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The journey of an independent artist in music industry
205 Plays1 year ago
This is the first episode for Season 5. In this episode we are talking with Efrosini Dimitropoulou (Artist name: Efro) about the independent artists in music industry. We are discovering the process behind preparing and creating a song from scratch and Efro shares here story as an artist, as well as the story behind her latest single called “I dreamt I (had a girlfriend)”. This episode is all about the journey of an independent artist and the steps that you need to follow.
You can connect with Efro at https://lnkfi.re/efro
Follow GenZers to rise! https://lnkfi.re/genzerstorise
Episode's page https://podcast.changemakerz.org/efro
Access exclusive content on the ChangemakerZ app at https://app.changemakerz.org
Produced by Vasilis Skarleas
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Transcript
Introducing Changemaker-Z
00:00:01
Speaker
Hello everyone, I'm Kennedy. And I'm Vasiles. We run Changemaker-Z, a student-run initiative that aims to empower, educate, and connect Gen Zers interested in entrepreneurship. We interview teenagers with impactful projects and create resources to help you change the world. If they can't do it, so can you.
00:00:23
Speaker
On this podcast, we discuss the logistics of creating different types of projects with Jin Ziers who have already done it. We will leave our social media and website information in the description.
Meet Efro: An Independent Artist
00:00:44
Speaker
Hello everyone! Welcome to another episode of the Dancers to Rise podcast. For those who doesn't know me, I am Vasilis and with me is Kennedy. Hello! So if you haven't listened to any of our previous episodes, you may have noticed that we are featuring guests from several different subjects.
00:01:02
Speaker
from technology to art. Previously, we talked to rap artist, Teo G. Today, we wanted to extend the independent artist subject. This is why in the studio today, we have Efro, a student and independent artist. She released her first single in early October on Spotify. In only 24 hours, she raised more than 2K listens. Today's episode is all about the journey of an independent artist and the steps that you need to
Creating 'I Dreamt, I Had a Girlfriend'
00:01:28
Speaker
follow. Efro, welcome to the show.
00:01:30
Speaker
Hello, thank you for having me. Of course, of course. Would you like to share with us some insights on your first single, I Dreamt, I Had a Girlfriend? Yes, of course. I mean, it's pretty much, I would say a bedroom pop song and it was, I don't know, it has guitar, only bass, keys and some drums and tambourine. And I think
00:01:57
Speaker
it was made like two years ago and has been in the studio like with my producer making it like this past few months like 10 months so it has been a long time. Have you like did you like always like have you written songs before but this is only the first one you were kind of serious about and wanted to
00:02:22
Speaker
actually produce and release? I have written a few songs, yes, before that, but I have a few other songs ready, but this one felt like the right introduction for me as an artist. It felt like an intro song, I don't know. So yeah.
00:02:41
Speaker
So I was wondering, how did you decide to get started as an independent artist? Does your studies major connect with music somehow? Yes, I am studying songwriting, actually. I mean, my second year of the bachelor degree, but before that I did a diploma in songwriting as well. And it has to do with music business, music production as well.
00:03:09
Speaker
and generally like how the industry works so yeah it's related and yeah. That's good I'm glad that the whole like there's a whole education on actual music business too to go along with
00:03:26
Speaker
to go along with the degree. So what is kind of the process of preparing a single from start to finish? Obviously you write the song, but then what's
From Songwriting to Production
00:03:41
Speaker
next after that? What really goes into it?
00:03:44
Speaker
A lot of sending it to friends to get some kind of feedback, maybe what to work on, get their reactions and see if it needs something to be changed, something to be added, all that. Okay. Yeah, and maybe discuss it with like...
00:04:03
Speaker
It's the person that's producing my songs, see if he has any ideas. Although a lot of people, like the opinion of a lot of people is as many people than the better.
00:04:16
Speaker
Okay, so it's kind of like you kind of have like a focus group for your song or like you send it out, get critiques. But your producer, how did you find your producer? Was it a connection you already had or was it like you looked online or? No, I didn't know him, but I posted that like I made a post on my university's Facebook group.
00:04:38
Speaker
and sending what artists I'm trying to sound like, what are my influences, and what's the goal, what's the project I'm looking to work on. And he kind of messaged me. He had just graduated from my uni the year before on music production. So, yeah, he was really nice, friendly, and understanding of what I'm trying to bring out in the world.
00:05:07
Speaker
This is great. Well, I was wondering also like, I am the producer of this podcast and production manager as well, which means that I am the person who controls the final, you know, how the episode will sound, what's the sentiment that I want to include, the music, things like that. But what's the work of your, you know, production, production manager? Like how he helped you onto the production of the song?
