We had the good fortune of connecting with Delhia de France and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Delhia, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
That’s always a balancing act I guess but I believe if I genuinely, deeply listen to myself, strip away the ego, and be completely honest – I’ll know. Don’t listen to your mind or inner critic. The critic will only give you bad advice. I´d say it’s some kind of calling. And that can shift, of course, it’s fluid. But if it’s exciting – apart from challenges that will most likely be arising – I keep going. It’s mostly fear of rejection that holds us back, I don’t exclude myself from that. I´m actually fighting with it A LOT. And yes sometimes you can be so stubborn that you really can’t give up – again a good idea to check in with the ego. I think things that feel draining and don’t have positive energy at all would be better to let go of. A common thing to do is to keep doing things because you feel obligated to finish them mostly because you feel you have invested so much already. It’s called sunk cost fallacy, and it’s a trap I’ve fallen into so many times. But why waste even more precious resources (time, energy, money, etc.) when it’s not what I want or need anymore. Also, I think the fear of failure is deeply ingrained in our culture when instead failure is the best teacher.   

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I´m a singer, writer, producer, and visual artist from Germany, I live and work between LA and Berlin (being in Berlin for now until the situation allows for travel again of course). I make electronic / alt-pop music – moody, melancholic songs with dark sounds and organic textures. You might have heard some of my songs in TV Shows like You, Lucifer, How To Get Away With Murder, and some Marvel Shows.

I think there is a lot of beauty and vulnerability in darkness and it’s good to stir it up so we can look at it and heal. I think that’s what people like about my music, at least that’s what I get reflected. A lot of it is quite unconscious, but the healer has to heal thyself, so that’s my journey. It took me a while to understand the power of the unconscious. Sometimes I go back and re-read lyrics and be like “damn, I already knew this at the time but I didn’t realize”

I was able to collaborate with some amazing artists along the way mainly in dance music (techno/house) and Electronica like Adriatique, Robot Koch, Janus Rasmussen from Kiasmos and so many others that have shaped me and that have opened other doors. I’m working very closely with Robot Koch; the latest project was the soundtrack for the new Amazon Show Zoo-Us Children from Bahnhof Zoo, an adaption of a book about drug-abusing kids in the early 80s Berlin, that is out now. Currently, we are working on new songs for my upcoming releases. For me endurance has been the most important part of my career I would say. It’s a constant ebb and flow and existential fear is always there, so I made friends with it. I trust that it will be provided for me, be it creatively or financially and that has always been a great comfort. The thin line between trust and fear is actually quite an exciting place to operate from. Also, the idea that whatever I do, music I release, songs I (co-)write, events I play or go to, people I meet – even if it doesn’t feel important or huge at the moment, it might open another door that I couldn’t have yet anticipated.

The visual part is equally important for me – I want the music to translate my music into visuals and artwork – like a Gesamtkunstwerk. So with every release I’m trying to build a world that comes from the sound and the stories. I´m dreaming up a new chapter of releases that merge a sci-fi visual with music and film.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love my neighborhood Echo Park. It’s a vibe and its own little village, honestly just to be there is like a vacation. The place I’m renting is a little piece of heaven so there would definitely be intensive garden hangs and possibly studio sessions in the “treehouse”. In the morning we would go to Yogala for a nice stretch (no excuse if they don’t do yoga, childs pose is always there for you..) get coffee and breakfast (Shiitake scramble) at my fave place, Valerie, on Echo Park Ave. In the evening have a little hike at Elysian Park and watch the sunset over DTLA. Honestly, my main interests are in vibe, food, and nature so that’s what we´d be doing:). There are so many amazing food places in the area like Ostrich (Chickpea bow and brioche), Counterpart (Breakfast Burrito), Honey Hi, Coffee at Woodcat, or we might get a bubble tea from across the street at Hey Hey. Dinner: Mixto, Tacos from a Taco truck, vegan goodness from Sage, vegan chicken wings and noodles from Bulan Thai or Burger from Home, and my absolute fave place, Elf, a small gem serving Mediterranean dishes that never disappoint. Oh yeah, Korean Spa on Monday or Tuesday. For the nature part, I would take them to my fave beaches in Point Dume or hiking in the Malibu Canyons, with the constant noise of the ocean and the surprising beauty of seeing whales or dolphins. Of course, Griffith is kind of mandatory and a hike in Laurel Canyon has its own beautiful trails to wander a while. However – this would have been the list before the world stood still. I´m deeply saddened that the situation forced so many amazing places that have served the community for so long to close down: Elf, Counterpart, Yogala – the latter two planning to reopen at another location in (hopefully) Echo Park.    Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Everyone I have worked with so far deserves a shoutout as I have learned from all of them and the experiences. The person I have learned and still learn so much from would be Robot Koch – he´s an incredible producer/composer and inspiring persona, who I´ve been working with for over 7 years now. Robot has been an incredible mentor and has opened many doors for me that I would have never been able to open let alone see by myself, not only professionally but also personally. Especially his ability to see the whole picture, zoom out and see everything from above in its entirety and his sense for beauty and composition of sounds has taught me a lot.

Website: www.delhiadefrance.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/delhia_de_france

Facebook: http://facebook.com/delhiadefrance

Youtube: http://youtube.com/delhiadefrance

Image Credits
Jan Reiser Jan Reiser Louis Vignat/post by DdF Alix Spence Alix Spence Louis Vignat/post by DdF Louis Vignat/post by DdF

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