We chat with Fanni Mayer about her new track Stranger Things and her upcoming EP
Photo credit Hannah Redling
HI THERE THANKS FOR ANSWERING SOME QUESTIONS FOR US.
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR US WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOU AND
YOUR MUSIC AND TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
Hey everybody !
I'm Fanni Mayer,
Singer/Songwriter from Budapest, Hungary.
I was brought up by a strong single mother.
I'm always fascinated by feminine energy and power.
My biggest heroes in music are mostly all women like Whitney Houston, Nina Simone, Pink, Fiona Apple, Tracy Chapman, Missy Elliott etc.
And I'm heavily inspired by Leonard Cohen's poetry and the way he delivered. It's so pure and simple yet complex.
My mom is an actress and I spend a lot of time as a kid in the theatre watching plays and pretending I'm an all grown up lady in my mom's high heels in the dressing room.
I love everything from this period of my life and I was inspired by plays like Padlás (famous Hungarian musical) and The Jungle Book musical etc. Also the teamwork at theaters was mind blowing for me. As an artist I love to collaborate with other artists, I love good teamwork.
My father is an actor and singer. I also listened to his performances as a kid, He's a wonderfully gifted artist. As a songwriter I guess this big 'AHA' moment was when I first heard Christina Aguilera's Stripped album. It was a turning point for me as I look back even though I didn't know at that time. I remember how I was mesmerized by the honesty, vulnerability and bravery of the lyrics of those songs about family issues, sexuality, feminism, domestic violence, feminine power, equality that was extraordinary in that time in pop music in my opinion. Same with Pink's Missundaztood album. Family Portrait is my forever anthem.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM OR SINGLE?
My new single called "Stranger Things" was inspired by a long distance kind of relationship.
Then I realized it's also about my relationship with my father. He was abusive with my mother and I saw one of their arguments when I was only 4. He slowly turned into a stranger... Now we're on the way to redefine our relationship. Forgiveness is very important also trust is like a mirror once broken you never look at in the same way again. Thanks to that song I was able to connect my feelings and started to work on this part of my life.
WHAT INSPIRED THE ALBUM OR SINGLE?
Life experiences mostly. This one is my most personal song so far.
CAN YOU SUM UP THE ALBUM IN A FEW WORDS?
My upcoming debut EP will contain 4 songs. The tracks in it are about how we can grow from the pain. We're gonna be stronger, wiser, taller and one thing is for sure we're gonna be more.
WHAT RECORD CHANGED YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
I talked about Family Portrait above in my first answer.
Also Lykke Li's Better Alone, Gunshot, I'm good,I'm gone, Fiona Apple's Get Gone, Paper Bag, St. Vincent's Cheerleader, Hey Jude by The Beatles, Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, Chelsea Hotel #2 by Leonard Cohen, I'm OK by Christina Aguilera, Lose Yourself by Eminem, I Want To Break Free by Queen, Your life is a Lie by MGMT, Work it by Missy Elliott, Wannabe by Spice Girls,Thank you by Dido, Earth Song by Michael Jackson, Where Is The Love? by The Black Eyed Peas, My Mind by YEBBA, Shape of my heart by Sting, Nightcall by London Grammar, Green Light by Lorde, My heart will go on by Celine Dion (I'm shamelessly sentimental), Amsterdam by Coldplay, You should see me in a crown by Billie Eilish, Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day, Only Time by Enya, So Fresh, so Clean by OutKast, Milkshake by Kelis, High and Dry by Radiohead, DNA by Kendrick Lamar, Don't Hurt Yourself, Flawless, All Night by Beyonce, Runnin' by Naughty Boy feat Arrow Benjamin and Beyonce, Cool Girl by Tove Lo, Into my arms by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, What Kind Of Man, How Big,How Blue,How Beautiful by Florence and The Machine, Fake Love by Drake, Cellophane by FKA Twigs, 1950 by King Princess, Mad World by Gary Jules, Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel, Wicked Game by Chris Issak, Elastic Heart by Sia, Human Nature, American Life by Madonna, I'm with you by Avril Lavigne, Numb by Linkin Park, Fighter by Christina Aguilera, No Scrubs by TLC, Be Honest by Jorja Smith feat Burna Boy, Say it right by Nelly Furtado, Respect by Aretha Franklin, Lose My Breath by Destiny's Child, Consideration by Rihanna feat SZA, I'm every woman by CHAKA KHAN, Cry me a river by Julie London, Love is a Losing Game by Amy Winehouse, July by Noah Cyrus, Juice by Lizzo, Let You Let Me Down by Donna Missal, Heal Me by Grace Carter, Jolene by Dolly Parton oh man there are too many, my life changed quite many times (laughs).
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEO FILMED BY YOUR BAND OR ANOTHER
ARTIST?
I love Stromae's Papaoutai Music Video. He's a genius.
WHAT WOULD WE FIND YOU DOING WHEN YOU'RE NOT MAKING MUSIC?
I love spending time with dogs and kids. They're so straight forward, not playing games all the time like most adult humans do. And I love the sea and the water. I used to be a mermaid, that's for sure. I love arts, going to galleries, going to see a play in a good theatre, going to see a movie. I love going out with my friends. I love travelling and exploring new things, meeting new people. I also love spending time at home like a true homebody. I'm into home decor very much. Also I like just doing nothing, watching Netflix and eating unhealthy food (laughs). I'm into history and politics. And I'm a great cook. I'm a female Jamie Oliver, no big words (laughs).
DO YOU GET NERVOUS PERFORMING LIVE, IF SO HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT?
Yes always, before every performance. And I think it's a great thing, it means what you do is important to you. As a performer, you need a couple butterflies in your stomach...
HOW DO YOU WRITE?
Mostly I start an idea alone. I write sketches or whole lyrics. Other times I've got the melody too. Then I sit down with my guitarist or pianist friend and we work together to unfold the feeling. Then I go to the studio with a producer and we work together until I feel like it's the closest to the feeling possible. I'm a highly emotionally driven person when it comes to songwriting. Those 4 songs were written that way but I'm always open to new ways, new methods.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
Inspiration is everywhere I guess.
WHAT IS NEXT?
World domination (laughs) but now I want to enjoy the ride, enjoy the process and keep evolving as a singer as a songwriter and most importantly as a person.
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