Fifteen years old and having just released her debut album, new singer/songwriter Queeva took the time to chat to us about her new record and her career.
Aileen James: Tell me about your new album.
Queeva: My album actually released pretty recently, and I feel like it was just a big project that I've been working on for a while. All the songs on there, really, I feel like if you listen to them, you can just learn more about me and who I am because they're so specific to just me as a person. One of the songs on there called "I'm Going Back" specifically, it talks about how I go back to Ireland every summer [...] I really just wanted to write a song about that. I feel like people can just really get a glimpse of who I am through this album.
You do a great job of writing about things that relate to you as a teenager but can also relate to your wider audience. How did you manage to do that?
Well, thank you. I'm 15. I still go to school, and I experience normal teenager things. I feel like with what I see going on at my school, or just how I'm feeling I'm able to write music that's just more inspiring, and hopefully can inspire other people to just be who they are. Because that's what I've learned growing up so far. And I feel like because I'm younger, I have the actual platform to share my message with my audience. And it really can relate to anyone. And I feel like no matter what age you are, you can relate to my music.
Are there any songs on the record that stand out as your favourite?
One of my favorite songs on there is definitely "Who You Really Are." That song just talks about trying to be yourself in today's world, because I know especially that it can just be hard to stay true to who you are, and not try to be a follower. With that song, I wanted to remind everyone, including myself that it's okay to just be yourself and let your true colors show because no one really wants you to be someone you're not. That's just really important for people to remember, especially me too, because this world is so crazy sometimes. We kind of get lost. It's just important to stay true to who you are.
Queeva: My album actually released pretty recently, and I feel like it was just a big project that I've been working on for a while. All the songs on there, really, I feel like if you listen to them, you can just learn more about me and who I am because they're so specific to just me as a person. One of the songs on there called "I'm Going Back" specifically, it talks about how I go back to Ireland every summer [...] I really just wanted to write a song about that. I feel like people can just really get a glimpse of who I am through this album.
You do a great job of writing about things that relate to you as a teenager but can also relate to your wider audience. How did you manage to do that?
Well, thank you. I'm 15. I still go to school, and I experience normal teenager things. I feel like with what I see going on at my school, or just how I'm feeling I'm able to write music that's just more inspiring, and hopefully can inspire other people to just be who they are. Because that's what I've learned growing up so far. And I feel like because I'm younger, I have the actual platform to share my message with my audience. And it really can relate to anyone. And I feel like no matter what age you are, you can relate to my music.
Are there any songs on the record that stand out as your favourite?
One of my favorite songs on there is definitely "Who You Really Are." That song just talks about trying to be yourself in today's world, because I know especially that it can just be hard to stay true to who you are, and not try to be a follower. With that song, I wanted to remind everyone, including myself that it's okay to just be yourself and let your true colors show because no one really wants you to be someone you're not. That's just really important for people to remember, especially me too, because this world is so crazy sometimes. We kind of get lost. It's just important to stay true to who you are.
How have you navigated the industry so young? It can be an overwhelming space for anyone, but how do you deal with it?
I think what I've realized so far is just that not everything is going to go the way that you planned it to go and you're going to hit a lot of bumps in the road. But overall, I feel like just those experiences have made me a better artist, and just helped me experience things that I think can even influence songwriting, as well. And I have a great team behind me, and they're leading me in the right direction. So I just got to keep going. I guess I learn as I go along, basically.
How do you execute your vision for songs in the recording studio?
I feel like no one really understands how much work goes into just a recording session. But what usually happens is we have a bunch of band players and just musicians that come in and we all sit around and talk about a song. We listen to the demo that we made of it and then they'll go into the booth and they'll start recording the song and then I'll direct them in what way I want the song to go. Everyone is so professional that it's super easy just for them to make my vision come to life. They always play something that exceeds my expectations for a song. So it's just pretty cool. It's always a great experience in the studio.
How do you how do you achieve balance in your life?
Since I am still in high school, all of my teachers really work with me, and they're very flexible. They'll let me like, go away for a week or two to Nashville to work on my career and play some shows. Then when I come back, I just have to catch up on all my schoolwork. I wouldn't have it any other way. Because I really do love going to school and hanging out with my friends and just kind of having just a normal life. I don't really think I would enjoy homeschooling as much. So I'm very grateful that my teachers just work with me.
What's something that you've been done so far in your career that's been a really cool experience for you? What in specific do you hope to do in the future?
One of the coolest things I've done so far in my career was both of my music videos have been on Nickelodeon Fresh Faces. I actually grew up watching that channel and I would always watch the music videos that would play on there. When I saw my video come up, it was such a cool experience to me. That was really one of the coolest things so far. But what I really want to do and what's definitely been on my bucket list is to play the Grand Ole Opry. So many country icons have played there so that would be really awesome if that ever happened.
I think what I've realized so far is just that not everything is going to go the way that you planned it to go and you're going to hit a lot of bumps in the road. But overall, I feel like just those experiences have made me a better artist, and just helped me experience things that I think can even influence songwriting, as well. And I have a great team behind me, and they're leading me in the right direction. So I just got to keep going. I guess I learn as I go along, basically.
How do you execute your vision for songs in the recording studio?
I feel like no one really understands how much work goes into just a recording session. But what usually happens is we have a bunch of band players and just musicians that come in and we all sit around and talk about a song. We listen to the demo that we made of it and then they'll go into the booth and they'll start recording the song and then I'll direct them in what way I want the song to go. Everyone is so professional that it's super easy just for them to make my vision come to life. They always play something that exceeds my expectations for a song. So it's just pretty cool. It's always a great experience in the studio.
How do you how do you achieve balance in your life?
Since I am still in high school, all of my teachers really work with me, and they're very flexible. They'll let me like, go away for a week or two to Nashville to work on my career and play some shows. Then when I come back, I just have to catch up on all my schoolwork. I wouldn't have it any other way. Because I really do love going to school and hanging out with my friends and just kind of having just a normal life. I don't really think I would enjoy homeschooling as much. So I'm very grateful that my teachers just work with me.
What's something that you've been done so far in your career that's been a really cool experience for you? What in specific do you hope to do in the future?
One of the coolest things I've done so far in my career was both of my music videos have been on Nickelodeon Fresh Faces. I actually grew up watching that channel and I would always watch the music videos that would play on there. When I saw my video come up, it was such a cool experience to me. That was really one of the coolest things so far. But what I really want to do and what's definitely been on my bucket list is to play the Grand Ole Opry. So many country icons have played there so that would be really awesome if that ever happened.
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