With dreamy sounds and a silky smooth voice, Ghaniyya Ghazi is a up-and-coming 17-year old Indonesian R&B singer and songwriter. Her music draws from a mix of Electro/Pop and Blues. She first started writing music at 14 and is inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and H. E. R. Ghaniyya’s latest song, “The Reason Why” is her 2nd self-penned single.
Interview by Tim Brown
When and why did you start playing? I started playing music and singing when i was 13. for me music was one of the ways for me to express my feelings and thoughts
Which famous musicians do you admire? Why? Amy winehouse and whitney houston because they sing their music from their heart. And i like the way they’re being honest with themselves and their own struggles.
Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones? Absolutely! I like listening to ella fitzgerald and i think ella’s music has also impacted my music. I’ve been leaning towards jazz recently.
Who are your favorite musicians? Groups? CD’s? The most recent musician that i’ve been listening to is h.e.r. I really admire her music, her lyrics, her soulful voice. Everything!
Have you been in competitions? Fleadh’s? Any prizes? Never been in any competitions
Do you perform in public? Describe those occasions? Concerts, radio, TV. Yes i have. I’ve performed in the closing ceremony of asian games 2018 palembang.
What makes this kind of music “good” to you? Honestly i’m still figuring out what kind of music that is “good” for me. I’m still young and i’m still experimenting with different kinda of music
Why did you choose to play this kind of music? Jazz, r&b, indie and pop-rock are the most personally exciting genres for me. I started trying these out because of the environments in which i was raised. For instance, my brothers like to play indie music when we’re just chilling in the car.
Let’s Talk about your music and your last work… i just recently released my second single called The Reason Why. When i wrote it was feeling trapped and contained. Writing that song was a way for me to release all those emotions ans feelings.
How do you feel about the internet in the music business? I think the internet has really transformed the music business positively. It’s made music more accessible and it’s so much easier for indie artists to share their music with everyone
What are the plans for the future? For now i want to focus on my school and studied. Definitely still gonna do my music on the side but for now i want to make sure i graduate high school and get into a good university.
How has your music evolved since you first began playing music? At first i liked to cover songs of my favorite artists. As i grew older i began writing lyrics and create melodies.
Could you briefly describe the music-making process? I usually write down the lyrics first because i need to get all my feelings and thoughts out. Once all the words are on paper, i try to find melodies to fit it.
LINKS:
https://open.spotify.com/album/51KWJ4iejb6qfR8kcr2Rou?si=q54pUg0AQWiQs-hBn5rqRg
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCag1IWgOJvSzkURf0kashKQ
https://www.instagram.com/ghaniyyaghazi/
M.T.V.rock 