Melbourne's own Carmen Modjito is here to deliver her latest moving and sensitive expressions to listeners.
As an emerging artist, Carmen Modjito is all about crafting and mending her sound in order to expel as much authenticity as possible. Finding herself impassioned with climate change, as well as mediation efforts, Carmen Modjito takes the time to use her music platform to speak on the very issues she fights for. As a result, the music of Carmen Modjito can quite easily come off as sentimental, passionate, as well as incredibly confident. Her latest offering proves to be just as eloquent as we imagined and truly brought an important perspective to light.
Carmen Modjito doesn't fail her listeners with her latest ballad "House Is On Fire". The song begins with a sultry and moving rhythm, eventually progressing into a more dramatic production. If you're an avid listener of Carmen Modjito, you'd know that her vocal range has incredible depth and she's able to pack an impressive amount of passion into each and every word she sings.
"House Is On Fire" erupts with authenticity, and this mainly stems from Carmen's innate ability to craft her voice in an emotionally-packed style, as well as the highlighted theme of the song. The passion that Carmen Modjito unveils within "House Is On Fire" is absolutely warming, and you'll find yourself completely fixated on the words of Carmen throughout the single.
The song's versatility extends itself further from just there, as "House Is On Fire" is the exact kind of track you'd easily find playing in an intense drama, considering all of its poignant expressions. Carmen Modjito proves to be dynamically fascinating in "House Is On Fire", and we can't imagine her artistic flame every dying down.
Welcome, Carmen Modjito! Your latest release "House Is On Fire" showcases some incredibly important values you hold. Can you delve deeper into the meaning of the track, and what exactly it was you wanted your listeners to feel and think afterward?
Hi! Thanks for having me at Buzz Music! Well, House Is On Fire was written about a year ago in response to my feelings of frustration and distress at the lack of action being taken by international leaders on climate change. There were some days when it was completely overwhelming and I didn’t want to get out of bed — but what motivated me was seeing the movement of young people all around the world standing up for their future, my future, everyone’s future, and really saying inaction is not an option. The name everyone knows for climate action is Greta Thunberg (Sweden) and she’s amazing, but there are phenomenal youth leaders all over the world, including Xiuhtezcatl Martinez (USA) and Vanessa Nakate (Uganda) who are both really fighting for direct and responsible action. I wanted my listeners to know they’re not alone, and there is hope. There are people standing up for their future — and to look for these people and get involved.
How would you say you go about choosing the melody for tracks such as "House Is On Fire" in order to match its actual content? Do you feel that it can often be an obstacle to connect your lyrics with production?
When I write music the lyrics and the melody nearly always come together, so while there was some refinement to do in the form of the song the majority of the melody came to me as I wrote the lyrics. In this particular case, I worked with an incredible producer, Nir Tsfaty, and engineer, Jonny Westwood (Signet Sounds), who really believed in what I was trying to create. We all wanted to get the best out of the track, and for the most part, we were all on the same page. Everything they did support the vision I was trying to create.
Considering your experience as a performer, do you feel that your creative vision was a lot sharper once writing and recording music? Are there any challenges you feel you face as a newcomer to the music industry?
Actually, I’ve been writing songs for a long time, but I never thought I would do anything with them, and I never thought they were very good. It wasn’t until I wrote CMFK (from my first album, Girl On Caffeine) that I thought I could record. The difference with the songs I’m writing now, though, is that they feel a lot more connected to my values and to who I am. I’ve worked out more of who I am, and I think that comes across in the songs and makes them more cohesive — but I guess you’ll have to hear for yourself! As a newcomer, the biggest challenge is getting people to listen to your music (and come to gigs when we were allowed to…), but with social media, we definitely have options to be creative about how to engage with fans, and I think that’s exciting.
Where do you feel your artistry will be headed within the next year or two?! Are there any specific goals you've set in place for yourself, or are you more so an artist to take everything day-by-day?!
Ooh, I have an idea of where I want to take my music in the next year, but in two years… I’m not sure exactly! A lot can change in two years, but I think that’s a pretty exciting prospect, and to stay open-minded to new opportunities. I’d like to record another album, and I had some live venue goals, but with COVID I don’t know if it’s realistic to keep them. So, recording for now, and I’ve been thinking about a YouTube series.
What has been keeping you inspired in 2020?
That there are still good people doing good things. It’s easy to get swayed by all the negative news and media (and it is awful), but there are everyday people doing incredible kindnesses to their neighbors and complete strangers; there are activists fighting to make the world a better place, and there are artists trying to keep us all smiling through this crazy time. Focusing on my goals has helped me stay motivated, but connecting with friends and family, and spending downtime with my dog has really helped me stay in the moment, and I hope I can hold onto that.