00:05:37
Speaker
Well, at first I sent him like a demo of just me and the guitar, like singing and the guitar playing, which wasn't the best like production-wise quality. And then I also played it in my uni life for a class workshop. So I got a live band for that and I managed to record that so I can have some references for how the drums would like to sound like, the keys, the bass, all that.
00:06:07
Speaker
So I just sent him that and he tried to kind of recreate those sounds and with his own touch of course because I think music production is in a way an art form as well. So then he sent it back to me, I gave him some feedback, worked on it again, all that. So this was this back and forth trial and error process.
00:06:33
Speaker
So, we have a question that works a lot when we're talking about music production. Do you really need a professional gig to get started? Like, what did you use? What do you think? From your experience, it's great. Like, do you need an expensive microphone? I mean... What do you think? I don't think so because, like, many, like...
00:06:54
Speaker
Personally, I just have a budget microphone. It's not the best out there, but it does the work. It's a pretty standard. We can see that you had an episode, you had a song out at Spotify with great quality. Yes, yes. And I also have an audio interface, so I can record my demos and all that connected with the instruments.
00:07:20
Speaker
I don't think so like you can do everything on your phone as well sometimes the more like low-fi Vibe is what you're looking for and that can be done perfectly on phone as well For the demo for instance. Yeah. Yeah Yeah, I mean I see like if Steve Lacey a lot of the work he has produced He started doing it on his iPad or iPhone. I'm not sure like using Garageband That was it
00:07:50
Speaker
Yeah, Billie Alice does the same thing, I think. I have seen a video explaining that she starts with the lyrics onto a notes app and then goes to the recording app doing some vocals, demos. And once she has no one idea, like you said, she sends that feedback back to the producer. She would rather in that case. Yeah, I mean, if there is a will, there is a way.
00:08:21
Speaker
I see. So this is a question for our technology needs listeners. Nowadays, streaming platforms have dominated the music industry. With the new technologies coming out every year, sound quality and stutters are changing constantly. And for the production of your single, which software did you use? I think it was Pro Tools. I think so.
00:08:49
Speaker
It's, yeah, that's, I would say Pro Tools. Yeah. Yeah. So you recorded the, uh, the audio files and instruments with your recording, uh, software, and then you send it back to the producer so that he could mix that with like to the whole file and did this, uh, trial and error process.
00:09:11
Speaker
I recorded just the demos on my own kind of home studio, not that special. And then I went over to his home studio, so she would help make sure everything is actually on time, like the volumes are okay, the gain and everything.
The Independent Artist Challenge
00:09:35
Speaker
All right. So Efro, I was kind of wondering, what are like some of the challenges you feel like you face as an independent artist?
00:09:45
Speaker
There's so much stress around that. You have to do everything. Stress? Yes, stress. I mean, you practically have to be your own manager. You have to be your number one fan. You have to convince other people to listen to your music, even if they are your friends.
00:10:05
Speaker
You just kind of have to rewind them all. Don't forget to stream my song, add it to your playlist, share it with your other people you think might enjoy it and all that. Which I guess it makes you feel like you're annoying them, but you have to do it. But it's okay. It's part of the independent artists thing. And I think just...
00:10:29
Speaker
Yeah, doubting yourself, like, oh, so, like, why didn't I get famous overnight? Like, you hear all these stories with Billie Eilish, when she released Ocean Eyes, and then, boom. But, you know, you have to trust the process, and it will be fine.
00:10:49
Speaker
this reminds me when we started the broadcast like we did exactly the same thing annoying people that we had in our favorite contacts friends go listen to that and go listen to that and yeah that was a painful process i could say and after that no by the process the flow i think that we
00:11:10
Speaker
Finally made it, now we have a fan base, people are sending us from all around the world and I contrast that system and say that you will have also this fan base and you want it, you know, to painfully let anyone know that, you know, there is a new single, go check it out and post hundreds of times the same link because people will find you want to, you know, the recommendations on Spotify, rap music, things like that. Yes, hopefully, yeah. Fingers crossed.
