Electronic rock artist CYVELLA, (aka Marlain Angelides)
March 30, 2021
By Dan Locke
Ever the consummate chameleon, Marlain Angelides. has always used her voice as her primary creative transformational instrument, and now, with her pandemic-born project, CYVELLA, she is preparing to release her quirky Alt/Electronic rock video “DIRT,” (out 3/26/21) from her EP RICH, due out 5/28/21. She reveals the EP “is built upon double entendres. It sometimes reflects the complexity of womanhood and what it means to be a woman in the modern age. There are masked secret desires; dominance is juxtaposed with submissiveness; pain and sorrow are married with folly and a hopeful sense of humour.” Hailing from multiple countries, Greek/Brit, Angelides is a graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Music, previous vocalist of a top-charting Greek pop band, Hi-5, West End performer, representative of Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest, and a background vocalist for world-touring acts. She brought her cosmopolitan experience from Greece by way of London to New York, where she has been involved in musicals, Shakespeare, voice overs and is the current front-woman of the all-girls, Jimmy Page- endorsed Led Zeppelin band and her melodic rock project, Ascending Dawn, gaining accolades from notable media outlets, such as Metal Injection, Loudwire, Alt Press, Huffington Post, Pure Grain Audio, and more.
You hail form Greek and the UK. What is your upbringing?
I was born in Athens, then moved to Venezuela, Belgium, Cyprus, UK and now USA. I went to international schools, and studied in the UK.
How did you discover music?
I was actually quite sheltered from music growing up. To listen to anything, it was a ‘special’ treat in the house. Those ‘special treats’ included Bee Gees, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick. Growing up in so many countries, what was available to me kept changing. I finally started listening to UK Top 20 on the radio and discovered pop music. But then while I was studying in the UK, I discovered the classics in Ella Fitzgerald and Sinatra, then Aretha and then Led Zeppelin and Queen. It is crazy how all older music, in multiple genres, was so foreign and fascinating to me. From there everything went nuts: I listened to so many different things, also enjoying progressive rock and metal.
How did you start to write music?
I started writing words actually. As a way to get through anger and fear, frustration and depression. It never occurred to me that they could be songs. They would come out as poems. When I looked a bit more closely, I thought why not try singing these words…
How are you a chameleon with your voice?
Well, it must come from training in Musical Theatre and refusing to be tied to one genre. So, my career has led me through multiple genres with very distinct ways of singing, from light classical to rock metal, to jazz, to pop. I also use my voice for my other profession of being a voice actor and have to change it in many ways! I also dubbed in Greek for Disney and DreamWorks animations so my voice had to change a lot for that as well.
How did you get into your first band Hi-5?
AH! Through a TV Show called POPSTARS (which was international) in Greece. It was a sort of ‘documentary’ into the formation of a pop band. We auditioned in front of a panel, we then all lived in the same house, we were hidden from the world to train, and we were being filmed constantly for the show. It was crazy! We then catapulted to being No.1 in Greece as soon as the music came out. It was a fascinating learning experience which showed me how much ‘substance’ actually meant to me. I really was not cut out to be a ‘celebrity’ in that way.
After that you were in another project Lez Zeppelin. Which is a Led Zeppelin all female cover band. Which Jimmy Page endorsed. What year did you join the band?
I absolutely adore being in Lez Zeppelin!! It is so much fun playing ‘Robert Plant’. I joined in Sept 2016. It is an incredible band to be involved in. All the girls are so talented and the audiences respond so excitedly to our performances. It is also an honour to fully embody this music and feel it so intensely.
Describe your music.
Cyvella is definitely an extension of me. Not my whole self. It is quirky, in-your-face, raw, almost exclusively in the electronic realm with elements of rock, old school music hall, punk, darkwave, and sometimes, odd time signatures. It is produced by David Lawrie. It has a lot of double entendres, mild social commentary, some deep inner thoughts, basically a mish-mash of my past experiences with what I do.
What was your first performance at like?
I believe it was when I was 5 years old, at a Club Med in Aruba lol! The singer made me sing on stage copying her! I remember it being so much fun and all the audience clapping… It then progressed subliminally. It never occurred to me that I would ever be a performer for a living. I had been performing at school for years in musicals and plays before I took to the ‘larger’ more professional stages. My first big professional performance was representing Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest, a very overwhelming and grand experience.
Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP?
Yes, I am with BMI
What makes a good songwriter?
To me I believe that is personal truth. In whatever form that takes. I have been performing other people’s songs a lot more than writing my own over the years, so I have enjoyed many hours of great writing. There is no singular formula. There a multiple element that go into it. It is the great unknown!
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
It was called The Name. And no, I did not record it. I was always scared to showcase my own songs. It took years before I got the courage 😉
What is the process of writing your music?
