoy every single moment. And it doesn’t feel like when I’m working in my other job. And I couldn’t do that for 12 hours and I just think, looking ahead, I just love the people you meet, the opportunities that you do, that you get paid to do and then…just all of that and just being with like minded people. I always just feel so understood when I’m around other Artists and I think it’s so hard to come by but I think every time I’m around people who do the same in this way…I mean scientists could say the same thing that they feel like that when they’re with other scientists but it just feels different to anything else. It’s the connection, just working with other creative people and knowing that one day this will be our full job.
IMMI: It’s so exciting to think about that although sometimes you can be like ‘I don’t want to be in this day job right now like, I want to be doing something creative …’
BETH: Yeah…
IMMI: But you think about the fact that how grateful are you going to be actually once you get to that point where you are able to do it full time, you’re going to take control of it and just get the most out of it.
BETH: Yeah and that’s what I mean, I think it gives you a different appreciation for the fact that we understand from that side of it how hard it can be because even like, there’s people who work the same types of jobs as us and that’s all they do. And we do this whole other thing and sometimes it feels like ‘oh when am I going to see the rewards or see the benefit of me doing this because I’m not getting paid, I’m actually paying to do it.’ But we will be so much more grateful when that day comes. Hopefully soon!
IMMI: it’s happening, it’s happening girl!
BETH: It’s happening!
For more on Bethane: www.instagram.com/bethanemusic/
For more on Immi Dash: www.instagram.com/immidash/