A Chat with Powher Sound (09.09.2022)

OSR: You founded Powher Sound which is an all-female label. Can you tell us more about what prompted the creation of this label?

Muse L’Artiste: Yes, sure! Early last year, I started having conversations with people, music industry professionals, producers and artists about diversity and then more specifically about gender equality within the industry. Some of those numbers representing women in music have been consistently low for decades. So I started to look at ways in which I could help improve that and contribute to increasing women’s visibility and opportunities. Powher Sound has become the vehicle for that.

OSR: The ground-breaking, multi-genre album Herstory has recently been released, but is there a backstory or theme to the album?

Muse L’Artiste: The idea behind the album was to create one story out of multiple ones. I wanted Herstory to be an allegory of the Woman and at the same time I wanted every woman to be able to relate to this allegory. That was the vision. That’s the reason why the album is multi-genre, that’s why all the women on this album have different backgrounds, live in different parts of the world, and are as diverse as possible.

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OSR: The album has been completely produced and performed by women from around the world. How did you all connect for this project?

Muse L’Artiste: I’ve got in contact with Kasia and Neeshtheninja, who were excited about the project straight away. Then I’ve reached out to the artists. Each artist was working with one producer based on genre. Managing that process of creation, you know, with 12 people is not without its challenges. But it’s been an amazing journey so far.

OSR: As each artist brings their own flair and musicality to the album as a whole, what was the creative process to ensure everyone shined?

Muse L’Artiste: To be honest, what I’ve told everybody was “be yourself”. I’ve chosen every artist for what they could bring to the table in their very own and unique way. The opportunity was there for them to express themselves and be true to themselves. This is how you shine. My role was just to enhance what everyone was doing in the best possible way.

OSR: Throughout the album, the tracks smoothly move from one genre to another with some amazing fusion tones happening at the same time. How do you feel this movement has impacted the overall story and flow of the album as a whole?

Muse L’Artiste: Thank you! Well the tricky part was to make it sound like an album and not just like a juxtaposition of songs. That was my whole focus. I didn’t want tracks just to be randomly put together. There needed to be a narrative, themes that could work together and show different facets of a woman whether it’s morally, spiritually, sexually or culturally. Once the songs were created, something was missing to link them all together. This is when I thought about reaching out to a Spoken-Word artist and Temi T outdone herself on the album.

OSR: Each artist has a different musical background from Broadway to hip-hop stardom. Did you find this eclectic mixture easy to merge into the sound we hear today?

Muse L’Artiste: Well I think this album is unique in a sense that it’s combining the sound that we used to listen to and enjoy back in the day as well as the current sound of today. There’s nostalgia, freshness and relevance. “Groove Theory” and “It’s Never No” I’d say are two great examples of that on the album.

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OSR: What was the biggest challenge you faced when creating the album?

Muse L’Artiste: I think the biggest challenge for me was to change the entire team I was initially working with and come to terms with that. It’s pretty rare to get the right team straight away or anything right straight away. You have to fall and get back up and learn whatever lesson there is to learn. That’s life, and music is life, music is no exception. However, I believe there’s a reason for everything and these amazing artists that are on this album are the ones that were meant to be on it. I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished together.

OSR: As each track has a unique flavour and features different artists, is there one you can recommend to people who are only able to listen to a single track?

Muse L’Artiste: Wow that’s a tricky one! I really believe there’s a song for everybody depending on their taste or message they’d like to hear. But personally I’d recommend ‘Status Quo’ for the message behind it which pretty much sums up what any woman should be able to unapologetically feel, say and do in 2022.

OSR: This album is an important piece of history and an empowering showcase of what women can do when working together. What else would you like people to take away from the listening experience?

Muse L’Artiste: Ultimately we want people to enjoy this body of work for what it represents as well as what it contains. Everything is linked together, and I think that’s what gives it power. And if we can inspire people to do a bit better and encourage girls and women to become more visible where they are underrepresented, then it’s a win.

OSR: After this historic album, what else does Powher Sound have in store for us in the future?

Muse L’Artiste: The focus will be on developing Powher Sound and make it as successful as possible. It’s about giving women a platform, increasing awareness and opportunities. It’s about addressing a number of issues within the music industry and offering solutions and options while celebrating what makes us different. To keep up to date with what’s happening with us, you’re welcome to sign up to our newsletter via our website www.powhersound.com

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Thanks to Muse L’Artiste for chatting with us! You can find more about Powher Sound on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.