Edith Magazine: Eliza May

DJ, singer and music producer Eliza May’s new single, Empress, is coming out on 17 th February. Calling it an ode to female empowerment and self-love, Empress is a blend of pop, electronic and R&B music that has strong lyrics supported by Eliza’s empowering vocals. In this interview with the social media star, we talk about her new upcoming song and everything that went behind it:

What is your new single Empress about?

Empress is a powerful and uplifting anthem for women everywhere. The lyrics of the song encourage self-empowerment, self-love and self-acceptance, sending a powerful message to all the women out there who are breaking barriers and making their mark on the world. I hope to encourage my listeners to believe in themselves and in their own worth despite the obstacles they may face and doubts they may have. It is to make them feel motivated and inspired to take control of their own lives and live it as an Empress would.

What inspired you to create this song and how is it different from your previous songs?

It’s actually a pretty interesting story. I was working with a stylist for the music video ‘My Angel’ and she broke down my style according to my archetypes. She said that one of my main archetypes is the Empress and it means that I am very talented and creative but it is hard for me to love and respect myself, and that I also often don’t accept my femininity. It helped me realize many things. I didn’t want to hide my Empress anymore. I wanted to let it out and show it to the world. And that’s how I got the idea for the song. I shared it with my vocal teacher and she helped me write it.

In terms of how it is different from my previous songs, I would say Empress is more anthemic and empowering with a strong message at its core. It’s definitely more confident, sassy and playful. It’s a new side of me that many people don’t know.

How do you feel that it uplifts women who have self-doubt?

I hope my song will remind women of their strength and potential, and encourage them to take control of their destinies and believe in themselves.

Your favourite quote from the lyrics of Empress?

Every word of the song is full of meaning but the first phrase that came to my mind is – “I thought I couldn’t have it all Look at me now, looking like I’m made of gold” – that’s why I was looking for a gold outfit for the track’s cover.

How did you create the look for the cover of Empress and what did you want it to represent?

I manifested it. I just thought about it and the Universe put everything together for me. I saw this outfit on Instagram and immediately realized – this is it! The amazing outfit is from Gia Bianca, it is a brand that is based in Dubai. And I was going to Dubai in a few weeks. I wrote to the photographer, who had shot someone in this outfit before, asking where can I get the outfit and offered her to have a photoshoot with me when I’m in Dubai. The funny thing is that, the photographer is also Russian and she helped me find the best makeup and hair artists. Gia Bianca let us use the outfit for the shoot and it was perfect! Even windy and cold weather didn’t stop us from taking the awesome shots.

In context to uplifting women, you also talk a lot about solo-travel on your social media.

Why do you think it is important / necessary for everyone to solo-travel occasionally?

To be honest, I don’t travel solo by choice. I prefer to travel with someone as it’s cheaper, easier to take pictures and videos, and safer. But I don’t know anyone else who loves to travel as much as I do so I often travel by myself. In December I visited 4 countries. I went to Mauritius for a DJ gig and ended up not just performing there but fulfilling 2 things off my bucket list – swimming with dolphins and feeding giraffes. Then I went to Dubai and Maldives where I met with my parents after not seeing them for a year. And I ended my trip traveling solo to Singapore.

I would definitely recommend Dubai and Singapore to women as they are two of the safest cities on Earth. You can be a woman wearing a short skirt, carry a Chanel purse and wear a bunch of diamond jewellery at 2 in the morning and feel absolutely safe! My friends who live there don’t even lock their apartment doors.

Where all have you solo travelled and what pointers would you like to give to other solo travellers?

I have been alone to Mexico – Cancun, Tulum and Playa del Carmen, travelled solo to Malta, India, Nepal, many places in the USA and Russia. I feel like it’s important to find out as much as you can about the place you’re going to so make sure to watch a lot of videos and read a lot of articles about your destination so you know what to expect.

I am also planning to have a group tour with some of my followers this year, there’s more info about it in the link in my bio on Instagram.

You also have an e-book where you share your experiences about things you wish you knew before you started to DJ. What are some key tips that you talk about?

I actually wrote this e-book after my followers asked me a lot of questions about DJing. I took all their questions and replied to them in the e-book. I feel like it’s a great read for anyone starting out in the music business as they will have a lot of their questions answered. I share a lot of tips there – where to start, what equipment to get, how to get your first gig, etc. The e-book is free and can also be found on my Instagram.

From your own set of mixes and music, which are some of your personal favourites?

I started a new channel recently that is very different from what I was doing before. Music there is very relaxing and good for spiritual work. I charge mixes with reiki so each mix provides some healing benefits. You’ll find it by searching “Eliza M – reiki” on YouTube. I will probably change a name for this channel soon but I didn’t come up with a good name yet. I also did 2 remixes for: Miley Cyrus – Flowers and Shakira – Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53. Two amazing empowering songs by 2 strong women. My two upcoming tracks “Empress” and “What I Want” are also my favourites.

Which future projects are you working on that your fans can look forward to?

A lot of new remixes, 2 new singles, new music videos, DJ gigs in the US and abroad, a lot of new mixes and musical Tik Toks, and more travel of course are in stock for all my followers.

The empress of music, Eliza May, has won many hearts around the world with her DJ gigs and mixes on digital media and now is all set to steal some more with her new release, Empress on the 17 th of February. Be sure to turn on your notifications!

Written by Sonz

Photographer: Anastasia Protas @anastasiaprotas

Model: Eliza May @djelizamay

www.djelizamay.com

https://www.edithmag.com/interview/eliza-may