“Just Me” by San Diego-based singer-songwriter and producer Estella Dawn is a beautiful blend of melancholic and catchy with its raw lyrics, hypnotic production, and emotive delivery. There is something so intimate about this song. It is definitely different from anything we’ve ever heard from Estella Dawn, and it is a wonderful example of her versatility. We had the pleasure of interviewing Estella Dawn, and here’s what she had to say:
Q: How long have you been making music and how did you get into it?
DAWN: I’ve been singing since I was really young, I picked up piano and guitar in my early teens and music production followed a few years later. I can’t say there was one defining moment that made me want to choose a career in music, I’ve just been lucky enough to have a core few people supporting me and encouraging me to keep going.
Q: How do you balance your music career with your social life/other obligations?
DAWN: Currently, I can’t say that I have a particularly healthy balance, I’m in full grind mode, but I carve out time to walk my pup/ go to the gym and I also try to make space for at least one social activity every week so I don’t completely lose my mind. But weekends? I don’t know her and for right now that’s okay!
Q: What’s the story behind “Just Me”?
DAWN: I was absentmindedly keeping emotional space for someone that I had dated years ago and even though I didn’t put my life on hold waiting for them to be ‘ready’ I was definitely holding on to some sort of hope that it would all work out one day. Plot twist: It didn’t.
I saw them at the start of the year and it became super apparent that we were on very different pages and I remember getting home and thinking “Oh my god, I’ve always thought there was something special there and that they felt it too but… it’s just me, it’s just been me this whole time”
I put the instrumental together the next day and just let my brain and process and the lyrics stream out, it was super cathartic.
Q: Can you describe what a typical recording session for this song was like?
DAWN: I immediately knew I wanted a specific type of production for ‘Just Me’ so I actually fleshed out the music entirely before I put the lyrics/melody down, ordinarily I write the music and lyrics together building everything as I go.
I pulled inspiration from NF as he often uses very little vocal parts such as musical hooks, simple drum patterns, and piano as a base. I wanted this track to have a similar vibe and I really like how it came out.
Q: What aspect of the creative process did you enjoy the most? And what aspect would you say was the most stressful?
DAWN: I really enjoyed making the music, it was unlike anything I had produced before so it was a fun challenge.
The most stressful part was picking the right verses, I wrote about 8 different ones and they were all coming from a very personal place. I wanted to capture the essence of my feelings while also leaving it open enough to resonate with other people too.
Q: What genre do you think best describes you?
DAWN: This is a tough question for me, I have a tendency to flip-flop around between different genres because I like to switch things up but I’d say all of my music fits under the umbrella of pop music.
Interviewed by Zoey King
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