The Singer/Songwriter, Pianist, and Painter Julia Samadhi releases a touching EP in honor of her late grandmother with "ALQUIMIA." The project arises from Julia Samadhi's internal struggles, which she beautifully captures in each moving and emotional track.
After spending 14 years in Metal groups while attempting to find her own sound, Julia Samadhi underwent various style changes and different approaches to land her where she is today. Now releasing a highly emotional project with her latest EP, "ALQUIMIA," Julia Samadhi is ready to share her internal processes with the sweet sounds of music.
Speaking on the EP itself, Julia Samadhi offers songs in English and Spanish, making it all the more authentic and personal. Not to mention being self-produced during her quarantined time in the UK, Julia Samadhi turned to music as her form of therapy during our uncertain times. With five mesmerizing tracks, Julia Samadhi has truly captured sonic brilliance.
Honoring her late grandmother with the EP "ALQUIMIA," Julia Samadhi noted that she pursues her dreams to pay tribute to her talented female relatives who weren't able to pursue a musical career due to unfavorable circumstances. That being said, Julia Samadhi opens the EP with the intro track "Oh Mi Amor (Canción de Esperanza)," a beautiful Spanish-sung song that touches on themes of hope and faith.
Diving deeper into the introductory track "Oh Mi Amor (Canción de Esperanza)," Julia Samadhi mentioned that she was inspired to create the song after reading K O'Meara's poem regarding the pandemic that circulated social media platforms around the time of her grandmother's passing. Fueling the song with hope for anyone to hold on to, Julia Samadhi felt so moved by the song that she wanted to create an English version with "Hope Song (feat. Nat Shervington) as the EP's outro track for even more listeners experience.
The body of the EP "ALQUIMIA" consists of three emotional yet highly different pieces. Regarding the project's second track, "Mi Verdad," when translating to English reads, "My Truth." Pouring her honest words and genuineness over this piece, Julia Samadhi had another title in mind, being "Love Letter to the Patriarchy," as the song itself calls on independent women to flee from the roles they're inherently given.
Offering listeners a slice of the English language with the song, "It's Time," Julia Samadhi wrote this song around the voice in her head, repeatedly telling her to make the beneficial changes in her life that would lead to more opportunities for internal success. She challenges the listener with this heavy reflective track, asking them to look deeper within themselves and question what's no longer serving them.
Reaching the fourth piece, "Atrévete," Julia Samadhi goes back to her native Spanish language and touches on themes that are incredibly dear to the singer/songwriter. Julia Samadhi delivers another song geared towards gender equality and sings of the women who have been silenced and denied for generations. Simply asking women to support each other more, we're highly inspired after hearing such a wise lyrical message.
All in all, we highly encourage our readers to check out Julia Samadhi's emotional, conceptual, and ear-pleasing EP "ALQUIMIA," as the project bursts with flavor while paying tribute to a departed and dear soul.
Seeing as your late grandmother inspired the creation of your EP, "ALQUIMIA," was it challenging to create such an emotional project?
Yes, it has been... And at the same time, I felt the strong need to honor her memory and her legacy. Due to the time when she was born (the civil war in Spain) she could not dedicate herself to music, she did not have that "luck", there was not even a choice, she had to find something to eat everyday first ... can you imagine? ... Thinking about her, about her vitality and her desire to live until the very last day despite the circumstances, has given me a lot of strength and although it has taken me months, ALQUIMIA (alchemy) is already a reality!
We've heard that you produced and mixed the EP "ALQUIMIA" yourself. What was this solo process like when navigating the sonics for each song?
Yes, it is. The process has been chaotic and deeply transformative on all levels. I've wanted to quit so many times ... I set myself the BIG task of learning production at the same time I was writing the songs, thinking of her, living away from my family, no job...so I had to take things easy yes or yes... I lived moments of great satisfaction when finding "the sound I was looking for" living in the mindset of the apprentice and the attitude of "letting myself be surprised" by the songs and the form they were taking, learning how to follow what every song wanted! So magical. I can say that I do not regret anything, I have learned a lot and I am working on the next project hehe
Why did you want to capture songs in both English and Spanish within your EP "ALQUIMIA"?
To capture my essence and my truth, what I really am. Since I was little I have always listened to more music in English than in Spanish and I have sung more in English than in Spanish, thinking of making a more international career. So I wanted to include both languages. The real challenge has been to write in Spanish! hehe, I wanted to express myself in my own language but in my own way. And here is the result.
Within your EP "ALQUIMIA," you touch on various important topics. What did you want listeners to take away from your lyrical content within the project?
I would like it to make them feel, reflect, and connect with their own truth, just as I have done in the process of creating these songs. I like to think that perhaps my music can give voice to repressed words or impulses so that they could be released within the person who listens and make her/him somehow freer. That would be a dream.
Seeing as your EP "ALQUIMIA" is very dear to you, is there a particular song that stands out as the most personal to you?
That is a complicated question, perhaps I would say "Atrévete", means "Dare" and its message is "Dare to be yourself despite fear". This song came to me in a dream, the words crowded together, I had a love/hate with the chords, with the lyrics… And all because it talks a lot about me and about the history of the women in my family, the repression they lived through, the “ apologize "for existing, for not being" as others want you to be"...
It is a simple but very deep song that I still find it difficult to play live without shedding some tears! (You can see ATRÉVETE video lyrics, translated into English on my youtube channel).