Today we’d like to introduce you to Delhia de France.
Delhia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in the eastern part of Germany in the post-wall era which was quite a liberating yet confusing time. I come from a mid-sized town that always has had a vibrant music scene, especially in Electronic Music. The local club hosted up and coming and established international artists and it was there that I started to have my first shows as a singer, did recordings and met other musicians. That basically started my career. However, I went on to study Design and Experimental Radio at Bauhaus University Weimar, where I focused more on the technological site building midi controller for my live performances. I met my former bandmates there and went on touring and recording with them for almost a decade until we split and I started my solo project.
In the meantime, I had collaborated with a lot of well-known artists in underground European Dance Music like Steve Bug, Adriatique, Deadbeat, Fur Coat, Robag Wruhme a.o. and especially closely with producer and composer Robot Koch. Over the years, we were lucky to have many of our songs placed in TV Shows and Hollywood Movie Trailer. For a couple of years now, I split my time between LA and Berlin and find the contrast and artistic vibe in both cities complementing each other so much that I don’t want to miss either. LA is a lot about opportunity while Berlin is more about freedom and experimenting.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Definitely not, but who wants a smooth road anyway. There’s beauty in getting lost, taking the wrong turn, losing the map. After all, there are no shortcuts in life. Although, I think if I would have driven with more focus and attention and possibly haven’t had to stop at every darn viewpoint that didn’t even have such a great view at the end, I probably would have gotten where I am today a bit faster and with less time wasted. However, I am less a sports car person and more of a comfy Volvo person, with a huge trunk and a backseat to sink into like a couch. One that also gets you through winter and has some space for all the sentimentalities.
To be a bit more concrete, I lost my voice when I was 16, which was a huge shock but I kept on doing therapy and finding a way to work with my sensitive organ until I realized how much of my mind is actually doing this – how much all of our thoughts contribute to our health and lifestyle. It’s a never-ending lesson, understanding that in the end, I am my greatest obstacle. But I keep on steering the wheel.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I would consider myself as a creative first and foremost. I am a singer/writer/producer and visual artist seeking to create a world for people to enter and feel it, a Gesamtkunstwerk if you will. With my solo project Delhia de France, I make left-field pop music. I run my own label, art direct everything and execute most of my outcome together with collaborators from all fields of creativity.
I started releasing under my solo project last year with my 2 EPs seeing support from Spotify, XL8R, Clash Magazine, Kaltblut Magazine, BBC, KEXP, KCRW (much love to Valida).
In my music, I am seeking the beauty of darkness, a lot of my songs come from a deep place of melancholy yet I don’t find it strange or something to be afraid of. I want to show that the dark is a part of what we are and that it can be strong and beautiful. I’d say my voice is my superpower, I can make it shift easily between ethereal, soulful, husking, crying… I guess it only reflects my own moodiness.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I am working on a mixtape at the moment. It’s more a collections of songs and ideas than an actual album. I feel like a mixtape is giving me more freedom of formats and (song)structures and that I can experiment more with genres and styles. I went back to writing a lot of songs with piano and voice only and then I’ve recorded tons of synth lines and airy choirs. It’s probably going to be a saga about space and AI and future dreams, I don’t know yet it’s still unfolding. I’ve also been working on a couple other side projects, a very new and weird ambient metal project and other releases in the techno/house realm so that will all reflect into it musically.
A new live show with a light installation and performance is in the making as well. I want to keep it minimal for now but dreaming up a more elaborate show for the future. I want people to come to my concerts and make them feel like they enter another planet – a safe space for feelings and desires with beautiful immersive experiences. I think AR f.e. really has the power to empathically connect people with feelings, places, states of being, issues that might be too abstract otherwise.. That’s more for the further future, but I’m trying to build towards it.
I am also invited to work with an orchestra in Vienna, Austria for a project called Vienna Struggle that was created by a friend who wanted to bring together tradition (classical music) and technology (electronic music), thats going to be very exciting.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.delhiadefrance.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/delhia_de_france
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/delhiadefrance
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7A4TdwdnxfR9auD1yAmpWD?si=bQbpEc5rQvOhKKTFjc67zQ
Image Credit:
From top to bottom, left to right: Camille Leon, Julia Mayorova, Jan Reiser, Kloxii, Louis Vignat + VFX by Delhia de France, Louis Vignat + VFX by Neonaut, Louis Vignat + VFX by Delhia de France, Louis Vignat + VFX by Neonaut & Delhia de France; Personal Photo: Louis Vignat + VFX by Neonaut & Delhia de France
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