Inspired #0021 - Paria
DIY R&B producer and songwriter Paria has released her EP ‘Popsicle’ this week, which is a fantastic piece of bedroom-pop and sees her experimenting to create her own genre. We had a chat with her about all the things that inspire her from music to films.
Who are your top three musical inspirations?
I would say my inspiration comes from a lot of different artists but mostly from the beautiful melodies that I listened to when my addiction for music began. I grew up in the 2000s so I listened to a lot of the commercial pop that was on channels like MTV. When I first started writing my own stuff, I wanted to emulate the musical structures that I enjoyed listening to when I was younger. Ne-Yo, Beyonce, and Kanye West were some of the artists that influenced the kind of music I wanted to make, and it was because I absolutely adored their melodies. I was also heavily influenced by the Turkish and Persian music that my parents played – completely different from what I was seeing on MTV but it all had the same effect on me. At this point I hadn’t discovered how powerful lyrics and production can be too because I was just so obsessed with crafting melodies that could stand out and make someone feel the way those artists made me feel.
Is there a certain film that inspires you?
Yes! Spirited Away. It is such a deep and melancholic movie, but it still gives you hope and excitement. As a kid I really related to Chihiros character. I often felt alone, different and like I didn’t belong to the life I was living or to the country I was living in at that moment. I felt pressure from everyone else to shape my own destiny at a young age. So I thought if someone can use fiction to portray how I feel that accurately then there must be others who feel the same, that was a personal turning point for me.
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
I’m not really that connected to places. I’ve always been moving from one place to another, so there is no particular place that inspires me more than wherever my loved ones are. But I really would love to travel to Bali. It looks magical.
Who is the most inspiring person to you?
I feel like it would be wrong to point out just one person. There are and have been so many great people in my life that have inspired me. On top of that list comes my family, my boyfriend, my friends and anyone who’s been kind to me or has been kind to somebody else.
How would you like to inspire people?
I feel so Bob Marley for saying this, but I just want to be able to share and promote happiness and make people feel something. In my case the only way I know how to do that is make music that hopefully inspires people. My life would be complete if someone came to me saying that they felt empowered or strong or happy by listening to my music. It would be awesome.