Another of Brighton’s own, have you checked out the expert songwriting skills of Phildel yet? Ethereal, beautiful, fragile and yet powerful – gorgeously simple and yet complicated.
You may well have heard her music before; after all, her music’s been sought after by such whopping names as Apple, Burberry & LG to soundtrack ads for their products. In fact, she’s had over 300 million streams online – so something’s definitely capturing the attention of music fans!
Her sound may be familiar if you’ve heard her, but it’s unlikely that her unusual story will be – a young girl raised in a home where music was banned, Phildel’s ever-developing interest was limited to stolen moments at the practice room piano, and a single dance CD she kept tucked away in her desk at school. Phildel endured a large part of her childhood under the rule of an abusive, religious and strict stepfather, from whom she only escaped in a separation that would cost her the rest of her family.
One doesn’t emerge unscathed from such an experience, and it was from this that her 2013 album “The Disappearance of the Girl” was forged; intimate and dark, exploring the gothic fantasies that engulfed her during unhappier times. Intense piano and electronica, Phildel’s music quickly captivated the interest of millions, including those responsible for picking out music for ads at giant brands like Apple, Verizon and LG.
Phildel – The Kiss, used by Apple (iPad advert).
In further testament to the recognition of her talents, she’s an artist with various awards under her belt, including first place in The International Songwriting Competition, with song “Moonsea”, a Cannes Lion Trophy for “Beside You” and 95+ million streams alone for track “Qi!” (302 million streams in total, at time of writing).
To add to her accolades, she’s just been featured in “Women Composers Piano Anthology” (Faber Music Publishing) – an honour in certain terms, this landmark collection is hailed as an essential compendium of female composers through the centuries, further cementing her standout status.
As her career developed, most recent album “Into the Woods” unveiled an alluring vision of dream pop, inspired by an affinity with the natural sublime, and again engaging fans, with over three million streams.
It seems she’s kept up the standard too, with this year’s single “Wild As Sin” (have a listen below) – along with the announcment of her headline UK tour, which is coming up next month and will bring with it the chance to see this hot talent live on stage, and in her hometown!
In further good news, there’s yet another single about to drop – “Monument to Life” is slated for release August 29th; a ballad about unrequited love and heartbreak – raw and emotional and yet thanks to her impressive talent for songwriting, refined and understated; offering fans a somewhat transcendental vibe, with delicate vocals and folk-tinged piano.
‘This is about the isolating feeling of loving someone who isn’t capable of loving you back, despite the loyalty and love that you show them”, the artist explains of the track – “…leaving you questioning if you’ve ever known love at all. And then finally pulling yourself away and realising … it’s not unlike the feeling of losing a button down a crack. That relationship held so little love for you, and over time it becomes clearer that the true loss is actually quite small.”
There’s almost a theme of ‘cleansing’ here – both in the music and in the mindset of the artist. A feel of taking stock and moving forward, collecting up the good energy available from even the most challenging of experiences, and growing stronger because of it. Soaring vocals asserting an almost defiant solidity, and pensive melodies reflecting upon lessons learned.
On the composition of the song, she elaborates: “I really enjoyed arranging the rippling strings and composing the piano part for this song – there is something very natural in the way it all came together. Something about the pace of it means that when I sing and play it, I feel such a deep sense of freedom… perhaps that’s the freedom of being liberated from an unbalanced relationship.’
This single marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Phildel ahead of her upcoming run of dates – will you be there to follow along and see what happens? The tour kicks off here in Brighton, Wednesday 3rd at Komedia.
All Tour Dates:
Wednesday 3rd – Komedia Studio, BRIGHTON
Thursday 4th – The Grace, LONDON
Friday 5th – Gulliver’s, MANCHESTER
Saturday 6th – Hyde Park Book Club, LEEDS
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Visit the promoter’s website: here
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