Already championed by the likes of Earmilk with hundreds of thousands of streams to her name, and as an artist who wants every song people hear from her “to provoke a physical reaction in their body”, Greya is a powerhouse of a talent that more music fans around the world are finding a genuine connection to and with. PopWrapped caught up with her to discover the inspiration behind her latest single “All Hell Breaks Loose” and its video, the one venue she really wants to play when live shows get to resume and how she’s been coping and keeping creative during the Corona Virus crisis.

Who exactly is Greya in say, three words?

I feel like I’m still constantly figuring that out. Maybe brave, creative and capable.

You were born deaf – to what extent might you say that impacted your love of music and determination to one day make and share it yourself? Whose music and careers do you most look up to and are inspired by? In what ways do those influences feed into your own music, and which songs are you loving at the moment? 

I have to say I’d never thought much about being born deaf impacting me musically until people in the industry started asking about it. I it’s probably shaped what I listen for in music the most. It’s just made me really intentional with what I want to elicit from listeners. I’m really inspired by Labrinth. His music is so cinematic and emotional, which are things I gravitate towards. I’ve always looked up to Sia, Amy Winehouse, The Weeknd and so many others. I’ve been listening to Ashnikko a lot recently, specifically her new single “Daisy.” It puts me in a good mood and I think everyone needs music like that right now.

During your career you’ve so far collaborated with Sacha Skarbek and Flo Reuter among others. Given the impressive roster of talent they’ve worked with; Adele and Sigrid to name just two, how does it feel to know your name is next to theirs in their list of works/credits, and what have they brought to your musical/song-writing journey?

It blows my mind constantly. I feel so lucky I got to even meet them let alone collaborate with them. It’s affected my confidence the most I think. It’s a constant battle to feel worthy in this industry, and really to just keep your hopes up. Writing with them was really validating for me as a writer. 

What is it about your new track “All Hell Breaks Loose” that made you feel it was the right choice as a single? Is there a particular story behind the song or message you want people to take from it when they hear it? 

“All Hell Breaks Loose” wasn’t written about anything specific at the time. It was just a vibe that we ran with in the moment, but what I like most about that is I find myself applying it to so many things in my life. Whether it be personal relationships, or what’s happening in the world right now in general, I feel like the sentiment is always relevant and evolving. I ended up choosing it really because the world was actually falling apart at the time – it still is. It just felt like the most genuine release at the time.

How is this song different – or perhaps similar – to your debut single “He” and is such a difference/similarity deliberate?

I think production wise they’re similar in the sense that they’re both really extreme. Regardless of subject matter I always aim for the track to be as impactful as possible because I think it compliments the lyrics, so both have that same intense feeling. Other than that, I think they’re pretty different, but I never write a song with the influence of older ones in mind. They could all sound like different genres for all care.

How did you come to collaborate with photographer and visual artist Malike Sidibe on the video? 

We met on my first photoshoot. I was really nervous but the second we clicked that all really just melted away. Once I got more familiar with his work, I realized it would be stupid not to see if he was up for directing the video. How often do you get someone your own age, someone you consider a friend, and someone crazy talented all in one to experience something like a video shoot for the first time with you? 

How would you describe your lyrical evolution from the days of your early demos to the music you make and release now? In what sense and what ways would you say you’ve truly grown as an artist? 

Everything I wrote was really specific when I first started out. I wasn’t good at getting outside of my own reality and it always got really wordy and over explained halfway through the song. I think I’m getting a lot more comfortable with a different kind of story telling now, one that comes from feeling less so than over explaining. Im just learning to trust myself more, and to not let all the little things derail my confidence. It’s a constant challenge but I’m getting better at it.

You’ve earned yourself several hundred thousand streams on various platforms, so with that in mind, how do you feel about social media both personally and professionally? Do you believe the likes of Facebook and Twitter are necessities for bands and artists to achieve success in today’s technology-obsessed society, and do you think there are any downsides to having such reliance on such tech? 

I truly hate social media both personally and professionally, but I’ve come to realize there’s just no way around it. I’ve been in meetings where I was told no executives would even listen to my music if I had less than a certain amount of Instagram followers. It’s become a necessity in entertainment. I think there are just as many, if not more downsides to everyone’s reliance on social media than there are upsides. 

Having been championed by the likes of Earmilk and The Girls At The Rock Show, what’s the nicest or best thing you’ve seen or heard written/said about you and your music? 

The nicest thing I’ve read is that they think my sound is original. I can’t describe how good that felt to read. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder to make sure I’m not subconsciously getting over influenced by something I’ve heard. I always check back on my songs to listen for something too familiar or overdone and there’s always that question “have they heard this?” buzzing around in my head. The best thing I’ve read is really just the comments from people who have been listening. To hear the songs make them feel good or feel anything is the best thing ever.

You’ve played some pretty big events and stages throughout your career, particularly since 2018 – including SXSW and the Cannes Film Festival, but of all the events and shows you’ve played, do you have any particular favourites and if so, what is it that makes those shows so special to you?

SXSW was my favorite of the two. It was a big step for me and it was the first time I’d ever gotten on stage without completely panicking on the inside. 

Which one venue in the world -when it’s safe to do so – do you most want to play and why? 

I grew up going to the Wells Fargo Center in Philly. It will always be my biggest pipe dream to sing there myself. 

How has the Corona Virus impacted you personally and professionally? How have you been keeping creative and busy and what’s the one thing you most look forward to doing once the world returns to some semblance of normality, whenever that might be? 

Personally, it’s been a challenge as it has been for everyone. It’s really just a struggle to feel awake most days. Like what the actual fuck is going on. The only thing keeping me close to sane right now is work I get to do, even though it’s really limited right now. I mostly look forward to going dancing somewhere with my friends. I want to go to a concert with people everywhere and just release all this pent up everything for a couple hours. I don’t think anything would feel better than that.

Finally then, with live shows and much of normal life still on hold, what do the remaining few months of this year have in store for you? What goals do you want to have achieved by the time the clock chimes over into January 1st 2021? Have you started planning for next year yet and if so, can you tease anything as to what fans might expect to see and hear from you?

The next few months I’ll just be continuing to release music, pushing out as much content as I can and preparing for Covid to finally end. I hope by January 1st, 2021 I have a song with over a million streams, and a community of people who are connecting with the vibe I’m trying to put out there. 

Check out the video for “All Hell Breaks Loose” below and for more information on Greya, visit her website, give her page a like on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.