Selci
Singer/songwriter/producer Selci recently released her latest single “When I Became A Routine Task (Chore)” and it is one of the greatest songs I’ve heard lately. Selci’s vocals are dreamy and emotional, the production is atmospheric and haunting and the melodies are beautiful.
“This song is about when a relationship becomes a chore. When it’s more work than reward. In the video I am building a cyborg man to be my perfect lover, but everything keeps breaking and going wrong. I think that is a reflection on life. We humans try so hard to make relationships work. Sometimes it’s so hard to let go, just because of the expectations in our minds are not what’s actually happening in reality,” she explains.
Selci is an Artist. Her music and her visuals perfectly fit together and it’s so inspiring to watch. Can’t wait to hear/see more.
“When I Became A Routine Task (Chore)” is off her two-part album series, Fallen Woman I, out on March 4th.
Photo credit: Vuk
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I grew up pretty sheltered in the isolated Canadian city Winnipeg. As a teenager I was obsessed with singing and wanted to be in musical theatre. After moving to Toronto for a year to study theatre, it wasn’t for me so I went back to Winnipeg and got into writing alternative folk music. I spent a few summers hitchhiking and living in a van and went back to school for classical voice. During that time I got into avant garde music and electronics. After school I taught myself music production and audio tech. In addition to writing and singing, now I produce music and work as an audio tech. It's been a pretty weird and awesome transition! Sometimes I feel like a different person behind the soundboard than when I’m behind the microphone.
"When I Became A Routine Task (Chore)" is your latest single - what's the inspiration behind this single?
The song is about a relationship becoming a chore, like more effort than it's actually worth. And even more it’s about feeling unloved, under appreciated, taken advantage of by the other person in that relationship. It’s about the imbalances that occur when needs aren’t met, or when we literally are not capable of meeting someone else’s needs. It’s a lesson I learned one too many times over the years; not asking for what I need, or letting someone treat me without the respect I deserve. I was feeling really messed up about these power dynamics so I was trying to understand and validate my feelings with these lyrics.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process behind this single? Who helped you create it?
There was a batch of songs from this album that started with me jamming my written lyrics on the piano. I came up with simple chords and then phrasing and melody’s that I liked. Once I solidified those ideas I expanded on the chord progressions and added more harmonic nuance. One of my favourite moments is augmenting the E minor, D Major to E Major, G Major in the chorus just for the line “I should have asked for more”. It gives it a far more compelling emotional quality in that moment. After writing I did preliminary production in Ableton to get a general vibe. From there I took it to my good friend Ian Dillon’s studio in Calgary where we did pre-production and prepared for sessions at The National Music Centre so I could use their collection of vintage instruments, amazing microphones, hardware gear and synthesizers. We had a week to gather as much recording as possible, so we did 10 hour days hustling to capture as much as we could for every song. For this one we used the massive and thick CS-80 synthesizer among others. After the session at The National Music Centre we spent weeks doing post production to sort through the takes and piece everything together.
What did you feel when writing this song?
I felt super depressed and emotional. I cried a lot while writing it and practising it for the studio. Thankfully those emotions have now passed.
What's your favorite thing about this song?
This was a big step forward in my skills as a producer. There is so much detail that went into every layer and transition. The tracks on this album were recorded in hi fidelity and the quality really comes through on this track.
What can you tell us about the music video?
It was the vision of my long time friend and collaborator Ian Johnson from my home town Winnipeg. We have been planning to do a video together for years. When we decided on this single he listened and interpreted the song into a retro-futurist sci-fi world. I loved his interpretation and let him run with it. This was the most hands off I have ever been for a video but I really trusted him and the team so it was nice to take a step back. We hardly had any budget but it was so fun because all day it was a crew of friends from my hometown who all work in film. It was like an art project with a bunch of pals. It was also my first on camera kiss, which I was super excited and nervous. In the end the kiss was really not a big deal at all compared to some other things I have done in my music videos lol!
What made you want to release "When I Became A Routine Task (Chore)" as a single?
It was one of my favourite tracks on the album. It was also a favourite of my close family and friends. I seemed to get lots of feedback while I was deciding and this one felt right. It embodies the album concept in a compelling way.
What can you tell us about your upcoming album Fallen Woman I?
It is a pop-forward, dancy, trippy electronic album with tight songs and lots of vocals. Indie eld.
As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?
Hardest part is finding a balance to create art and still support myself. Also sometimes it feels like so much work for one person. As a solo artist there are lots of long stretches of isolation that occur during busy periods. There are so many best parts. Music is the only thing that makes me feel whole and complete. It is a privilege and a blessing to spend most of my time creating it. It makes the lows worth it.
How's it like to be a woman in the music industry? What advice would you give to women out there?
If I am thinking about a gendered experience in the music industry, in my life it comes from a technical and audio perspective. I was a singer for most of my life, which is dominantly female in school and university. Now I work as a producer and sound tech for concerts, while learning to be an audio engineer. This industry is still heavily male dominated. Since I started this path my mentors, teachers and colleagues are overwhelmingly men. This is not a complaint per se. I have received so much knowledge and felt very supported along the way. Despite the odd awkward moment where an older man is curiously staring or people constantly asking if I am in the band or work at the restaurant… Mostly the people I have been surrounded with in my industry have been supportive and encouraging. I used to get really angry sometimes because I would experience power dynamics that were belittling and confusing. There have been many moments where I lost confidence and felt imposter syndrome severely. I wonder if it’s tied into starting on the opposite end of the musical spectrum as a singer? As a teenager I was not aware, nor did I even think I had the ability to learn about sound and visuals in this way. Learning the inner workings of audio has made me feel whole. My advice to women and anyone really, is to push against the thoughts that say you cannot learn something. Challenge yourself to overcome mental blockages, especially when it's something you would really like to learn how to do and even more especially if you are avoiding it because it’s a male dominated industry.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
Streaming services pay artists more, especially Spotify and Apple.
Besides music, what are you passionate about?
I consider myself to be a political person with a vested interest in human rights. I like fashion and creative expression in that regard. I have built a new passion around producing and defecting music videos. This comes from my history in theatre and love for styling and design.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
Redistribution of wealth. Minimize consumerism.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
Learning to love myself.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
Let's commit to helping each other.
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