Q&A: philomenah Builds A World of Darkness and Emotion In “sovereign”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY DANY MIRELES ☆
Photo by Bruja Opala
“LEARNING TO EMBRACE YOUR SOVEREIGNITY ISN’T A PURELY JOYOUS THING. IT CAN ALSO FEEL POIGNANT AND LONELY”—With “sovereign,” philomenah turns inward. Blending music genres, the single marks a deeper return to her roots as a songwriter while opening a door to a more expansive creative world. Written entirely by the artist, the track explores female autonomy, self-worth, independence and the emotions that can surface when learning to put yourself first.
Drawing inspiration from artists such as Massive Attack, Addison Rae, David Sylvanian and Sade, philomenah finds beauty in the space between darkness and serenity. “sovereign” acts as a bridge between her earlier R&B leaning work and a body of work that promises to dig deeper into themes of grief, trust, attachment, rage and anxiety.
In conversation with The Luna Collective, philomenah takes us inside the making of this single, from its beginnings as simple keys sketched to its now layered production, while reflecting on creative control, emotional songwriting and the world she is already building for her next sonical chapter.
Photo by Bruja Opala
LUNA: “sovereign” introduces a darker and more evolved sound for philomenah. What inspired the sonic direction of this new era?
PHILOMENAH: I think making a return to the way I started out writing music (from scratch on guitar or keys) and away from writing to beats or instrumentals means that I'm following my creative instincts more and taking more of an active role in the songwriting. It feels more like going back to my roots as a songwriter rather than taking a brand new direction, although I do have a wider range of influences I'm pulling from now!
LUNA: The track blends trip-hop, dreamy alt-pop and alternative R&B. What drew you to these genres for “sovereign”?
PHILOMENAH: A few years ago when I was producing my own music and testing it out at open mics, I often drew comparisons to trip hop acts like Massive Attack and Portishead. Funnily enough, this irritated me! From my perspective I was referencing R&B and hip hop and darkwave. I now see it as a massive compliment that I drew those comparisons and they're influences that I'm happy to embrace along with the rest.
LUNA: You’ve mentioned influences ranging from David Sylvian and Massive Attack to Sade and Addison Rae. How do you approach bringing such diverse influences together while maintaining your own sound?
PHILOMENAH: With Sade and Massive Attack, the influence comes mainly from the atmosphere of the music, the serenity and space but also the darkness and edge. David Sylvian's music has made me more of an intentional and ambitious songwriter, and Addison Rae has such a perfect blend of femininity and melancholy in her music which really resonates with me. I try not to lean too heavily on any one influence because ultimately I want to sound like myself, but I find that listening to a wide range of music helps.
LUNA: “sovereign” began with a simple keys sketch. How did the production develop from that initial idea into the finished track?
PHILOMENAH: After sketching out the chord progression and choosing some cold, melancholy sounding synths to map it out, I started imagining what sort of percussion might fit and brought some ideas and references to the producer I made the track with. He helped me to flesh things out production-wise and then we built things up instrumentally. I play rhythm guitar and keys on the track and we also incorporated some session drums and additional guitar.
LUNA: The song explores female autonomy, independence and self-worth. What interested you about approaching these themes through a darker pop and trip-hop sound?
PHILOMENAH: I think the melancholy trip hop sound suits the themes I'm exploring because learning to embrace your sovereignty isn't a purely joyous thing. It can also feel poignant and lonely, and it involves a lot of introspection. I'm also acknowledging in this song that not everyone has the freedom to put themselves first in this way ("count yourself lucky if you have the choice") and I think this context adds some emotional depth and nuance.
LUNA: What do you think distinguishes “sovereign” from your previous releases, both sonically and lyrically?
PHILOMENAH: It's the first time I've blended real and synthesised instruments in this way, and it's also the first time in a while that I've composed a lengthy bridge. The second verse is partly composed of affirmations which I'm not sure I've incorporated into a song before. Finally, this is the first track I've released so far where every chord and lyric was written by me.
LUNA: Your music often incorporates atmospheric and alternative elements. What role does mood play when you’re developing a new song or project?
PHILOMENAH: The mood is everything to me! I can't write a song if I'm not feeling emotional (or if I do it doesn't turn out very good). I'm a Scorpio moon and rising (and Pluto!) so anyone who's into astrology will be able to draw a link between my placements and the emotional tone of my music I'm sure.
LUNA: You’ve worked across songwriting, vocals and composition while maintaining creative ownership of your work. How does having that level of creative control shape your artistic process?
PHILOMENAH: One way that it shapes the artistic process is that it takes a lot of time, energy and sustained focus. But it also means I'm able to be pretty selfish about my creative choices, I don't have to compromise on that front which feels good. With writing all the chords and lyrics, it feels like my musical DNA is really in the song.
LUNA: You’ve received support from platforms like Spotify editorial and BBC Radio 6 Music. How has that recognition influenced the way you approach releasing independent music?
PHILOMENAH: There are lots of peaks and troughs when you're an independent musician so I think it's important to not be too preoccupied with external validation (although it can be nice!). There are a million people who feel they deserve opportunities and recognition that can realistically only go to a few, so I try to focus most of my energy on making the best music I can within my means and releasing that sense of entitlement.
LUNA: With “sovereign” serving as the first glimpse of a larger body of work, how would you describe the overall sonic and creative world you’re building for this next chapter?
PHILOMENAH: I chose “sovereign” to be the first single because it serves as a good bridge between my prior R&B kind of music and my newer work. It’s also the most “pop” song on the record. The rest of the album is quite a lot darker and a bit heavier at times, sonically and thematically. If I could describe it sonically in three words, I’d say it’s dark, lush and expansive. I’m reflecting a lot on attachment, trust, grief and existential anxieties; along with spirituality and faith. I feel like it’s an album which embraces the full spectrum of emotion, even the “uglier” sides (like rage and paranoia) that women are often shamed out of expressing.
