Q&A: August Eve
A MULTI-HYPHENATE SINGER, PERFORMER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR - August Eve has carved her place within the creative industry. With a sultry, smooth, and luxurious sound with a tinge of playfulness, August Eve channels the energy of radical artists such as Frida Kahlo and Maria Callas. Always keeping an eye on moving forward, she finds a balance of paying homage to her roots and keep her listeners on their toes. After the release of her EP Ashes in Vases in November of 2019, August Eve continues to craft her sound and visual image, refining each detail. Check out her latest visualizer for her “ME, MYSELF & I” cover and read below to learn more about her creative inspirations, advice for other women in the industry and how she is spending her quarantine.
LUNA: You’ve been putting music out since 2016 and most recently released your EP Ashes In Vases in November, what are some of the main ways you’ve seen your sound evolve over the years?
AUGUST EVE: I’ve always had a vision of what I wanted to sound like, but when I started putting out music I wasn’t as confident with producing as I am now. I feel like more than an evolution of sound, it’s been a process of growing into the music that I’ve wanted to make since I began writing. I always wanted to make something that sounded luxurious and elegant with strings and the whole shebang.
LUNA: Are there any sonic elements that you’d like to explore more with new music?
AUGUST EVE: Yes, the music I’ve been working on now is definitely a lot lighter and maybe more fun than what I did with Ashes In A Vase. My vibe now is trying to make something that people might actually want to dance to while still maintaining the opulent sounding things I like such as violins and stacked vocals.
LUNA: Lyrically, your music touches on your personal experiences and seems to really come from the heart. Has it ever been difficult to open up like this and share that personal side of yourself to the audience?
AUGUST EVE: Not really. My first real introduction to music was through my school’s choir and from there I studied classical, vocal jazz, and opera. Opera is so dramatic and expressive in every way so to me, it comes really naturally to be emotive and place a sense of drama in the music I make. But I really get into that when I’m writing and recording, performing is a different story. Sometimes I feel like I get really into it and other times I feel like I’m just standing there on stage spacing out like a fool.
LUNA: The visual side of your work is definitely defined and has an almost cinematic feel to it, how did your style get to where it is now?
AUGUST EVE: I wanted to be a director before I ever thought of becoming a musician so I really, really just enjoy it. I already had a strong sense of what I liked and what I wanted to do in that space beforehand so by the time I was making music and realized there was a whole visual side to craft, It felt super seamless.
LUNA: You directed your latest video “In Whose Image” - congrats! Are there creative areas outside of music you’d like to explore more? Are there plans to hone in on those more with your music?
AUGUST EVE: I’m manifesting a short film at some point and I’d really like to do more with dance.
LUNA: Are there any individuals, both musical and non musical if applicable, that have played a role in shaping you as an artist as a whole?
AUGUST EVE: I look up to Maria Callas and Frida Kahlo a lot. I like people who have a radical approach to their work and take risks to make their work the best it can be.
LUNA: If you could offer a piece of advice to young women trying to get their start in the industry, what would you say?
AUGUST EVE: That comparison is useless. Every person is born with a completely different set of advantages and disadvantages and it’s about how you make them work for you. You can definitely learn a lot from people whose work and careers you admire but your story will always be yours alone. I think that to a certain extent, you need to have tunnel vision about your goals and how to get whatever it is you need to create the life you want.
LUNA: How are you taking care of yourself during these crazy times?
AUGUST EVE: I limit how much time I spend watching the news, I tap in with my friends on zoom a couple times a week, and I designate time to literally just do nothing. I like self reflective bath time. I’ll turn off all the lights in my bathroom except for my crystal lamp and just chill out in the bathtub with some ambient music going. I have a Spotify playlist called Candlelight that I’ve curated for such times.
LUNA: Do you have any goals or intentions for 2020 that you’d like to share?
AUGUST EVE: Yes, I want to put out more music and learn how to DJ properly. People keep asking me to DJ events and I’ll tell them I literally don’t know how to DJ but I feel like no one actually cares if you know how to DJ or not they just want someone behind the booth looking busy and entertaining. So I figured I might as well actually get good at it if it’s gonna be a thing. Also it looks really fun and I have great taste in music.
