We chat to talented singer-songwriter-producer Dora Lachaise ahead of her single release ‘I Confess’ this Friday…
Please talk us through the meaning of your beautiful new single ‘I Confess’…
The song was inspired by a statue of Mary Magdalene. She is often portrayed naked or partially naked, with long hair, to say she's had a wild past that she's sorry about. That story isn't true - and even if it was, I don't think it should matter! It was used as a tool; a warning to girls and women on how not to behave. They were kept out of positions of power, and under control. Ideas like these persist till this day, so I wanted to comment on that by retelling the story from Mary Magdalene's perspective.
We love the golden apple on the artwork - what’s the significance of that?
Staying with the theme of how women are represented, the golden apple refers to Eve picking the forbidden fruit and getting humanity banned from paradise. She's seen as giving in to temptation and losing her innocence. The story is echoed in the fairytale of Snow White. Heaven forbid we should embrace our desires!
Do you have to be in a certain mood to write?
I find that the best things happen when I'm not too judgmental as I'm trying out ideas, but instead have some fun with it and experiment.
Where do you live? What’s the music scene like?
I live in Bristol. The music scene here was great before the pandemic; that's one of the things that drew me here. The level of musicianship is really high, and the people are lovely. Promoters and radio hosts do a lot for local artists. Music venues, churches and pubs had gigs and open mic nights, and there were a lot of colourful festivals in the summer. I hope they'll all come back!
Which 3 items would you take on a desert island?
I'd rather take my two best friends and a cat, but if it needs to be things, then it'd be my guitar, laptop, and a Van Gogh for inspiration and to encourage people to come and rescue me.
Your promo video is super quirky, who are you inspired by for visuals?
I love the work by surrealist artists from the last century, especially Dora Maar. She used photo collages to create new scenes - they weren't meant to be realistic, but had unexpected juxtapositions and playful concepts. I wanted to do something similar with video, nodding to her work with mirrors and the camera defocussing at the end.
What’s the toughest part of the industry for you?
It's like we're in an ocean of songs and artists, all trying to be heard, and it's hard to float to the surface and get noticed. Especially without a big budget. Just making great music isn't enough, we need great marketing too.
What’s the most enjoyable part of the industry?
Feeling part of a community is the best thing for me. The songwriters and independent artists I know are like a tribe, or an unrelated family. We've got the same drive. Music is not just something we do; we've organised our lives around it. Over the past year, our online meetups to share new songs were often the highlight of my week.
Check out the stunning accompanying promo video below:
‘I Confess’ is out March 5th on all digital platforms to stream and download!