Known for her soulful voice, Tilla Hanna shares her thoughts on song writing for other artists instead of focusing on producing music for herself.
Starting off her music journey professionally just at the age of 17 writing songs for locally and internationally proclaimed artists, Atilla Hanna, or better known as Tilla is here to share her story of being a creative in a rapidly growing industry.
Having garnered attention in the local music scene on Spotify with her single “Speaker”, Tilla Hanna is definitely a force to be reckoned with!
A bubbly personality with a soulful voice seems to be a trait that many people adore, and Sevenpie snagged a golden opportunity to get an exclusive insight on what goes on behind the curtains of song making.
Check out Sevenpie’s YouTube channel to see Tilla’s story on “7 minutes with SevenPie”!
Hello Tilla!
Thank you for doing this Featured Interview with us today. We are so excited to get to know you through this interview!
1. You have been involved in the local music scene for almost 4 years now, what made you want to venture into music professionally?
Well, when I was a kid, I remember my mother and my uncle singing at home a lot. So, I was very heavily influenced with music by my family. They were very musically inclined, and that made me want to take piano lessons at the age of seven. It was a whole family affair that made me want to venture into music.
2. Being in the music scene for awhile now, what do you think is the trend of songs these days?
The trend nowadays, I would say is Hip-hop Pop, the kind of songs that Justin Bieber is currently putting out these days. In terms of Malay music here in Malaysia, I would say Pop. International music Hip-hop Pop are pretty much what is in demand.
3. Congratulations on your release of your single, ‘Speaker”! Are you planning to release anymore of your own songs?
I actually do have something in the oven, it is going to be very different from Speaker, because Speaker was more of a Malay song for the Malay music scene. Now, I would love to venture towards English music for myself and music that I can relate to. It’s on the way, so do look out for it!
4. If you had full control over your own music, what are the types of music you would release?
When I was younger, I always wanted to do the whole singer-songwriter acoustic folk style of music, but now that as I’m older I would love to get into alternative RnB with a slight touch of Hip-hop, more like SZA’s style of music!
5. Out of curiosity, if you were not in the music scene, what would you be doing other than singing and songwriting?
If I was not a singer, I would probably be an artist, a graphic designer, or something to do with art because I really love art.
6. What type of art do you do?
Well, I paint. And I think this came from my dad because he used to be an amazing artist. I usually do pen illustrations and I post them on my personal Instagram account.
7. We know that you are currently writing songs for artists, could you name a few of them?
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Well, just at the top of my head, I’ve written for Maya Karin, Kaka Azraff, Natasha Sass, an artist from Thailand, and also the Club Mickey Mouse kids from Malaysia.
8. You could say that you are usually working behind the scenes in your career path in music, is that true?
Yes, it is true. I prefer being behind the scenes because then I get to be more involved in the creative process and have a say in how things turn out.
9. What inspired you to write music for other artists?
I have a lot to say, a lot of emotions to show. I am actually a very emotional person. The reason I decided to write music for other people is because I feel that they could relate to the things I write. I mean, I can’t be the only person feeling all these emotions, I’m sure someone out there share the same feelings and emotions that I do. Sometimes, people feel these things but find it hard to get the right words to write down, so that’s where I come in.
10. With that being said, what inspires your lyrics?
As a young girl, I make a lot of decisions that put me in situations that I don’t typically want to be in. I write based on what I’ve been through, for example, if I’m going through a break-up, the songs that I write will be heavily influenced by my current emotions.
11. When you write songs, are you usually alone, or do you have a group of people writing it with you?
When I first started writing, I was usually alone in my room where I write about heartbreak and what goes on in a teenage girl’s life. But I just started writing professionally as a proper registered songwriter in 2016 with a group of talented people which are Audi, Shazee, and Kim!
12. How does it feel being behind the scenes instead of in the spotlight when your music is sung by another artist instead of yourself?
When I was younger, I always thought that I wanted to be the one in the spotlight singing the songs, but as I grew older I realised that it takes more than just dreaming, it takes a lot of effort and a lot of self-sacrifice to be in the spotlight. I’ve realised, that isn’t what I really want to do at this very moment in my life. I actually enjoy being behind the scenes instead of out there and critiqued by the world. Plus, I get to call the shots during the creative process which can be fun too!
13. Do you see yourself being in the spotlight full-time in the future, instead of the person behind the scenes?
Maybe. Maybe in the future, but as of now I’m trying to master my song-writing skills before I become the main front liner because I don’t think I am currently in the right head space for that. But yes, maybe in the future!
14. Would you say it’s rewarding writing songs for other artists other than yourself?
It definitely is! I write 1 song a week, which includes the whole process of writing, recording and I have about 20 to 30 songs in the library that I have recorded and made that has not been chosen by artist yet but when an artist chooses a song and releases it, it definitely is a rewarding feeling knowing that the artist resonates with me through the song that I wrote.
15. Lastly, if you could give advice to a young reader out there who is thinking of starting a career in the local music scene, what would you say to them?
Well, this is something I would tell young Tilla too if I could, is that you should have a strong mindset. If you want to do it, do it with everything you’ve got and don’t do it half-heartedly. Find your voice, find the type of songs that you want to produce. Finally, don’t have too high of an expectation of where you might end up in the future because when I was younger, when someone said they wanted to sign me, I thought i was going to be like the next Taylor Swift, but in reality it isn’t always like that. It takes a lot of hard work, determination, and self-sacrifice.
Check Tilla out on Instagram @till4 and the footage from Tilla’s interview at Sevenpie’s YouTube channel by clicking here!
Header Image : Tilla
