EVANGELÍA talks with Popdust about her latest single, Fotiá

We are live for Popdust presents today with Evangelia. How are you? I’m well, how are you doing today? Thank you for riding. Absolutely. We are doing good. How was your holiday? My holiday was lovely. We spent it it was it was a friendsgiving. I couldn’t go home to the east coast to be with my family. But we have a couple close friends we actually write music with that have become our family and our little pod.

So we did Thanksgiving like the 00:35 - turkey and all the fixins and we even actually got to Thanksgiving pinata, thanksgiving pinata a new tradition that we just started this year. I think that’s a great tradition. You have to say what you’re grateful for before you ask it. Yeah, that’s a good way to get people to say it. Right? Is it like a birthday wish were like if you say it, it won’t come true. I think it actually works the opposite. The more you say what you’re grateful for and put out in the universe, the more things to be grateful for you get, what are some of the things that you are grateful for? This year, we know you have some new music out recently, I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to release music this year. It’s been the weirdest year ever.

And to be a new artist on this landscape has definitely been 01:21 - tricky and interesting. My music is out there and it’s reaching people and I get to speak with people like you. So I’m really really grateful. So the latest single was Fotiá. Am I pronouncing right? What? Yeah. And what does that so that it’s that’s Greek? Correct. So Fotiá, yeah. Means fire in Greek. That’d be his Fotiá. Yeah, he’s fine. Let’s go look. Yeah. The last thing will be for this was a poem a poem a yes. And what does that translate to? That means? Let’s go. Let’s go. I love that. I love the production on that one.

Do you say you actually work with your boy, friend 01:58 - on the music? Yeah, my boyfriend Stoler. He’s an incredible songwriter, and producer. And we fell in love before we started making music together. In the beginning, we were like, We shouldn’t do this. But we just couldn’t help but be creative and create. And then we’ve kind of both came together with this crazy idea to blend my Greek roots with, like the pop music that I love, and make something that’s really true to me and authentic.

And so 02:26 - we got a visual cue, which is a traditional Greek instrument. And Jay learned how to play it. And we, J. J. Stoler. He goes by Stoler, I call him Jay. So sometimes it gets confusing. That’s a that’s beautiful and and Stoller How did he learn to play this traditional Greek instrument. He is an amazing guitar player and piano player and is avid with all sorts of instruments. So the bouzouki is actually pretty close to a guitar. So he was able to figure it out. And then also, he’s Jewish. And so a lot of actually the Jewish melodies and traditional old Orthodox Jewish melodies are very similar and rooted in the Mediterranean, and two similar melodies that are in Greek music and traditional Greek music.

So we always joke around that he’s always been preparing 03:19 - for this. His whole life, so actually came to him pretty naturally. That’s awesome. And, and I read on the internet, so you know that it’s true, that you were actually born and raised in Greece. I was not born in Greece. I was born in New Jersey, but I went to Greece A month later. And I met my whole dad’s side of the family. My dad’s straight off the boat. Born on an island in Greece came to America. My mom was born in the US, Jersey, Italian girl. Yeah, the Greek culture is very, very strong in my life, and my whole dad’s side of the family was there. So then basically, after going there after being a month old, and meeting everybody, every single year of my life after that, except for this one, because of the pandemic, I’ve gone and spent, like two to three months in Greece during the summers and I would live on a farm with my grandmother. It was often just us. That sounds incredible. Where Where were you born in Jersey? I was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, okay. I’m actually from Jersey in my hometown. There is the Greek festival every year. And it was like, it was like the thing. I mean, how could it not be the Greek festival? Ours was in Piscataway, New Jersey, I went to St.

George, and I was Did you ever have the local mother’s 04:36 - Do you remember like the honey doughnuts? Oh, absolutely. So much fun. So you wouldn’t been exposed? They probably had some Greek musics and Greek dancing. So do you think it’ll be a tradition for you to always use Greek song titles, so not necessarily always Greek song titles, it just kind of worked out for these two songs, but definitely going to continue the exploration and incorporation of traditional Greek elements, whatever they may be, so it might not always have a Greek word might not always have a Greek phrase, but they’ll be an instrument or vice versa. I like really love playing with combining my cultures, I love that I taking stuff from you know, where you grew up, and able to combine it with pop music kind of giving it like a really a very interesting and like, a unique flavor to it that’s authentic to you. So that’s pretty dope. Thanks, you just like automatically therefore get a good amount of love from from fans in Greece.

05:40 - So I definitely got a lot, a lot of love from fans in Greece, and my family’s definitely really proud, excited. And I think, you know, what, I’m, what I’m doing hasn’t really been done before, in this way. And in this scale. So in also in general, I think Greek people, like when a Greek person meets another Greek person, we’re just like, Oh, my God, hello, cousin, family member, like you are immediately just proud to know the person. And so I think a lot of people in whether they live in Greece are are Greek and live all around the world are really excited to see somebody kind of going in the mainstream pop world, like Audi incorporating traditional Greek music and language because you don’t really hear that, ever. So I’ve been really, really excited and honestly, like, really proud to do it.

And how is the the Greek community here 06:41 - in LA? Or are you not sure, because we both ended up here during a quarantine times? Yeah, I it’s such a bummer that there’s a pandemic and I can’t fully, you know, really get to know the Greek community, at least in person. But I have connected with some people online. And before the whole world shut down. I did actually attend the the Greek festival at I think it’s a yes of fear, like St. Sophia Cathedral. It’s like a big Greek Orthodox Church, it was so much fun. And honestly, the priest there was so fun, he was like getting up and singing with the band. And I got to Greek dance, and I got to eat all my favorite food.

