Monica Lyrae - Interview - PETE'S ROCK NEWS AND VIEWS.COM

Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (http://petesrocknewsandviews.com)

PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
ML: I’m an introvert spending way too much time inside my own mind, and so I use my music to
communicate those surreal landscapes to the outside world. I don’t focus on a specific genre, all I do
is look for the best musical elements to portray the emotions of each song I make.

PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make
music, etc.
ML: I’m from Monterrey, Mexico. I grew up surrounded by music because of my family, who in spite of not being professional musicians, they all shared a passion for music. So in a way, I feel like music
has always been within me. I started my musical training as a classical singer and pianist, but later on
my love for cinema and literature drove me to study Film Scoring at Berklee College of Music. I feel
writing music is something I need to do to feel complete, so that’s why I started developing my
project as a solo artist, and here I am! Finally releasing music that had been on a shelf for a couple of
years.

PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What
do you like to write about in your songs?
ML: It’s a mixed bag of musicians, filmmakers, visual artists and writers. People like Remedios Varo,
David Lynch, Edgar Allan Poe, Hans Zimmer, Tori Amos, Kari Rueslatten, and many others have
inspired me to become an artist. I love talking about dreams, mysteries, and complex feelings. I think
that, above all, I’m a storyteller. Music is the medium I chose, but little by little I hope to expand my
artistic vision to other forms of art.

PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
ML: I want to keep creating. When I’m writing and coming up with ideas it’s when I feel like myself. I
hope that with my music I can meet a lot of like-minded people; to form a community where we can
share our stories and inspire each other.

PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
ML: I think when I made the decision of starting out this project. It was a moment when I was able to be completely honest with myself and finally follow my biggest dream. It has been a very difficult
journey (especially since I’m starting out in the middle of a pandemic), but little by little I’ve been
putting my music out there. The dream is coming true.

PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new artists
emerging from bedrooms in the day of the home studio. How is that going?
ML: It is pretty challenging, especially with my type of music that I know is not very conventional. Social media is a double-edged sword. They definitely help to spread awareness of your music, but you’re not the only one using them for that purpose. I’m trying to educate myself as much as I can about music marketing and learning how to use these tools to get the most out of them.

PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
ML: Right now I’m not planning any shows due to the pandemic, but I’ve been active on my social media uploading a couple of music videos, arrangements, and short performances.

PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
ML: Again, a double-edged sword. First off, I’m ok with the format. Having all my music in one place is very convenient. And I think it’s great to have a place to distribute your music for everyone to hear. I just wish it could be a bit more profitable for the artists and/or writers. Ah, this is such a complicated topic, I’m getting a headache just thinking about it.

PD: What song do you wish you'd written and why?
ML: Johnette Napolitano’s Suicide Note…but thank God I didn’t write it! Because her performance has so much weight in it, it’s so raw and emotional…gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. I just hope to achieve that level of writing and singing one day.

PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
ML: This is a very personal opinion, but I don’t like that we keep categorizing music by genres for many purposes. Music is always evolving, and we end up mixing a lot of styles to come up with something fresh. Trying to fit your music into one category is always tough, it’s a huge grey area! And even us as fans will sometimes disagree on how we catalogue our favorite bands in this genre or that subgenre. So, on one hand it seems practical, but on the other hand it’s all very debatable.

PD: So what are you working on at the moment?
ML: Basically planning releases and promoting my already released music. With ‘Numb’ I finished
releasing my upcoming album’s singles (Unforgiven, The H is Silent, A long farewell), so I have to
work hard to finally put the whole album out there!

PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online?
ML: Please visit my official website www.monicalyrae.com to learn more about me! You can listen to my music in all streaming platforms. If you’re looking to buy it, head over to Amazon , iTunes, or my
Bandcamp where you have the option of giving a little extra love if you feel like it 🙂

Thanks 🙂