Inspired #382 - AGAAMA
Along with the announcement of her new EP ‘Wandering Worlds’, which set for release this September - AGAAMA has just released her track ‘Sarehole Mill’.
Fusing experimental pop, with dark ravey beats and jazz-influenced vocals, AGAAMA draws you in with sonic energy that moves fluidly between haunting melodies and electronic instrumentalism.
She took a moment to talk to us about the inspirations behind her music.
Who are your top three musical inspirations and why?
Sarah Vaughan - I learned a lot from listening to Sarah Vaughan. From her intonation, tone and resonance to the way she taps into the meaning of the lyrics. Listening to Sarah helped me discover my lower range, I had no idea it was there before Sarah and now it’s the part of my voice I enjoy playing with the most. She inspired me to experiment with different tones and textures and to develop the capacity to choose what colour to paint with depending on the lyrics and the moment within a performance – it’s the theatre and artistry of singing. Her music is a vocal masterclass.
Tool - I must have spent 10,000 days (lols) listening to Tool albums. I love their meditative, brooding tracks that pull you into a trance. The polyrhythms and drones tap into something primal and deep within me. I find this kind of musical experience so satisfying and it’s at the root of everything I make.
Sevdaliza - I love the combination of quality experimental production and song writing in Sevdaliza’s music, and the mix of traditional and electronic instruments in the production. Her music is experimental, heavy and dark with brilliant songs driving everything. It’s all the elements I love.
Others - So hard to choose 3! So here is a quick breakdown of some others. I love the drama and eccentric performance styles and songs of Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks. I’m moved by the bass-led beats of Mala, Digital Mystikz and The Bug. I’m inspired by Yves Tumor and Bjork pushing boundaries, carving their own lanes and sitting outside of genre. And of course there is Nina, a song for every moment and mood.
Is there a certain film that inspires you and why?
I love watching Nadine Labaki’s films, she’s a Lebanese director and actress. Her film ‘Caramel’, is a beautiful film about 3 womxn working in a hair salon. I love how she zooms in on platonic friendships, with platonic love being the ultimate love story.
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
I’m inspired by the city I’m from, Birmingham. Being a queer, mixed-race womxn, my intersectional experience means that I’m many things simultaneously, as is Birmingham. It’s identity is misunderstood as it’s on the edge of different fixed identities. It’s not the north, it’s not the south. It’s built up but full of green spaces. Un-hinged at times, but there’s a lot of beauty in the place and in the way of the people. Birmingham is firmly centred within itself and it’s own lane. I’m inspired by the edge as that’s where all the fun and scary stuff happens – in life and in Music, It’s the space of growth. I’m inspired by carving out your own path. More fun and freedom not being put in a box.
The sound I’ve been nurturing is many things too – I pull inspiration from different genres, and focus on the feeling and the vibe, I try to forget about genre and form. I feel this feeling the most when in Birmingham.
Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
My Mom – she’s like the love child of Grace Jones and Patsy from Ab Fab, I wanna be her when I grow up.
What were your inspirations when writing your new track?
During lockdown I asked a friend to capture some foley recordings in green spaces in Birmingham. I spent some of the lockdown in East London and did the same thing on Hackney Marsh. Lockdown came and went, I went to the hard drive to listen through. The first track was called ‘Sarehole Mill’. It’s a green space in Birmingham, we used to knock about there and get up to innocent and not-so-innocent things. I still go there to meet my loved ones. The ‘Sarehole Mill’ recording started with a group of young people giggling in Brummy accents saying ‘let’s just see what happens…’ I loved it, I was inspired by their love and energy for one another and wanted their voices and the surrounding ‘hum’ of the space throughout the whole track. I was reminded of how important this piece of land was, it was where we would meet during some tough times. We were all struggling for different reasons. Some of us were rejected by our families for being queer and some were struggling with barriers to well-being. Looking back, we were vulnerable. Having access to this space, bonded and soothed us. I think everyone has a ‘Sarehole Mill’, a meeting space outside where you form bonds. Kind of like a space for secular fellowship in nature, It’s something we’ve always done. The track is an ode to chosen families, the spaces that bond us and a message of support to young queer people who are struggling.
How would you like to inspire people?
I think we inspire one another most when we are just being ourselves. I’m attempting to peel back the layers and get closer to self, I’ve still got a long way to go, there is always another layer to shed. Maybe being on the path, not fitting in a certain lane or genre etc, will inspire others to carve their own path too…
I also hope to inspire people to move, dance and feel things to my music.
