A Quick Chat with Shristy

Hi Shristy, Can you tell us a little about the recording process for 'the EP Summer Solstice'

The EP serves a personal reflection amid those lazy summer breaks from work. It was the only time I had to break free from the year's grind, reflect on where I'm at, and pour all those vibes into my music. Summer is my muse for songwriting, and the rest of the year is all about crafting the production and tweaking the lyrics.

'For the Love,' 'Found My Way,' and 'Travellers' were all born over the course of the past few summers giving you a snapshot of what was consuming my mind back then.

As I pieced together this EP, I also transformed as an artist. The EP is like catching the essence of a newbie artist finding their groove as they gear up for their debut single or body of work. Over the course of creating this EP I've evolved not only as an individual but also in my music – both in production and songwriting. My values and the messages I want to share have grown too.

I kept holding off on dropping this EP, thinking I needed something more polished reflecting "me" as an artist. When I realised -  a real debut EP should showcase the journey and evolution an artist has been through. Listeners of Summer Solstice will be able to sense my growth, from 'Travellers,' my first single, where I was just getting comfy with production, to 'Found My Way,' where I let loose with experimenting on the production and getting vulnerable about where I was in life.

Can you tell us a little bit about background and influence ?

The production of this EP was meticulously designed to mirror different times of the day, from the anticipatory sunrise, the exhilaration of the summer day, the bittersweet moments of dusk down to the cool shift at night. Nature is one of my biggest influences in music, and not always in the most obvious ways. When coming up with the production of the tracks, I wanted to create a song that reflected each mood shift that happens throughout the day and this is reflected in the tracklist order. Ultimately this is where the name ‘Summer Solstice’ came from. 

My Objective with this EP was really to create music for those “middle moments” - a song you’d play in the background when you’re getting ready for the day, the song you’d play on a summer day when the sun is out and you’re walking or driving to the beach with that fresh breeze in your hair, the song you’d play when on the way home from an event tired and contemplating if you should stop going out, the song you’d play when you’re home alone caught up in your thoughts, thinking about if should you text them back.

In terms of genre and artists influences - I’ve always been drawn to Pop / RnB music. With Pop especially, I love the freedom it allows to experiment with genres. I’ve never understood why artists should be expected to ‘pick one genre’ and stick to it. No one listens to just one genre (at least anymore) so why should your fav artists have to pick one lane. Artists my music sounds similar i’d say would be Raye, Tinashe, Allie X. 

What's a unique story about this release?

Caution... brace yourself for a bit of "spirituality" :S

Let me talk about  ‘For The Love’... the headline single off Summer Solstice.  It’s probably the song with the strongest message hidden behind a dance track. I wrote this song during a moment where I was completely lost with what I wanted to do in life  (yeah I know, we've all been there). Career uncertainties, lost in the directionless abyss, and time flying past without a clue in sight.

So, my go-to move in these existential dilemmas is usually soul searching. This time I stumbled upon the wisdom of the Indian Philosopher, Swami Vivekananda, specifically his take on "Karma (work) Yoga." His insights made me realise I'd been barking up the wrong tree, searching for the wrong "purpose." That's when I shifted gears, focusing on a more selfless and mindful approach to finding purpose.

I won't get too deep into it, but "For the Love" practically wrote itself during this epiphany. On the production side, I wanted this track to capture that summer vibe, mirroring the weightless feeling of joy and realisation I was riding at the time. 

You have some collaborators/ guest performers on 'Summer Solstice' can you tell us about them?

The biggest shoutout would be to Emanuele Mamo at Vocal Arts Studio’s, none of the tracks would be where they are without his help on the Mix and parts of the Production. Mastering is all thanks to Wayne at Suture Mastering. In My Head is a track that also features two new artists A.K Dias and Yung Sufi. That was a song where I really liked the production and I was just having fun with the lyrics but wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue with it. The song needed some spice and working with the guys we were definitely able to bring life into the song.