It is usually a concept, an idea, and a lyric. The words form first, then the music comes from the rhythm of the words. Saying that of course, I have also written melodies on top of someone else’s creation and then formed the lyrics (as with Ascending Dawn my past prog metal project). Sometimes it can also be collaborative, where I have a verse and a musician will play a chorus riff, and I improvise on top of that.
Tell me about your release “DIRT”, which comes out on 03/26/21 on your EP Rich.
“DIRT” is by far the ‘quirkiest’ song on the EP. It was formulated during the pandemic on a plane and came to full fruition together with David Lawrie, who co-wrote on this track. It was the last song to join the EP, as it actually removed a different song from the line-up of ideas for the EP. I allowed my British accent to play a role in it and wanted to play around with the different areas of my voice moving from high to low. I guess my ‘theatrical’ background came out to play in this song, as it has a more ‘spoken vibe’ in the verse. I also never like things to be a singular idea, so the song has multiple components.
What is your favorite track on your album?
That is like asking which of your children do you prefer? 😉 They are all so different and represent so many varied points of view I cannot choose.
How do you stay healthy while performing?
Ha! That is a very important question because touring has made up a huge part of my life. For me as a singer, it is SLEEP!!! Which ironically, I find very hard to do on tour. I also don’t drink or smoke, and try to eat as healthy as possible on the road. If I can find a gym, I try and add workouts into my routines. All my band members at various stages of my life have made fun of me as I can be very boring on tour 😉
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
I cannot say I do not use it; I do. It is my main source of listening to music, especially as a frequent traveler (under normal circumstances of course) But I WISH that streaming companies gave more revenue to their artists. I happily pay for streaming services, and wish that my money went to the artists themselves instead of a corporate machine. But hey, this is the world we live in. And music has always been a ‘business, so it is not that different from before.
The symbol # is known as the number sign, hash, pound sign and a sharp sign in music. The symbol has historically been used for a wide range of purposes Since 2007, widespread usage of the symbol to introduce metadata tags on social media platforms has led to such tags being known as “hashtags”, and from that, the symbol itself is sometimes called a hashtag. Are people forgetting that the # is a part of music?
I think, much like words have double meanings, symbols do too! I guess because I have had to use sheet music for Musical Theater, I cannot forget its musical meaning. But who knows where # may take us next?
Digital vs. vinyl?
Honestly, I am a digital gal. Especially given the genre CYVELLA is in now. But for more classic genres, there is something to be said for vinyl. I totally understand those who collect it.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
The Power Of Love by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Weird, I know. It has such a beautiful message and melody. It popped into my head at the beginning of the pandemic along with Annie Lennox’s ‘Little Bird’, as songs that made me feel better during that ‘unknown’ period of craziness and fear.
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
Goodness no! Nothing can kill live music. It is a necessary part of human existence. Experiencing music with the artist in the room, and feeling their energy cannot be replaced by a camera. At least not for me 😉 I am aware how live venues have been suffering over the years as things have been shifting, but I guess I am ‘old school’ and refuse to believe anything can kill live music.
During the lockdown you had a little project called Ascending Dawn. What was that about?
Actually, Ascending Dawn existed way before the pandemic, from 2017-2019. Right now, it is on hiatus. CYVELLA, my new project was created during lockdown 😉 Ascending Dawn is a prog style metal project, a very specific, relatively heavy, niche style which lives in a genre of bands that I listen to regularly!
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
Actually, I discovered I love to edit videos! I mean, it is hard and I am learning, but during the lockdown, I found that I have a knack for it. I edited all the Lez Zeppelin lockdown videos and the CYVELLA Dirt video.
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on livestreamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses.
The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will includes [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?
I think it means people will be limited with what they can do online on FB to showcase their abilities. As a LIVE person myself I am not into watching performances online and as a result I limit my own performances online, but I am sure people and the system will find its balance again. People have already moved to other platforms for live shows so who knows?
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merchandise to them at the show?
Ah, my worst nightmare! Things will come back! I need to stay positive 😉
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means thinks like playlist on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.
Yes, there are always people taking advantage, in both those ways, getting on a playlist or getting an opening band slot. But it is not just in music, it is in the acting industry as well as probably other industries that are over-saturated. People need art, and artists want to be successful, and the middle man loves to take advantage.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
Can the artist feel the audience? If so, then YES!!! That would be an amazing technology to develop. But to reproduce the live feeling, the artist must get a sense of what is happening so that he/she can respond and get involved. That is part of the reason why I find it so hard to perform online, there is no response from the audience in person, other than comments on a screen.
Governments around the world are hearing the call of thousands of music creators and included protections for the music community in the omnibus bill. In addition to extended and improved unemployment benefits and small business loans for freelance creators, the package includes several bills which the Recording Academy, its members, and the larger music community advocated for. From the Save Our Stages Act, provided a lifeline to performance venues and promoters, to the CASE Act, which creates an avenue for smaller creators to defend their copyrighted works, Congress has ensured that both music creators and those who act behind the scenes to bring music to life are given the support they need during this difficult time.” Do you think this will save music venues?