00:11:40
Speaker
Yes, I was, so we did talk about you playing guitar, but were there any other instruments that you play that we don't know about or maybe you've always wanted to play, interested in playing? I also play bass, but I'm trying to learn the keys as well, but just that is just for me being able to
00:12:04
Speaker
add more elements to my songs without needing the help of someone else, being more creatively independent. I don't know, I would also like to learn how to play the mandolin and all that. Wow. Yeah, because I don't know, I think it would be a nice addition to some songs. Yeah, those are all very, those are like pretty different instruments, but like they could all add like really unique
00:12:34
Speaker
elements to your songs if you decided to play. I've been, I feel so bad about myself cause my mom put me in piano lessons and I did not, when I was young, when I was like 10 years old, I did not take it serious. And now I wish I would have taken it serious cause I use, I could use the piano so much cause I do like inquire and stuff and musical theater, like be able to play my notes or whatever. So yeah, the piano is just a super valuable
00:13:03
Speaker
key tool. But yeah, I did the same thing. Really? I started learning piano, but then I thought it was too difficult. I was, I think, five grade back in primary school. And I found it so, so difficult. And then I gave up and then my relationship with music wasn't the best. I didn't want to learn any other instruments.
00:13:32
Speaker
And this is where I found a choir very close to my home. And I went there. I tried that. And the maestro told me that I have a very different voice, which could be like, it's not a bass voice. And after that, many, many interesting things happened to my life with this choir. We were on television shows. We were on live performances.
00:14:02
Speaker
Oh, wow. I think that it was crazy. And I had to give that up in the end because I wanted to study abroad and couldn't move on to be a part of the choir while not banking grace. I think that's the only thing that I wish I could do also while I'm, you know, hundreds kilometers away. Yeah, sorry.
00:14:27
Speaker
that's why i'm trying personally to find another way to express this thing like you gave me so much inspiration with your single that i contacted a friend with the same process trying you know writing some songs you know playing guitar music things like that and said why don't we try to do something together like you'll be my coach i want to participate in that even we are you know
00:14:53
Speaker
remote connected to that. Wow, that's so cool. You should definitely do that. Yeah, it does sound great. I can't wait to hear that. Let's hope that it works. Yes, yes. Wow, Efro, you are bringing music back for all of us. Yeah. Professor Liz, his choir boy dreams. That is so crazy.
00:15:22
Speaker
Cause when you said that, when you were like, oh, my choir, they cool stuff. I thought you're gonna be like, oh, we took like a trip. And you're like, no, we were like on TV and everything. But anyway, back to Ephraim. What are some of your plans for the future? Like, do you have any plans to do like a live event or anything like that? I know it's just one single, but.
00:15:42
Speaker
maybe an album in production or something like that okay so i'm trying to work out a timeline of what like i have to do like to keep like organize myself that's another struggle of being a dependent artist i guess um but yeah i'm trying to get together like some musicians to help me bring my songs live
00:16:06
Speaker
Like right now in Berlin, play some open mics, maybe some uni gigs and all that. But other than that, I also have a few more songs ready. But I'm trying to figure out when will be the next release and all that. But no albums yet, just a few more singles. And speaking of where, I know we mentioned Spotify, but where can people listen to your music?
00:16:33
Speaker
I've
Streaming and Future Projects
00:16:34
Speaker
got to mention that. I think everywhere. Everyone in Apple Music, YouTube as well, TIDO, everywhere. Okay, we'll put them in. I found it in Apple Music. It was much easier, I think, because I don't have Spotify Premium, so I couldn't directly play the song, you know? So all the other options were more able to help me listen to that straight away.
00:17:14
Speaker
We will include this link in the description below.
00:17:18
Speaker
So, is there any new single coming out? I don't know, soon, in a couple of months, in a year? Oh, soon, soon. I would say around a month, maybe, maybe less, maybe just a bit more, but I want to be consistent.
00:17:33
Speaker
and not like keep people waiting because I have just already one song but people want like a more complete artist I think and like even just booking agents publishers all that want to hear like what else we got so soon soon more music that's great news that's great news
00:17:57
Speaker
Well, thank you so much, Efro, for coming on this show. It was great to talk to you a little bit more about your music production and kind of your journey about being an independent artist. Well, guys, that is the end of the episode. We had an amazing conversation with Efro. The single is available on all streaming platforms. And remember, we're going to put that little link in the bio to show where it's available.
00:18:23
Speaker
Don't forget to give us a review down below. You can follow up with all of our episodes and much more content at the Changemaker-Z app. And it also includes articles from our friends at Thread.com, a Jenks company. Until next time, don't forget to keep changing the world. Bye.
00:18:53
Speaker
Thank you guys for listening. We hope you enjoyed the conversation. We had such a great time. Make sure to leave us a review. If you want more Changemakers content, you can follow us on Instagram at JinsearsToRise and on Facebook at ChangemakersE.