Producer Haides and singer-songwriter Marlie make up new duo Majestic Minds, and the pair have opened up a little about what we should expect from them in the future following the release of their debut single Oxygen last month. Read on to find out what they had to say...
Majestic Minds chat with Female First
For those who may be new to your music, how best would you describe your sound?
Authentic, fresh, electronic, pop, soul.
What challenges have you faced in the music industry so far?
I think in the past we have faced challenges individually. The biggest challenge for me (Marlie), having come up through drum and bass, was chasing down royalties from multiple independent labels every quarter, and keeping a tab on everything! For me (Haides) I think its just trying be persistent. There’s a lot of ups and downs but its just about self belief and determination to get where you want.
How difficult would you say this career path is in terms of making a name for yourself?
The music industry, like any industry, is highly competitive and very difficult to make a name for yourself. However we do believe, with enough determination, consistency and quality your work can get through.
How important is it for you to have creative control over the work you produce?
Very. This is why we started this project. We are aiming to build a creative collective of songwriters, producers and musicians to collaborate with and make music that we all love and believe in.
Where do you draw influence and inspiration from for your work?
Personally, as a songwriter/vocalist I draw inspiration from a number of different sources. I spend a lot of time listening to wide variety of music, I can also gain inspiration from people watching on the tube. It really varies but when an idea hits it is glaringly obvious. As a producer first starting out I used to watch videos of DJs on tour and making music. That would just get me so hyped to make new music and get better. Now I get inspired just by finding really cool and unique sounds and trying to turn them on their head.
If you could collaborate with anybody going forward, who would you choose and why?
Mark Ronson - He’s the master collaborator. Everything he touches turns to gold.
Diplo - Same reason as above. He is a collaborating genius.
Samm Henshaw - I am a huge fan of him as an artist & his songwriting & I feel we would work really well together.
Tell us a random, funny fact about you that not many people know.
When we get stuck in the studio/hit a bit of a wall, we like to watch gym fail videos. In particular the video of a guy letting the weight fall onto his chest while accidentally letting out a fart. This video is guaranteed to make us laugh every single time & put us back in a good headspace to continue writing. Thanks farting gym fail man (we’re not giving you a % though)! I (Haides) have four toes on my right foot. (Missing that little guy).
Where do you hope to be this time next year?
We hope to be doing exactly what we’re doing now but on a larger scale, reaching a larger fan base.
What should we expect from you in the coming weeks and months?
Lots more music and potentially a live show here and there.