Jersey girl Evangelia continues to shine providing stellar music to fans nationwide. The singer-songrwiter has had a passion for music for many years, playing local clubs and most recently playing the main stage at the Rockwood Music Hall. The music hall consists of three stages, which she can now she has played all of them.All of her hardwork is continuing to pay off, as she was recently featured in Billboard magazine, premiering her new single "Hello Again" featuring 13 Reasons Why actor and now singer, Christian Navarro. With over 50,000 instagram followers and thousands of views on Youtube, it is only a matter of time for the world to catch up on Evangelia. Stage Left had the grateful opportunity to speak with Evangelia about one of her first concert experiences, music, and her recent headlining performance at the Rockwood Music Hall.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! How’s everything with you?
"I’m well, thank you for having me!! I feel blessed every day to have the opportunity to pursue my dreams!!"
So to officially kick things off, haha what was your first concert/ festival? Who did you see? Who did you go with? How was your overall experience?
One of my first concerts was Ingrid Michaelson, and my best friend surprised me with tickets to her show. She is one of my first main influences. I absolutely loved the show, and imagined myself on stage one day doing the same thing. It’s kind of funny because now years later down the line I’ve met and/or worked with several people who were on stage with her that day. It’s a small world!
Speaking of concerts that leads me into my next question. I saw that you recently performed at the Rockwood Music Hall in New York! What was it like for you? Were you nervous before each performance or after a certain amount, did you get used to it?
"I love playing Rockwood Music Hall! I can now say I’ve performed on all three stages. The latest show was on Stage 2, their biggest stage, which was a milestone for me. I’ve seen so many people I admire perform there over the years and imagined the day I’d get to be on that stage too, and it happened! I get a little bit nervous but nothing crazy. Once I’m up on stage and get going I feel good!"
How do you choose which song to open with? Close with?
"I like to start with a song that gets the audience involved with a call and response right from the start. And I like to end with a song that is high energy and has a more epic ending. The one I typically end with involves several harmonies building up at the end."
Do you have a pre-show ritual or is there something that you need to have/ do before hitting the stage?
"I don’t have a particular ritual. I just show up and do my thing! Perhaps as time goes on I’ll develop some rituals."
So with your music, first off, BIG CONGRATS on your single “Hello Again” featuring 13 Reasons Why Actor Christian Navarro! How did the collab come about?
"Thank you so much! That came about as a result of Christian and I being friends in college. We were catching up on Facetime while he was getting ready to film for Season 2 of 13 Reasons Why. He was explaining the process of studying his character and preparing...and I suggested we write a song together from Tony’s perspective to help him further understand the character. I wanted to the song to be something he could listen to before filming to get into character...I wasn’t expecting for it to become a fully produced song. I thought it would just be a voice memo. But as we wrote the song we felt it was special. So later that day I finished the song with my collaborator Adam Bradford, and then brought it to my producer Jon Buscema to polish it off. We were able to get Christian in the studio as well which was special."
Is there a certain way you go about recording/writing your music? For example, Ariana Grande likes to record her music completely in the dark and Rihanna rented out a house to write and make her last album Anti, do you have a certain way about producing/writing your music.
"It’s different every time! I don’t really have a particular ritual. I write in several different settings...sometimes it starts off with just me and an acoustic guitar and then I bring the idea to a producer I’m working with. Sometimes it starts from scratch with the producer in the studio. Sometimes the producer might already have an instrumental and then we write over it. Sometimes I’ll be on my own producing a demo idea in my room, or on the airplane, or in the coffeeshop...it always varies, wherever inspiration strikes! However, when comes to recording vocals, there is a certain magic to singing in the dark because it just puts you in a certain trans and you’re able to focus. Candles are great too!"
Also, congrats on the Billboard Magazine feature! Out of all of your accomplishments so far, which one almost brought you to tears or the one where you said to yourself “I fuckin made it!?”
"Thank you so much! I was so excited about that! I was especially excited about the video Billboard made about the release because in the same video they talk about Selena Gomez. It was really cool to hear my name being spoken in the same video as a big influential celebrity like Selena. Plus, it’s BILLBOARD! It was very surreal for me."
Who do you draw inspiration from?
"I draw inspiration from several artists and styles. As I said earlier, one of my earliest inspirations was Ingrid Michaelson - I just love the way she sings and writes. I’m a very big Ray Charles fan also, and love all the soul that comes with his music. Norah Jones is another one. Basically anything soulful. Recently I’ve also drawn inspiration from Alina Baraz and Galimatias."
Is there new music in the works?
"Yes! Lots of new music that I can’t wait to share! There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes before releasing a song...and sometimes it takes a year or more since writing it for the time to be right and release. It’s never exactly the same! But it’s all exciting nevertheless. :)"