In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet.

This time we caught up with South London singer-songwriter Ego Ella May. 

Ego Ella May’s sound is rooted in jazz and neo-soul with vocals that soothe the soul and thought-provoking lyrics that’ll broaden your horizon. From the government, air-pollution, sustainable fashion and re-thinking the norms, her socio-conscious views spill into her music. The South Londoner is in full bloom, with the release of her second album Honey For Wounds, which really is as remedial as the title suggests. The new album sees Ego hone in on her unique sound in a refined way, with the help of various talented instrumentalists and producers. Honey For Wounds is lavender-scented bliss.

We decided to find out more about how the album came to be and to quiz her about everything from her philosophical lyrics to her favourite new tracks.

***

TMR: How are you feeling about the release of your new album Honey For Wounds?

I'm glad it's out, it's been in the making for four years, so its weird in a way that I can't make any more changes. I’m going to take a break and embrace the love.

TMR: How did you begin singing and making music?

I always sang…my mum tells me I was always singing. I wrote poems in school, maybe around age 10, then I went to a music college when I was 17 and began making connections. I put my first song out on Soundcloud. Reading has also had a big influence on my poetry.

TMR: With your songwriting process, how were the songs for Honey For Wounds written - did they start on guitar?

Each song on the album was done differently, which I think is the beauty of it. Sometimes I’d start off with just a melody and guitar, other times, it’ll be getting together with the band in the studio and we’re jamming and seeing what we come up with. Sometimes I’d work with a producer. It was varied, and I worked in lots of different ways which is why it was so exciting to make the album. I didn’t know it was going to be an album, which was good because it took off the pressure…the album bit came later.

TMR: As far as we know, neither Maralisa nor Theo Crocker are UK-based. How did these collaborations come about on tracks ‘Alright’ and ‘Never Again’?

Theo was in NY when I started talking to him. We started talking on twitter because he messaged me and said my song ‘Underwater’ was playing in Japan when he was on tour there, and he was like ‘who is this?!’. Probably since 2014 we’ve been friends and whenever he comes to London we hang out. When I was making that song (‘Alright’) I felt like he needed to be on it. He did it in one take and it was gorgeous. Maralisa is NY based, we’ve probably been friends for 3 years, we connected on Instagram cos I was fan-girling over her band which was called Space Captain…I’ve always been a bit obsessed with her band. And then I guess we had a mutual respect for each other’s music…and then I asked her if she wanted to be on my album and do some backing vocals. Sometimes I get ignored by people I’m really into, but I’m willing to take the risk.



TMR: One of the many things we love about your music is that your lyricism is so philosophical and thoughtful. Are you aware of using music and your platform to try and evoke positive change or does it come naturally?

A bit of both. It’s conscious but it comes naturally to me, and it's sort of who I am. I don’t try hard to make music that means something, I just automatically do because I just care, so it’ll automatically come across. Also, I’m obsessed with words, I pay attention to my lyrics because I’m influenced by the art of storytelling in general. It’s important for me to actually say something when I’m singing.

One of my favourites is Tuesdays With Morrie, a book by Mitch Albom. It’s basically about this old man called Morrie, but as he’s dying, it just becomes very philosophical, and in dying, he sort of learns how to live because he’s only got a short amount of time and he realized what’s important in life and all that kind of stuff. That’s always my go-to book to recommend to people because it’s quite heart-warming… even though it’s sad because he’s dying, it’s the way he thinks that’s really inspiring. Other than that, I read a lot of novels because I love story-telling, and quite a bit of self help – because I guess that helps with my attitude and thinking.

TMR: As well as giving advice to others through your lyrics, would you also say you’re giving it to yourself?

Yeah, definitely. Because we go through similar things as human beings. So me writing like that to myself, is because someone else might need to hear it too.



TMR: We love the production style on Honey For Wounds – who’s it by?

Quite a few different people, they were all friends. I have lots of musician friends, so there were quite a lot of different people. Essentially, it was a friend project.

TMR: The music industry is largely white and male dominated. Do you have any thoughts on the patriarchy and or racism in the music industry?

It’s obviously very frustrating for me, it’s kind of the reason why I’ve often stopped making music…because I just become frustrated at the industry and how much of the music industry isn’t about music, it's about so many other things, you know? I try not to dwell on that too much anymore because it’s something I can’t control. The fact that it's male dominated or heavily white is just something I can’t control. I keep making music because when I’m doing it, there’s other people who are looking at me and seeing a black woman who’s actively making music and trying to find her footing…that may be more inspiring than quitting cos I feel like maybe there’s a lot of us that want to make music, but then it’s so hard that we just quit. The next people that come along don’t see enough black women because we found it too hard. So the reason that I keep going is because I wish I saw more people keep going, or try to keep going. Even though it’s super hard, obviously… cos I too have wanted to quit.

TMR: Do you have any tips for artists starting out who may not know how to or have the confidence to get their project off the ground?

I would say… obviously just keep making music and try not to be too precious about it. I think a lot of the time we want things to be absolutely perfect before we put it out, but I think it's really nice when you just put it out anyway, and you really begin to see your growth, and the people that come up with you can also witness that growth. It’s nice to be able to be that vulnerable with your listeners in that way. It’s nice to see how far you’ve come. Keep making music, keep making music. Waiting for the perfect moment doesn’t exist.

TMR: We know you’re an Alice Pheobe Lou fan, as are we! What’s your favourite song by her?

Probably ‘Something Holy’, I think that was my most played song of last year, but more recently, I really like ‘Witches'.

TMR: Can you tell us 3 artists or songs that you’re into at the moment?

My friend Oscar Jerome’s just released a song called 'Joy Is You', Cleo Sol - 'When I’m In Your Arms' and Etta Bond – 'Break My Quarantine'.



***

Honey For Wounds is out now via UpperRoom Records.

-Ellie Rose-Davies