IBR Community Spotlight: Common Girl [ENG]
“Beach House and dream pop” — Common Girl
The article was written by Kevin Damken/ Indieblock Records
Read this article in Spanish
Tell us about yourself? Who is Common GIrl?
I am an enigma, a vessel for music. I don’t make music; music makes me.
What is your favorite food and why?
I like sandwiches because they’re simple to make.
What is your favorite color and why?
My favorite color is blue. I feel like the color has always had a profound impact on my life; my childhood home was also blue!
Apart from music, what other hobbies do you have?
I like to paint sometimes, I also enjoy writing short stories. I’ve never finished any. They’re mostly all ideas that I’m just not able to expand to something bigger, but maybe someday I will. I also enjoy doing nothing.
How long have you been making music? What made you start?
Music has been in my life ever since I was a child. I’ve always felt like I had a musical voice inside me, so it feels odd to imagine that something exterior made me pursue music. I was about 12 when I first learned how to play an instrument. From then on, I began to just make little songs here and there. It wasn’t until later when I got a smartphone and actually kept track of what I was creating!
What are your biggest musical influences?
BEACH HOUSE, obviously! Haha, I mean before Beach House, there are a lot of musical influences. I tend to have a bad memory but have excellent memorization when it comes to music or sounds. Once I hear something outstanding, I just can’t forget it. Unfortunately, the same goes for when something really sucks, too. My mind is simply a library of good music, bad music, movie scores, television, and just random sounds that things make. All these sounds that are in my head eventually make it into my music!
What’s your music-making process? What sparks your creativity?
Whenever I sit down to make music, I usually have an idea in my head. I can’t say this is much of a process, but I’ll try to lay out what’s in my head, and if I don’t like what I hear, I’ll literally just stop and go on about my day.
Within the first 15 minutes, I usually know if a song will be created or not, and this is typical for me. I always try to take those 15 minutes and make sure I write down the idea but typically, I’ll just forget about whatever I heard in my head. But when songs are born, I will sit there for hours! And a lot of times, too, I will take little parts from other ideas that I’ve gotten down and will apply them to these songs.
My creativity comes and goes as it pleases; unfortunately, I feel like it’s untamable and can’t be controlled on command. So lots of times, it’ll be triggered, but I won’t be at home or won’t have access to write down what I’m hearing. Just existing and everything on the outside of myself can cause my creativity to activate.
What have you been listening to recently?
I’ve really been enjoying Depresión Sonora, specifically the song Ya No Hay Verano. Really great stuff!
Talk to us about your latest album release / (Self-titled)
I don’t know where to begin with the self-titled album. It’s a journey. It’s about two lovers, two separate individuals with different experiences in different times of space. Besides the space theme, I was really trying to push myself musically and emotionally. It’s hard for me to verbalize emotions that are unknown to me, good feelings, but I feel like I captured them on this album.
Are you currently working on new music?
Yes, I am! I’m currently working on a three-song EP. The idea for the EP was to draw out music from the picture that will be used as the cover art. The picture was taken from a friend, and the music’s inspiration and energy are being drawn out from that one photo. Only two pairs of eyes have seen this photo, and no one’s heard the music that I’m working on at the moment.
What are your goals as a musician? What are you striving to achieve?
Right now, I am pushing myself to learn Bossa-nova music, so there’s that. I don’t see myself making the same kind of music that I do now later in life, but who knows what I’ll be doing next year even. But for the time being, I am trying to push the envelope on my dream-pop sound. Also, as a side note, I really want to become a classical guitar virtuoso!
Where can we listen to more of your music?
Spotify, Apple Music, Emanate, SoundCloud, and in your dreams.
