In the sixth series of ‘Welcome to The Human Race - Fondness’ talking about a sense of living, home, and freedom. We had a chance to talk with Eva Celia, an Indonesian singer and songwriter.
Could you introduce about yourself and what do you do?
I mostly write songs on a daily basis. I also do some acts occasionally, rescuing cats on the side, playing with my pets, and videogames. That's probably a quick introduction of who I am.
Can we run to your creative process or works that you’ve been working on and where did you get your inspiration from?
My creative process varies depending on the project. I don’t have that one formula or process that I sort of follow-through all the time. Repetition gets really mundane. I get bored easily so I have to be stimulated every time I’m trying to create something.
But also at the same time, I try to look for some inspiration whenever I try to create something, because living in Jakarta, things can get very uninspirational. If I wait for those inspirations to come, I won't ever start. For instance, I create a habit, like a daily routine of just writing songs, playing guitar, and come up with the melody.
I mean, it feels like sometimes some stuff got stuck with me for a day. At that point I knew it’s worth finishing. Then I would pass it to my producer. After that, I’ll work together on the music with my producer to create a demo, do some editing on the lyrics, the melody, the songwriting, and yea that’s pretty much it until it finished.
Sometimes the process would take three days, but sometimes it would take a year. So there’s no certain timeline because I’m such a perfectionist, thus I really need to make sure it’s perfect. But at the same time I do need to stick with the timeline to keep me on track.
What usually stimulates you when working on the project?
It depends. Sometimes by listening to music, sometimes by detaching myself from music and doing something completely different like watching movies, playing video games, taking a walk or reading books.
What was your first break and what was your dream back then?
Well, talking about a dream, I had so many dreams. I’m that kind of person that has so many interests growing up. My parents are in the creative industry so they influence me, especially in music.
I remember being in high school, wanting to major in psychology and political science in university, but something always pulls me back to music because I feel like I grew up with music and it’s so close to my heart. I want to share what I’ve been through with others and want them to connect with me through my music. At that point I knew I had to stick with music.
So I was back in Jakarta after finishing my study in 2012-2013, I performed at Java Jazz Festival, and that was my big break. It feels like a wake-up call for me. That’s the stuff that I want to keep doing, connecting with people by making music.
What about people? Do you have any idols?
I have a lot of idols, but yes, my music teacher has always been my idol. I also have other idols that I really look up to and have been a major influence in my music and songwriting such as Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.
What’s the thing that you like to do that you haven’t had a chance to?
There are so many things that I actually wanna do this year. Me and my team already have so many plans for my music this year, we're gonna have a new album, tour, and showcases. But yea because of this situation I’m just gonna be patient for now.
What has this situation taught you?
Well, to be more accepting. I'm a major control freak who likes to make plans and everything has to go according to that plan. This pandemic definitely taught me to be more patient and to be more accepting, not only towards the situation but also towards people.
If you have any advice for others what would that be?
I feel like this is one thing that’s hard for me to do, because I'm a person who’s overly critical of myself. But my best advice would be to take it easy on yourself and do whatever that makes your heart happy, and follow that voice.
When did you first discover fashion?
I think I discovered fashion when I was in LA during my study. To be honest, I don’t really like how people dress in LA compared to the East Coast. But the way people dress very casually, nowadays you probably call it street style, kinda inspired me to dress and work on what I have.
How would you describe your outfit preference or how you dress?
I only have two moods, it’s either super boyish or super girly. On some days I like to totally go wild with my outfit, mix and match. I love that look of people that is expressive. But there are some days that I prefer to just throw on a t-shirt with sweatpants and sneakers.
What are your favourite brands? And what is your essential?
I don't have favourite brands, that’s a lot of them, but also because the situation right now kinda makes me rethink the way I consume products. But yea mostly as long as I'm comfortable, I’ll go with that.
My essentials, I love shoes especially sneakers. I couldn't get enough of it and I collected them as well, and another essential is sweatshirts.
If you had a chance to call/meet someone you admire, who would that be? And let them know why you appreciate them
It would be Stevie Wonder, because I really appreciate his music and he’s the reason why I fell in love with music. He’s the biggest inspiration for me.
If you had a chance to pick a free stuff and deliver to your door, what would that be?
Right now, I would want an Alienware monitor that’ll be really useful for my music stuff and also my video games :).
