We first spoke to speakeazie last summer (June 2022). It was fun to Fun to catch up with speakeazie for 5 Questions before her show on Saturday December 3 with the Minneapolis miniFEST at the Southern Theater.
This time of year, many of us, listener and performer alike, are getting our year-end Spotify stats. You have done very well; you have clearly struck a chord. Do you know how folks are finding you?
Spotify playlist placing has been huge for my music, whether they are Spotify official or fan made. It has really warmed my heart to see regular people just adding my content to their playlists because it fit into their life in some way.
The last time we spoke you were honest about trauma you had experienced, how people came to you with preconceived notions and how you were dealing with that in life as well as in song. Part of that was recognizing and accepting the part that we all play in our own stories. Have you heard from listeners who have picked up on that message and drawn strength from it? (I know I felt that way listening to the music – especially with Ain’t Right for Your Praise.)
I get less about specific messages, and more about a song that really touched someone. You can usually tell why someone might connect with a song, especially because the music is always so raw and specific. I had someone once tell me that they wished they could spend some time in my head, I thought it was interesting because it had come off to me that there is something this noggin of mine that might help them understand themselves better. The music is just a peek through the window to this similar idea I suppose.
Ashtray Tears, your latest single, has that signature dreamy synthpop sound. I love the heartbeat present throughout the song. Sometimes it’s the foreground and then it seems to get pushed back – but always there. Can you tell us about the inspiration for the song?
Ashtray Tears is very personal to me and it took me a while to figure out how I wanted to capture the theme. It is really about being able to accept love even when you feel broken, especially when going through addiction and trauma. It can sometimes feel like I will always screw things up because of my broken pieces and it made me scared to find love from another that never knew those things but was still patient/caring enough to be there. It has a lot of passion, letting go of heartache, and forgiving myself. Sometimes we have to be ready to accept it is time to move on from things no longer serving us and that can feel overwhelming when it involves other people.
Last time we spoke you also mentioned that you were striving to set healthy boundaries or goals for yourself in dealing with bad influences. How is that going? Is the synth healing your soul and giving you strength?
Absolutely. I have a lot of work to do but I am really proud of some of the changes and progressions I have made. 2022 has been a hell of a whiplash and I have had some of the best and worst moments of my life during the ride. I suppose Ashtray Tears is partially about that realization that I am doing better than I was a year ago, even if I still fall down in the process.
Tell us about the upcoming show. How did you get involved and who are you excited to see on stage?
I was asked to join the Bridging the Music miniFEST addition here in Minneapolis December 3rd. The Southern Theater is a cool place so I am excited to perform there and meet other local musicians. I am not too familiar with the other acts, but that just adds to the thrill. I’ll be on at 8:25 PM and there are also tickets online to watch it live streamed, which I think is really cool. Hope to see some new faces there!
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