EvaX- Robot girl singing about human things
Interview conducted on April 28, 2020
by Dan Locke
What did you mean by the statement “Human Suit Operator”?
“Human Suit Operator” came out of a couple factors. First, I didn’t feel like there was a clear label for what I do. I’m not a singer-songwriter in the traditional sense, and at the time, identifying myself as a producer didn’t feel like the right fit. Second, Eva X is very influenced by my interest in robotics, technology, and AI. So, I played with the idea of “who’s driving the android” and ended up with my job title.
I see you went to the University of Calgary. And type of engineer degree where you going for?
I started out with an interest in software engineering. I ended up graduating with a degree in electrical engineering, with a minor in more hardware-focused computer engineering. This is actually where I became interested in how humans relate to technology – Technology and Society was one of my favorite options.
You used to own a music magazine? Overdrive Music Magazine. What happen to it?
I didn’t own it, but for a while I was the review editor for Overdrive. I left my post when I began working in earnest on Eva X. It was a great gig, but I felt strongly it was time for me to focus on my own music. Overdrive has since wound down, but I’m still good friends with the people I worked with there.
What did you do for the International Women Day?
I’d love to have a really good answer here. But truthfully? I don’t actually remember what I did.
What is you’re feeling about the Me 2 Movement?
I think it’s long overdue. As an industry, I think we are finally beginning to have some really important conversations about what sort of environment we want to curate and be part of. It’s not all sunshine and roses, though. I know female artists who have to juggle “do I want to be on a bill with this creep?” Things are getting better, but there’s still pressure to not rock the boat too hard.
Are you still doing Cover Sunday?
Cover Sunday is going to haunt me for a while as a monument to being over-ambitious. I had hoped to make it a biweekly-to-monthly thing, but then I was asked to produce a longer live set for my upcoming shows, and before I knew it two months had gone by. I haven’t even caught a break with the pandemic – my day job is at an essential service, so I’ve been working (from home, thankfully!) through the lockdown. I’ve had to focus on my live sets, my new album and upcoming single “A Softer World”, and not losing my mind in all this!
There are a couple of ideas I had for it that I still plan to release, but it won’t be a regular thing for the foreseeable future. Whoops.
Where did you come up with the name Eva X?
“Eva” is a mashing together of Ada, borrowed from early computer programmer Ada Lovelace, and Eve. The idea I was playing with at the time was sort of a controller, or a mother of machines. “X” just looks cool.
What is the music scene like in Alberta like? The only thing I know is the Calgary Stampede?
There’s definitely a lot more to Alberta than the Stampede. Country is probably the genre most associated with Alberta, and if I’m being honest, probably the genre that gets the most local mainstream support. But beyond that, we have a thriving metal scene with some great bands (Ravenous E.H. and Hyperia are particular favorites of mine). We’ve also got a thriving dark electro and synth scene – iVardensphere and Virtual Terrorist both call Alberta home, and Calgary hosts Terminus Festival every year.
When did you start composing music and what were your biggest influences?
I started writing lyrics about five years ago, when I joined up with a metal project that was looking for a singer and lyricist. We didn’t end up releasing anything, but it kickstarted me into writing and experimenting with different setups and ideas. My influences have been all over the map – Jack White and Nightwish were two of my earliest influences.
What’s a live show with Eva X like? Who are some of the people who have opened for you?
So far, I’ve mostly opened for other people. I had the great pleasure to open for Glass Apple Bonzai’s most recent show in Calgary, where I played with Hello Moth and Die Scum Inc. On the flip side, I got to have JHNN open for my first show. He does really neat future funk, and I’m always floored by how seamlessly he blends synths with funk rhythms and elements.
I might be all things in the studio, but when I take the stage for an Eva X show, I’m all about the singing and the performance. My goal is to balance really strong vocals with a very dynamic stage show with lots of movement and energy. You’ll always see the audience up and dancing at an Eva X show.
Let’s talk about your new single and video for the track “Subsume”? What can you tell me about the track and the video?
Subsume was actually written after a visit to some of my extended family. Over the years I’d been questioned a lot about when I was going to get a boyfriend/husband/children, at a time when I was really advancing in my day job and as an artist, and at the expense of a lot of my family taking any real interest in that. It ended up being a lament of losing one’s own identity as an artist and person in the narrative of being a wife and mother, which is something I really grappled with for a long time.
I ended up making the video with Erik Gustafson. He really understood the song and the emotions behind it, and I think that comes through in the finished product. We shot the video over about two days in November, and I think we really captured the isolated and mournful tones of the song.
Your currently have the Electrowoman EP out? How did you come up with the name and why did it take you 4 years to get the project done?
Mostly, I didn’t really know what I was doing four years ago. I started with the idea for a blues-rock or metal project, and batted around ideas. I began experimenting with synthesizers about two years before Electrowoman came out, and that was when the ideas for what became Eva X finally began to coalesce and the project started picking up momentum. Of course, I then pretty much learned to produce from the ground up. I’m actually pretty pleased it only took four years.
What comes usually first the music or the lyrics?
Both? I usually start from a snippet or a theme, then build the song out, then return and finish the lyrics. The music and lyrics grow from each other.
Anything in closing you like to say?
So, first off, I’d like to mention that I do have a release coming up to sort of make up for my many cancelled dates. It’s called A Softer World and it’ll be out in May, roughly as soon as I have it mixed and mastered. It’s a reflection of my belief that even in the worst times, there’s still a way to be kind to ourselves and each other, and I hope that all of us can do that in the coming weeks and months.
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