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Introducing Emilie Ramirez
Danish singer-songwriter Emilie Ramirez has burst onto the scene with her debut single ‘Tranquilizer’, a track that mixes hip-hop, soul, trap and R&B. We caught up with Emilie to find out more about her and where her experimental musical style comes from.
How are you doing? What have you been up to recently?
I’m very well, thank you! I’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio the last year. So it has been a long period of creating and looking inside.
Give us a bit of background – why did you decide to pursue music as a profession?
I grew up in Denmark – raised by my mother and grandmother. My mother is a painter and has taught me the importance of self-expression in art. She understood my creative mind and fed it when I was little, which very likely has had a big influence in me pursuing music as a profession. Besides that I’ve always had a need to express myself. The way I cope with heavy thoughts about life, experiences etc. has always been in writing, drawing and singing.
Who’s been your biggest influence musically?
Mostly I find my inspiration in many other things then music. I find that the biggest influences have been in literature such as Gabriel García Marquez’s magical realism, film directors such as Quentin Tarantino and painters such as Frida Kahlo and Michael Kvium. Kahlo paints her inner psychological struggles – there’s an emotionally rawness in her art. The emotionally raw aspect is very central in my own self-expression in my music. Not being afraid to show the “ugly” sides of humanity and self in general is somehow very liberating to me, like Michael Kvium painting guts. It’s very dramatic and some might say disgusting. The dramatic stories the paintings tell in its ugliness somehow become very beautiful. They show it and tell it as it is with no filter. Gabriel García creates a very realistic setting in his literature and gets his message out via the magical perspective. Which makes his literature very rich in metaphors and you have to do your research to get the point - it’s not given, and this creates many layers in his storytelling. That certain way to write has influenced me a lot in my own writing. Quentin Tarantino is in every way a game-changer who is not afraid to think outside the box. I admire him very much for his very special and original film-characteristics. These have influenced me a lot - not only in my music but also the moods in the visual aspect.
We love your single ‘Tranquilizer’, what was the inspiration behind the track?
‘Tranquilizer’ has a very emotional honesty without filter. It’s a narrative of an internal battle with self – being engaged in a relationship were you feed off each other’s darkness.
You co-directed the video for ‘Tranquilizer’; tell us a bit about the concept.
We call it an homage to the visually boundary pushing Italian 70’s genre of “Giallo”. Also the elements of magical realism were a big inspiration. It’s a realistic setting but somehow something magical is happening. You have to look extra careful to figure it out. The magical “layer” is used to show the scars and marks on the inside and not only the physical scars and marks on the outside - it symbolises the inner struggle. The black veil symbolises the confessing part of my song writing.
Is the visual side of the industry something you enjoy?
Yes, very much! Every time a song is finished in the studio or in the first process of writing I create a whole “movie” in my head playing how the mood, the colours, images or maybe a storyline is. I spend a lot of time drawing and getting ideas to artwork so for me the visual side of the industry is almost as important as the music. The visual side sets pictures, moods and atmosphere to the emotions in the music.
What’s the next project in the pipeline – an EP? An album?
In the beginning of the New Year my debut EP is dropping. I’m very content and a little nervous at the same time. It’s very personal and honest, which I find very liberating. There’s a little piece of my soul in every song.
What has been the best bit of 2015?
The best bit of 2015 has definitely been finishing the EP. I’ve found my way to me. I’ve learned a lot about who I am as an artist; what I want to tell, the visual aspect, what my strengths are and what I still can get better at. So I like to think that I’ll “walk” into 2016 wiser as an artist. I’m still here to learn and evolve, so I’m really looking forward to the next year - hopefully I will develop and get better. I’ll always be in competition with me.
Any plans to get over to the UK?
Hopefully I’ll someday soon get the possibility to get over to the UK. I admire the UK’s music scene, so UK would definitely, in my world, be one of the greatest places to be, musically. I will play London for the first time on March 2nd.
What is your life motto?
“No rules no limits” – mostly because I, personally, really need that motto. It helps me remember not to care too much about what other people think and not to be afraid to just do me. No matter what you do in life - people will always have something to say – good and bad. So better do what you love and stay true to you… I’m not here to do what’s been done. I’m here to somehow tell my story and my visions in my own way – you don’t become a game changer if you do what’s expected, set limits and boundaries to your artistic expression, and restrict yourself by doing what’s already been done a hundred times, creatively. It can never be “wrong” if you can look yourself in the mirror at the end of the day. Besides that, the sentence “don’t let it consume you” is a reminder to myself to try to keep a balance in ‘letting go’ and being a perfectionist. I can be very tough on myself and I have very high expectations for myself. Being a perfectionist keeps me wanting to do better, never to settle for less and keeps me moving - pushing myself till I get the right end-result.
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