With more creative control and confidence, Malia Civetz releases her EP, Heels In Hand, feeling validated as an artist with something to say. Civetz talks with Brandon Harrington on the latest episode of Surviving the Music Industry podcast about meeting Ross Golan and J Kash, lessons learned from pop songwriting, and changing public perception of how R&B artists are received.
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Civetz is an artist and songwriter that busted on the scene with her first independent single, “Champagne Clouds,” back in 2017. If you were lucky enough to witness the first rotation and interview on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, there’s a good chance you heard or maybe saw a poised, passionate songwriter who equally has these same attributes in her music. Now signed by Warner Records, in partnership with Ross Golan and J Kash’s Friends With Pens, it’s easy to say that her success could be viewed as an overnight rise but through the course of conversation, Malia has been preparing for her success her entire life.
For the Hawaii native, who now calls Las Vegas home, entertainment has always been a part of life. Civetz recalls her parents’ jobs in the hospitality industry, creating some of the most lavish parties that first-class hotels could throw. At one point, Civetz shares that her favorite party was an authentic Pirate-themed bash that her father created using a real ship as the main attraction. Along with the parties, of course, there would be music. However, the time of learning and growing happened after graduating from art high school and being accepted to USC for pop songwriting.
Harrington and Civetz share a few laughs when Civetz shares the stereotypes of an art high school and a capella groups in college, but through these formative years, lessons were learned that Civetz uses today in her writing.
The new episode includes those lessons learned and how one of the torches taken up by Malia is to reshape the public perception of R&B females just by the flip of gender roles in her lyrics. As Harrington explores the growth of Civetz’s music, he feels a trend of confidence beginning to take shape, leading to her latest EP, Heels In Hand. Digging deeper into the songwriting of the EP, love is a concept throughout the record that seems different than most pop songs. This really sets the tone, pace, and concept above most EPs by pop artists in recent years. Malia feels love is a tertiary concept when writing her music. ” I don’t know if I’ve ever been in love the way people talk about. That’s the exploration of this [Heels In Hand] EP,” she shares.
Explore Heels In Hand on all streaming platforms and visit www.maliacivetz.com for all the positive vibes that Malia Civetz produces. For Surviving the Music Industry with Brandon Harrington, you can visit www.smipodcast.com for additional links and content. You can also listen, follow, and subscribe to the podcast here.
