Electronic dance music vocalist and DJ Christina Novelli chatted about her latest studio album “It’s Not Me, It’s You!”
Song selection approach
On the song selection process for the new album, Novelli said, “Wow, I did it in two parts actually… I did it in two EPs. The first half was just me, and obviously, the second half was collaborations.”
“When people are listening to the album, I want to take them on a journey. I didn’t want it to jump too much because there are so many different BPMs on the tracks. I wanted to ease everybody in nicely, and end softly as well. It was a bit of an OCD process choosing the songs, to be honest,” she explained.
Favorite song on the album
When asked about her personal favorite tune on the record, Novelli noted, “It has changed so many times for me. Just recently, I had a sad personal incident happen, so now, ‘While My Angel Sleeps’ is a personal song to me, so it really shines more than any other song at the moment.”
Novelli shared that “Beautiful Lies,” her collaboration with Bo Bruce is so great. “Bo Bruce is just phenomenal, and so wonderful to work with,” she said, prior to noting that she loves her version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.” “I’m obsessed with Fleetwood Mac, so it was massive honor to feature it,” she said.
Future plans
On her plans for the future, she said, “Right now, I have two record labels, and I plan to really work on them, grow them, and maybe open another one as well. I want to tour heavily and do another album. I want to keep doing what I’m doing, and I would like to collaborate with more people.”
“I took a step the last two years to do this album, it took my entire time really, and in the next year, I will focus more on collaborations,” Novelli added.
Experiences performing in New York
Novelli recalled that she has had fond memories performing in “The Big Apple.” “I’ve been to New York a few times. Even time I was there, it was awesome and really cool,” she said.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, Novelli said, “I guess I don’t know any different. I have a CD that is out, which is really good. I also want to do a vinyl pressing to get my album on vinyl a well. It’s amazing.”
“It’s a completely new world now, everything is heavily promoted and it’s all about the digital age, especially with VR (virtual reality). Watching shows and DJing through the machines is all coming,” she said.
Perennial success of ‘Concrete Angel’
Novelli spoke about the perennial success of “Concrete Angel,” her global smash hit collaboration with Gareth Emery.
“That song is a classic now, isn’t it?” she exclaimed. “In the very, very beginning, people would ask if it’s same as the Martina McBride song, but it’s totally different… that’s a beautiful song though, and I didn’t know about that song initially.”
“Then, I looked into the Martina tune and I was like ‘wow, that’s a really amazing song.’ If anything, it’s a compliment I guess, sometimes,” acknowledged.
“The great thing is that our ‘Concrete Angel’ found its way through. It’s still a really powerful song now, even after all of these years, it’s a massive song,” Novelli added.
Advice for young and aspiring artists
For young and aspiring artists, Novelli said, “To be honest, work hard, follow your dreams, but also, have the right people around you. That is so important. It is integral to have good, loyal people that you trust and have your best interests at heart. That is super important.”
“When you have a strong foundation around you, and if you work hard and respect the people that you work with, the possibilities of what you can achieve are endless,” she acknowledged.
“Also, don’t lose yourself! Stay grounded, be nice to people, and don’t forget the ones that have been there from the beginning. Enjoy everything along the way,” she added.
Stage of her life
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Novelli said, “Changing the Narrative.”
Superpower of choice
If she were to have any superpower, it would be “to heal people.”
Success
Regarding her definition of the word success, Novelli said, “Being extremely happy in what I do, and making people happy with what I do.”
Message for her fans
For her fans, Novelli remarked about the new album, “There are so many different songs on there. I want them to really relate to these songs. Whenever my music gets people through difficult times, that means the world to me. You can’t take things like that for granted. Those comments are wonderful to hear.”
To learn more about Christina Novelli and her new music, follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