07:24 - So I was so happy that Greek Orthodox community and just Greek community exists here. So I look forward to connecting with them when we can, who are some of your like top musical influences, just pop music. In general, I listened to so much and I don’t discriminate, I really listened to like, everything that’s going on, like new music Friday, I’ll listen to every single thing. My early influences that really inspired me to want to make music even before I had this, you know, crazy idea for the music that I make today, was listening to people like Ray Charles, and anybody that had soul and would sing and like you could feel that they really mean mean what they’re saying. And then I remember in high school, I actually was obsessed with Ingrid Michaelson.

And that 08:21 - first album that she had, where it was, like super simple, and it was just her singing and a ukulele. I think it was a song You and I, and I was like, wait, it’s just her in the ukulele. Like, I can write songs too. And that’s kind of what started it all for me. So I really came from a, like Acoustic Singer, songwriter, background and you know, playing guitar in my dorm room, doing open mic nights and everything. But you know, growing up on the East Coast, and I went to Rutgers, going into New York City being exposed to so many different cultures and listening to all types of music and in the pop world. And then, of course, you know, growing up listening to really traditional Greek music that is just as familiar to me as everything on new music Friday.

So now what you have is me taking both of those and like blending them together to create 09:15 - one, what is the what is the best traditional Greek bop, though as Alma, which means the statue, and it’s a Zebedee song, which is kind of like have you heard of the drunken sailor dance by any chance in regards to like rich people, and they just like, put their hands up and people are clapping around in the circle, and there’s one person in the middle just like dancing, and they’re usually drunk. I don’t know that. I’ve heard about that specifically, but it sounds like a dope time. It’s a great time and people are just clapping and cheering you on and you’re just like in your zone and in your moment, feeling the song. When this song comes on, it just makes me want to get up and dance and it’s basically it translates to This person got broken up with and the only person who will listen is the statue in the plaza. And so he tells all his problems to this statue. And I said, It is really sad. It’s very passionate. That’s very passionate. You think Jay can can sample that? Is it public domain at this point? Can you do it royalty free? I definitely thought about it. And EBD we will check in.

10:25 - That would be a popped us exclusive people. You heard it here first. Yes, exactly. The latest singles Fotiá And PÁME PÁME, I can’t even look directly at you in the camera while they say that stuff. Are they going to be part of like a larger upcoming project where you kind of putting singles out there feeling it out? What are the 2021 plans if you have any, I don’t even know what I’m doing tomorrow. We have plans for some really awesome singles that I’ve been sitting on for a while and I’m so excited to release. Some of them I have a feature. And I can’t see it. And there’s there’s a lot to look forward to.

But you can definitely look forward to some collaborations, 11:11 - features and songs that I’m really really proud of. And so excited to get out there. And you can’t tell me who the features. No. Is it me? Is this like a huge surprise for me? Are you so excited? I can’t believe it. Or you could say Fotiá, and PÁME PÁME. And now that you can I bestow upon you. You are. You’re the feature. This is the proudest moment of my life. I haven’t prepared anything. I haven’t written any lyrics here in West Hollywood. right we’ll meet at a distance we’ll practice outdoors. Yeah. Premiere on Popdust just across the street from each other to Yellin song ideas is that’s what people want. That’s what our community needs. Yes. Okay.

Do we get any hints about the about the next single to 12:03 - drop? Do you know approximately when by end of January? January 30? Is my birthday? So Oh, my is this like a surprise birthday party? There is a feature on this song is are you going is Jay gonna sample this interview? Because I got bars, maybe? Alright, I’m ready. Exactly. I know it’s difficult to record like music videos and stuff right now. But are there any visuals people should expect? We have not shot them yet. But the plan is to have visuals for every song. So there are definitely visuals for people to expect. And what I would say is in the meantime, watch the visuals for the last two songs. The first song I actually shot completely in Greece and it was summer 2019. Little did I know that that would be like the last time before the end of the world that I would be able to go there. And I actually shot it in my grandmother’s farmhouse where I grew up. And I threw a party in the village where I grew up in it. So it’s all like real people and a real party.

So if you feel like you need 13:12 - to escape and go to Greece for like two and a half minutes, watch the PÁME PÁME music video, and you’ll escape for a little bit. And then the foot cat video I’m so proud of it was my first time doing choreography for real and we shot it in a studio here in LA and it was all under safe COVID protocols. Everybody was wearing a mask except for you know, me performing. And I’m just really proud of what we made. And I’m so excited to make more. That’s awesome. And I definitely want to go to Greece. It looks amazing on Instagram. It is I mean, it’s such a beautiful place. Like it’s just amazing. And I really miss it.

Well, hopefully you’ll get to go back there 13:55 - soon. And maybe next year, you’ll be smashing apart a Thanksgiving pinata. In Greece. Who knows? Do they do Thanksgiving there? I mean, it is technically an American holiday. Maybe Maybe I can start it. I say yeah, bring the pinata. Like what’s up, it’s nice. And it always feels good to talk about what you’re grateful for. It shouldn’t be just a Thanksgiving thing. It should be an everyday thing. Need a weekly pinata. Weekly pinata. Oh my god. This is a new thing. Hashtag weekly pinata. Sound off in the comments below. what your thankful for.

14:35 - Thank you so much for spending time with us today. Everybody should check out the latest single Fotiá I’m hoping I’m doing it right. It’s really fun. I love the music. It sounds really great. So congrats to all that. And when when you release your next single on my birthday January 30. Yeah, that I’m featuring in. Yeah, I guess we have to do another session. So yeah. plan something around then. Awesome. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. Thank you .