I hope so. So many have closed.
Did you know that the Grammys MusicCares can help artist? The MusiCares COVID-19 Relief has helped thousands of music industry artists and professionals during these difficult days. This is the most recipients helped, for any single event, in MusiCares’ history. The need remains great, and these unique times remain critical for music people. It has taken a community uplifting one another to get through this pandemic, and MusiCares has pulled together a list of additional organizations and resources to further support you. https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help/relief-resources. Have you applied for it yet?
Yes! And they were very generous. I received a small grant from them due to lost gigs in 2020. I had applied a short while after it came out. It is amazing that they helped so many artists. Thank you so much MusicCares.
In the past if a musician stop doing music, they find a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?
Well, I already do voiceover acting as part of my living, which I absolutely love. And on the odd occasion I will do a play, or short film, as an actor. But as far as a completely new career, I would probably go into psychotherapy or counseling. I have always been attracted to how the mind works and how relationships develop. The human brain is fascinating. Also, my own personal struggle with depression gives me insight as to how people suffer with this affliction and I would love to be able to help. I believe people can do music and other things at the same time. Or they can choose to focus on one thing and take a break. That is the beauty of being an artist. It is all up to you.
What is your happy place?
The beach, the Mediterranean, Hawaii, the mountains, the green, fresh air, nature in all its glory. And if I have no access, then I like to lift weights lol.
A lot of musicians such as Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, Journey, Def Leppard, and Shakira have sold their catalog rights within the last year. Bob Dylan sold his entire catalog for a reported $300 million. Once you get to the age of about 70. Publishing is far more lucrative than the mechanical royalties paid to artists based on sales, airplay, and streams. A good example of this is Michael Jackson brought the rights to the Beatles catalog in 1985. And in the late ’80s the Beatles Revolution appeared in a Nike commercial.
The lump sums being offered by publishing firms are more tax-friendly concerning estate planning.
Do you think you would be willing to sell your back catalog if someone like Universal is will to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs? Another factor is mortality
If I had the degree of success where my catalog was worth it, then yes. Mortality is a huge factor. Why not cash out and enjoy what remaining life you have? I totally understand why people have done that. If you have a family you want to look after, then you would have to weigh out the benefits of a relatively ‘steady’ income or a lump sum put away in investment. I think it would be up to your age, health, the current financial climate and your family status.
Spotify’s ‘Stream On’ event on Monday (February 22), the company confirmed that more than 60,000 new tracks are now being ingested by its platform every single day. This means people are added new tracks uploaded to its platform every 1.4 seconds.
The figure, announced by Spotify’s co-Head of Music, Jeremy Erlich, means that across the course of this year, approximately 22 million tracks will be added to Spotify’s catalog. Spotify confirmed in November last year that its platform now played host to around 70 million tracks.
Therefore it’s reasonable to assume that, by the end of 2021, SPOT will be home to over 90 million tracks. And that in the early part of next year, it will surpass a catalog of 100 million for the first time.
But still back at the beginning of the year Spotify deleted 750,00 songs, mostly from independent artists. What do you think what that could mean to independent artist?
It is amazing that an artist can release their own music and find it online in an instant. At the same time the market is saturated and many artists give up on their projects.
Sony Music in November and Warner Music Group in December, The ByteDance-owned video app revealed on (February 8) that it has struck an “expanded” global licensing agreement with Universal Music Group. Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will you start using TikTok more?
Probably not. I find it difficult to move into that platform. But I may in the future. IG now has Reels which at least allows me to use a similar platform there. If I was with a label then maybe things would be different.
Danny Wimmer Presents just announced their 2021 Festival Calendar: Which includes the following live shows:
DWP Partners With Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival For July 23-25 Event In Mansfield, OH
Louder Than Life Set For September 23-26 With Newly Added Thursday Night Celebration In Louisville, KY
Welcome To Rockville Expands To 4 Days And Shifts From Spring To November 11-14 In Daytona Beach, FL
Aftershock Set For October 7-10 In Sacramento, CA, Almost Sold Out
Would you be willing to play these shows and what precautions would you like to have in place?
I am itching to get out and play live. I believe in vaccination, and I believe we can all be smart with our own health so as to protect others. As an artist, I can take my own precautions, but if I am vaccinated it will be so much easier. I am aware that vaccination may actually become a prerequisite for entering large venues, which I completely understand as they do not want the liability.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Thank you so much for the great interview, and in-depth questions. Please feel free to reach out to me through my website https://Cyvella.com or IG https:/instagram.com/cyvellamusic or FB https;//facebook.com/cyvellamusic. I have more releases happening over the next few months! And possibly a live stream as well 😉
