A SIT DOWN WITH DASCHAN
With two original releases and one remix delivered to the world, UK-based Daschan's debut roll out has shown that her art is spreading a message, one of the importance of self-expression and self-discovery.
After earning a degree in production and sound engineering, Daschan has taken her knowledge and put it right back into her own personal project, which is self-titled. Her dynamic tracks, “will i be” and “sunshine” (that she produced herself) have given listeners an inside look on her style and musical influences, providing a great introduction for who she is as an artist. Her lyrics are emotionally charged with the roots of learning to be comfortable in your own skin and finding how to give yourself the love you deserve.
INTERVIEW
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INTERVIEW ☆
Crave had the opportunity to speak with Daschan to learn more about who she is behind the music and her creative processes.
Crave: When did you realize that music was your passion? Was there a specific event in your life that made you realize that it was? What made you want to study music production?
DASCHAN: Although I have written music and wrote songs since I was 12, the decision to commit to this path came quite late to me. I studied History and International relations at university, wanted to go work at an international organisation, or become a political journalist, and somehow ended up in business development and sales at a startup in Barcelona a couple years ago. I often switched career paths since like many of us, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, or to what I could commit my life to and feel like it's truly my purpose. Weirdly enough, what guided me towards a life in music was my attendance of multiple weddings in Kazakhstan.
Come fall 2022, I decide to take a month long trip back home to see one of my dearest and oldest childhood friends get married to her now husband and also a very successful musical artist in Kazakhstan. I never had close friends that worked or strongly expressed themselves in music or arts, so those couple of weeks were quite mind-blowing to me. I met and was surrounded by people that weren’t afraid to create, and put their art out the world. It was both confronting and inspiring. My interactions exposed my prejudices, fears and anxieties about what it means to be an artist. The feelings and thoughts that prevented me from ever considering music as a career path. And then one day I woke up and thought ‘why not do it for the plot?’
Thinking about this time warms my heart today. I think something in my heart opened up when I was on that trip and allowed me to fall in love with people, myself and music again.
CRAVE: When writing your songs, do you do anything to prepare your mind and body for the creative process?
DASCHAN: The only thing I find necessary to write a song is an intention. I thought, a feeling, an idea.
CRAVE: Do you feel that through creating music, you have been able to find more of yourself?
DASCHAN: Without a doubt. I think that is an integral part of creating anything. You’re putting a part of yourself into every song, painting or poem that you touch. It can feel liberating, but also very scary at times. I don’t think you can make art without having to confront different sides of yourself.
I could go through long periods of time without writing anything, because I’ll be afraid to put my feelings down on paper. Songs have a way of exposing so much of what we really feel. I’ve had moments where I write a verse and sit back for a moment, quite horrifyingly thinking - ‘wow that’s what I really feel right now?’
Don’t even get me started on what it means to then put music that you’ve created into the WORLD!
CRAVE: Is there something that you find you constantly pull inspiration from?
DASCHAN: I love to paint and I love to read. So I enjoy integrating both of these activities in my music writing process. A few years ago I started a practice of painting with water color before writing a song, and it’s still one of my favorite exercises. I also do the reverse - and base my paintings on the songs I’ve written. I created a trio of small paintings for my first release will i be and will be doing it for sunshine as well.
In regards to books, I often flip through pages of whatever I’m reading at the time when writing lyrics. The point is to spot words I like or match the feeling of the song and then try to write a verse around them. I love it.
CRAVE: Have you explored creating different genres of music? If so, did doing this help you land on the place you are at in your sound right now?
DASCHAN: Yes definitely. Sometimes I feel like a collection of everything I listen to, so consequently the sound that I have will be influenced by my surroundings, who I hang out with, what I read, listen to and watch. What makes people's music or art unique is the internal filter that all the information that we hold passes through before manifesting in the world that we can see and hear. At least that’s how I imagine it in my head.
To answer your question though, I think I’ve always leaned towards neo-soul, pop, rnb sounds - since that is what I listen to the most. Currently, I have an intention to diversify my sound and challenge myself to get out of my comfort zones. I trust that my sound will grow and change—because that’s what I’m hoping for myself, too.
Currently I’m also working on another electronic project to keep things interesting.
CRAVE: Do you feel like your music defies being classified as a specific genre?
DASCHAN: In some ways. I think the emergence of new genre slang is quite confusing in itself. I often describe my music as neo-soul or alt-pop - but that seems like a juxtaposition in itself. How can something be both “pop” and “alternative”?
Silly thoughts aside, I do think a lot of artists today exist at the intersection of genres, and that’s something I’m a huge proponent of. As someone who seeks out artists that are doing something new and unexpected - I hope to do the same.
Keep up with Daschan as she moves forward in her creative journey!
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