Lighting Up The Night With Adara

 Interview 

Finding Out More About Designer, Singer and Songwriter , Adara !

In the past year, Colorado native Adara has exploded onto the EDM scene with her releases "Turn The World," "Stadium," "Expose," and "Dragon." Her most recent release "Runaways" is available on Soundcloud as a free downloadand the K Theory remix of "Stadium" has seen over 200k plays on YouTube. Along with her musical talents, Adara also has a strong admiration for fashion, working with designers like Project Runway's Mychael Knight, and aspires to begin her own charity dedicated to land conservation.

Hello Adara, Welcome to think IN electronic.. It is such an honor to be interviewing you thank you so much for taking time out to do this interview with us.

It’s an honor to be talking with you! Thank you for your great questions.

How are you doing and who is your celebrity crush at the moment?

I’m doing fantastic! Things are going really well with music and I’ve got some new collaborations coming out with some of my favorite DJ’s soon.  I can’t wait to share them with everyone. 

As far as my celebrity crush goes, I’d have to say Chris Martin from Coldplay. He makes such poetic and unique music!

1.    Can you tell us who you are, what you do, where you come from and if you weren’t in music what would you be doing?

Well, my name is Adara :)  I am an electronic singer/songwriter originally from Colorado and now splitting my time between Nashville and Atlanta. My passion in life is to create music. However, if I weren’t in music, I would be working with animals and helping with environmental conservation efforts.  In fact, I hope that through my music I will have a platform to help protect this beautiful world of ours.

2.    We are from South Africa and we ask everyone this what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear South Africa?

When I hear South Africa, I think of a wild beauty, a place full of life. A piece of the earth flourishing with diversity, incredible animals, and a breathtaking landscape. It’s a place that I am dying to visit.  I love areas where you can be surrounded by nature and be reminded of how beautiful the world is.

3.    Where does your love for electronic music stem from, how much do you actually love it?

I was introduced to electronic music through my producer, Ross Lara (founder of Archipelago Entertainment). Before him, I had been making pop alternative music.  It wasn’t until I discovered electronica that I finally found my home.  Electronic Dance Music is such an expansive and ever evolving genre.  It really gives me the freedom to create whatever I imagine without any restrictions.   I love adding a hint of magic and beauty to my stories.  I finally feel like I fit in.  The sky’s the limit.  So, to answer your question, I love electronic music so much! It’s like I’ve found my soul mate.

4.    You are a new vocalist in the scene, how did you get your “break”. And are you classically trained in music? If so, how has this helped your career?

Thanks to my producer, Ross Lara, and his connections with Armada music, I was able to work with Shogun on our song “Dragon.” It was amazing to be able to reach a larger audience through this collaboration and to get great feedback.  It’s opened up even more doors for me and my music.

I have been classically trained on the piano.  It helps me to understand the language of music better and to be able to communicate my sonic vision.  My classical piano background also effects my songwriting and arpeggiated instrumental parts. In some of my songs, you can even hear a classically influenced piano section during the outro.

5.    Where do you get the sexy voice? Can you recall the first time you heard yourself singing? What did you think?

My mom always sang to me, so I grew up singing.  I can remember singing from a very early age.  I had a karaoke machine that could record my voice on a cassette tape.  I spent hours writing little songs and recording them. It wasn’t until I was 16 years old that my voice really changed and became what it is now. I remember that moment while attending the Kauai Music Festival, when I sang with a new sort of confidence and purpose. I learned to emote, not just sing.  That’s when I really heard my voice.

6.    You just released a song with The Spacies “Lighting Up The Night.” How did the working relationship come to be and what inspired the song?

The Spacies is a duo signed to same company as me, Archipelago Entertainment.  It was amazing working with them on “Lighting Up The Night.” From their songwriting to their production, they have a unique ability to bring a story to life with such vibrancy. 

I drew on a lot of personal experiences when writing “Lighting Up The Night”. We wanted to capture the incredible feeling you get when you connect with someone and can literally feel the electricity on your skin. It’s about that moment when you are alone with someone and you realize how deep you’ve fallen for him/her. It’s euphoric and it lights up your world.

7.     Dragon with Shogun has your beautiful vocals on it and it shot to number 1 on the Beatport trance chart, how did that make you feel?

It was wonderful to see the great response to our song “Dragon.” It’s an amazing moment when you see that other people like the art you are creating and can connect with it.  I want music to be a life-long career and this was definitely a step in that direction.

8.    When writing tracks where do you draw inspiration? And how involved do you like to be in the producing process?

I have to admit that my producer, Ross Lara, is the brains behind the beautiful productions you hear. We take our inspiration from the sounds of nature and from the world around us. We also love to sonically represent space and the stars. That’s why you hear so many ethereal synths and pads. I like to be involved in the overall color of the track, and Ross is able to bring it to life by adding in all of the delicate intricacies.

9.    This is just the beginning of your career. Who would you like to work with in the future?

There are so many artists that I admire.  I think it would be amazing to collaborate with AWOL Nation, Andy Moor, Super8 and Tab, Eminem, Imogen Heap, and Coldplay... just to name a few! :)

10.   Your personal style is very eccentric, funky and cool how did you develop your sense of style? What does your style represent?

I observe the fashion pieces that people are wearing on the street, in movies, magazines, on the runways, and then I take the parts I like and combine them into something unique.  My style represents the mood I’m in that day and the overall emotion I want to convey, whether that be wild and free, or strong.  

11.     A little birdy told us you are big into fashion tell us more…

Fashion is another form of expression where I can share a bit of my vision and my world.  I love how a piece of clothing can embody an idea and an emotion. A strong, angular jacket can make me instantly feel more powerful and confident. Fashion is art and I think the pairing of music with clothing can create a more impactful statement. I want to create clothing that conveys strength, combined with a touch of fantasy, and evokes an emotion in the wearer and viewer.

12.   You are currently working with designers like Project Runway's Mychael Knight, was it hard trying to get your foot into the fashion industry?

It’s definitely difficult to get your foot in the door with the fashion industry.  I met Mychael Knight through a mutual colleague.  It’s been amazing working with him because he was able to translate my emotions and ideas into a physical display. I’ve never been able to find and buy any clothing that looked like what I had imagined in my head, so it was such an amazing experience to finally be able to see that vision realized.

13.   One designer that sums up who Adara is..

Me. I want to create a clothing line like no one has seen before.

14.   If you could be the director of a music video to any song out there including one of your own songs which song would it be and why and how would the music video look?

Oh wow! I have so many ideas about music videos, much too many to write here. In short, I would love to make a music video for my song “Stadium.” I would fill it with beautiful images from stunning landscapes all over the world (definitely something from South Africa). The video would convey that wherever you stand can be your stadium. If everyone is watching, you might as well put on a beautiful show!

15.     Do you have any last messages for your fans and what can we look forward to in the upcoming months?

I want my fans to NEVER stop dreaming. You have the power to make an impact on this world.  Don’t just live a normal life, make it EXTRAORDINARY!

In the upcoming months you can look for more of my collaborations with some of my favorite DJ’s, live shows, more fashion, and some charity efforts.

Check me out and follow me for updates on all of my socials at /adaramusic and #adaramusic.

Thank you Adara for doing this interview with us. If we ever meet up first thing we doing is getting your hairdressers number ;)

I love my hairdresser! Her name is Stephanie with David Alan Salon if you’re ever in Tennessee :)