Following the relesase of her latest charity single 'the story of the phoenix' featuring the Galilee Quartet, Flex caught up with SORAYA to find out more about which artists influence her sound. If you enjoy SORAYA's picks be sure to check out 'the story of the phoenix' at the end of the article.
1. Baba Fein’ - Mishaal Tamer
Baba Fein is a perfect use of sampling. In Mishaal Tamer’s new song, he samples an Egyptian song from 2002 and has given it another life in a way that is super fresh and exciting while still feeling nostalgic. It’s just perfect. Such good vibes, and the vocal production is also brilliant.
2. ‘A Case of You’ - Prince
I go through phases of listening to every version of this song, basically ever. Lately I’ve been listening to Prince’s. Both he and Joni are phenomenal artists and I love both versions. I listened to this one a lot while I was writing ‘the story of the phoenix’ because I had initially written it to be a very stripped back piano ballad and I was deeply inspired by the way Prince could emote so intensely, his voice working in union with the music and melody. So beautiful.
3. ‘coloured concrete’ - Nemahsis
I actually found this song from a TikTok clip of the artist’s interview with Zane Lowe. I was immediately struck by how perfect absolutely everything is. The song is written and produced flawlessly. It’s so hooky and catchy, but has real depth too. I of course went to check out the visuals and they were incredibly striking. Nemahsis is definitely a creative genius.
4. ‘These Days’ - Nico
When I wrote this song, I sent it to my friend William (shoutout, from the band ‘Plastic Man’). I hadn’t yet met the Galilee Quartet, whom I would later invite to arrange a classical accompaniment for it. William really liked the song and he was very much in favour of keeping it minimalist because the lyrics are quite... well, tragic and emotional. He sent me These Days. It was a very dark and painful period of my life and I will always remember him calling me to check in and see how I was doing. We spoke at length about this song and he shared more of Nico’s story with me. I must have listened to it 15 times after we hung up the phone. She somehow took on these huge themes but the delivery was so simple, so unpretentious. And that somehow made it even more emotional and sad. I think that’s the power of great writing. I was shocked to learn that Jackson Browne wrote it at 16 years old. How could someone that young write like someone who lived many, many decades? And yet, he did! Everything about this record challenged my preconceived notions about music, songwriting and performance. I think it’s really important to have music that does that.
5. ‘Choreomania’ - Florence + The Machine
I came across Dance Fever about a year ago and was completely captivated by the theatre of it all. The production, the visuals, everything on the album cohered. Choreomania was the first song I heard from it and I was captivated by Florence’s powerful lyrical storytelling, bolstered with layers of instrumental and vocal elements that feel intense and larger-than-life. Her vocal repetition together with the percussive choices made in the song materialise the idea of mania that she is driving through the lyrics. I can’t help but want to lose myself in a ‘dance fever’ (or ‘choreomania’) when I hear this song. Masterful.
Watch SORAYA 'the story of the phoenix'
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