Time With Deyah
We caught up with Deyah to talk about her latest release Lover Loner and the raw emotion behind the concept.
Thank's for taking the time to complete this interview. Have you had any previous aliases or names? If so, why the change?
I was previously known as Nonamedisciple up until a couple months ago. There's a rapper from Chicago whose also female named Noname -she's real cool. People would call me Noname for short, so I was advised to change my name to avoid confusion in the future.
Congratulations for your EP, Lover Loner, being listed as number 1 on BBC 1Xtra by Jamz Supernova! How does that feel?
Ah thank you, I appreciate it. It feels really good. I'm beyond thankful
So, why did you make Lover Loner
I didn't set out to create an EP, it just fell into place naturally. I recorded numerous songs about how I was feeling during certain seasons of my life and when listening back to some of them, I realised a common theme ran through them. That's when I decided to put it together as a project in the form of an EP. I truly believe everyone can relate, at least to one song. It may not be an entire song, it may just be one sentence but I feel it's a relatable project.
What does the EP mean to you?
I literally poured my pain into it and allowed myself to be vulnerable, so it's very valuable to me.
Lover Loner is rich with emotion, creating a powerful means for catharsis. Was it difficult to make the album considering the personal content or was it more of a relief?
It was a relief to be honest. I mean, yeah, I found certain parts challenging because I really had to come face to face with a few things and dig up past thoughts and feelings - but in the main, it was a total relief!
What song was most empowering to create? Are any tracks more important to you than others?
Hmm, I'd say Blue noise, Thank you Lauryn and Home were the most empowering due to the subject matters I spoke on. They're all important to me but from a listeners perspective, it would depend on what subject matters they found important to them.
Does vulnerability create healing?
Vulnerability definitely creates healing in my experience yes, as long as you embrace it in a healthy way and understand what comes with being vulnerable.
Do you think it is important for artists to express the same vulnerability that Lover Loner does? If so, why?
Not necessarily. The motive and intention to be vulnerable must come from a healthy place and I feel you must be ready. It's taken me a while. It's just personally the way I write, where as another artist may have skill in creating dope vibrant songs that don't necessarily need vulnerability to make the songs what they are. I would say more honesty is needed as opposed to vulnerability. You shouldn't expect someone to be vulnerable but you should expect someone to be honest.
You often reference your religion in the EP. As an artist, why was it important for you to include this part of your life?
I'm not a fan of the word religion to be honest as I don't support religion.. more so faith! My faith is my lifestyle and makes up a large part of who I am. If I didn't mention it, my music would be inauthentic.
Will you be touring Lover Loner? If so, where can we expect to see you?
I've been dropping tracks from the EP at Readipop, Boomtown Fair, Outlook Festival and my upcoming shows, but a tour would be next level.. I'm working on it!
The project holds themes of loss and pain, but also themes of hope and personal growth. What messages or hopes did you want to give to your audience with this beautiful EP?
Firstly, thank you for calling it beautiful! Secondly, I just want people to know that we're all in the same boat at the end of the day, in as much as, we all feel pain - we all want to feel genuine unconditional love, we all have struggles etc.. and my faith guides me to understand that there's a bigger picture at hand and we all have a purpose to fulfil. Life seems hopeless at times but when you read between the lines, it's ever so hopeful!
Is there anything I’ve missed or anything else important about the EP that you would like to say?
I think you've covered everything! The only sentiment I'd like to leave is that, although the EP as a whole seems quite bleak, there are messages of hope woven throughout the songs and I hope that's taken away just as much as the pain aspect of it.
Words by Ben Evans
Listen to the Lover Loner EP across multiple platforms here!
