Singer, Songwriter, Musician

Follow H'Era https://linktr.ee/inherera

We recently connected with H.Era and have shared our conversation below.

H'Era, appreciate you joining us today. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only have three albums to listen to, which ones would you choose and why?

This is an easy one. I'm bringing my EXO albums with me but asking me to pick just three is a mission impossible. I love all their albums. But if I must, I'd pick Love Me Right, Lotto and their latest one Exist. They're just a vibe. D.O, call me.

If you could time travel to any musical era and attend any one iconic concert in history, which concert would it be, and why?

This isn't exactly a concert but I would have loved to witness Buddy Bolden blasting Funky Butt while he flew over the police station in a hot air balloon. This is just a rumor so I can't say whether it really happened or not but being the father of Jazz in a time when black people were being persecuted left and right for pioneering what they called the ¨devil's¨ music, I think he'd be gutsy enough to pull it off. Besides, Funky Butt was the early 20th century's version of fuck the police and you know, us black people don't take shit lying down so I really want to believe he actually did it. That'd be a gag.

If you could have any superpower for a day, what would it be and how would you use it to enhance your music or performances?

Siren abilities. In Greek mythology Sirens are portrayed as creatures/beings with enchanting voices that lure anyone who heard them into the oceans where they'd drown. Obviously, the drowning part is a bit morbid and horrifying but having a voice that just draws people in would be pretty damn cool.

If your music were a color, what color do you think it would be and why?

I couldn't pick just one so I'll have to say all the autumn shades. You know, the warm browns, dark reds and burnt orange. The intense colors really because I think my songs are intense so it's only fitting.

Besides music, do you have any interests in visual arts, like painting or photography, that you find creatively stimulating?

I wouldn't say I'm good at it but I enjoy painting. It's just something I do for fun and to relax. A glass of wine, some Etta James and a canvas is my me time. When I'm not painting, I'm writing cheesy poetry och novels that'll never see the light of day.

How do you strike a balance between your personal life and your music career to maintain overall well-being? 

Honestly, I don't. It sounds bad but it really isn't because that's how I like it. When the inspiration comes, it comes and there's nothing I can do about it. It does get a bit stressful, of course, but it's the kind of stress I don't mind.

Are there any genres or musical styles you haven't explored yet but would like to experiment with in the future?

I'd have to say Jazz. When I was younger, I avoided Jazz like the plague because I just couldn't understand it but lately, I've been adding some old classics to my playlist and it's got me curious about the music theory behind them. It's very fascinating so it's one genre I'd love to implement in my music.

What impact do you hope your music will have on the industry or the listeners in the long run?

I'm a very guarded person. I don't really know how to express myself with spoken words so music is the way I've learnt to share my pain, sorrow, joy and anger. With that being said, I hope my music will be able to resonate with like-minded individuals who can't put words on the things they feel. I'd love for someone to listen to my music and go 'This. This is how I feel'.

Can you describe the feeling you get when you see your music positively impacting someone's life or emotions?

I can't describe the feeling. For lack of a better term, it's both  amazing and jarring. To think that something that came out of my silly mind can have such an impact on someone else is pretty jarring to be honest. It feels great, don't get me wrong but then it's also like, damn I'm not the only one? And also to see that through my words, someone gets to feel seen and heard, it gives me pride and it's also what pushes me to write sincerely because someone out there might need to be sincerely understood.

Can you share a story about a song that was inspired by a personal experience or a moment in your life?

"Black Opium holds a deeper meaning to me compared to the other songs I've written before it. When I wrote Black Opium, I was going through one of the darkest moment of my life where I'd just sort of given up on life. I didn't have any future prospects, didn't look forward to anything and just floated along wherever life took me without actively living. I was emotionally and physically numb to everything and waking up always came with this paralyzing feeling of dread. Then one morning, while a handiman came over to install a new security door for my apartment, I just felt this rush of emotions. I sat down at my kitchen table and just wrote the song. I didn't overthink it, I just wrote what I felt and that song became Black Opium. 

Looking back now, I think I can say Black Opium was a cry for help. I didn't know it back then but it'd mark the beginning of my unraveling because my metaphorical cup was at the very brink of running over. 

As a line in the rap verse says 'it's Jekyll and Hyde, I like how it sounds but I know that it's killing me'. I was indifferent to everything but I thought it was fine and was almost proud of this indiference but subconsciously, I knew it was eating me up from the inside out. In other words, it was killing me. As the rap progresses, I go on to express how my body, my mind and my soul no longer felt like my own. I was alive and breathing but it was just that. I could've just as well been dead. It was crazy. I felt crazy. 

Black Opium holds a special place in my heart but it also leaves me feeling conflicted. Because it's my debut single but it also reminds me of a very, very dark moment in life and listening to it is like reliving those moments again. So I don't."

Are there any particular places or environments where you find it especially easy to write music?

"Thanks to my OCD, I have a whole ritual when it comes to my songwriting. The entire apartment has to be entirely spotless and tidied or I'll just feel uncomfortable and be unable to focus. I find it particularly easier to write songs on my couch. I don't know why. I hate that fucking couch and it's uncomfortable compared to sitting at my desk or at my precious stage piano but for some reason, it just flows easier when I have both feet propped up underneath my ass while they slowly go numb. It's bizarre but hey, if it works, it works.

Oh and I've got to have my big ass quilt with me too or nothing's getting done.

As for the setting, all the blinds and curtains are drawn because sunlight just irks me and every single screen in the room has to be running with whatever series or youtube video I have on. I don't know, my secret to productivity is by putting myself in the most unproductive situations. I guess I work better when I can't hear myself think."