T.H.E Interview – Rhia Bahree

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rhia bahree interview

As one of the most coveted solo Artists’, Rhia Bahree has played in thousands of shows and festivals, and throughout her 19 years in the industry, she has experienced great success in doing so.

During a show at the Sydney Opera House, so many people came to watch her set that her show had to be stopped early, as the event had exceeded capacity; and at Australia’s St Kilda Festival, Rhia found herself playing to almost half a million people.

As a vocalist, she has consistently been put in the league of Chaka Khan, Michael Jackson, and Patti LaBelle, by the exact members of the industry who have worked with these Icons; and her songwriting has already been compared to the likes of Sia (Sia wrote: “Titanium,” on her single with David Guetta, Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts,” and so on). Rhia also has a background in Audio Engineering and Production.

It’s safe to say that she is very much so an outlier in the music world, and rightfully so; as there are big things happening for her.

Her most recent releases are highly anticipated and have been gaining a lot of attention throughout the music industry. Check out our chat with Rhia where she talks about the new collaborations, reveals her plans for 2019, and more.

T.H.E – Hey Rhia! Welcome to T.H.E – Music Essentials. How has 2019 kicked off for you?

Rhia Bahree – Hey hey! Thanks for having me guys!

It’s been good! I finished up tracking the vocals for some of my next releases a few days ago and I’m feeling super excited about these! The sessions were intense we actually did I think 18 hours of vocal tracking on Thursday. The engineers I worked with were absolute legends for sticking it out… Simon Moro and Terry Hart, just wanna quickly say thank you to them for that!!

T.H.E – You have been in the industry for over 19 years now! How do you constantly manage to inspire yourself, to keep setting newer standards every single time you write a track?

Rhia Bahree – Haha yes! I started out working in the industry doing a lot of session work for some of our Australian Artists here etc. I was lucky to get that experience so early.

Most of the time it just comes from the song or the music. But I set goals, listen to music I like, and I go to shows. Shows are a big one. The people I respect and trust motivate me a lot too.

T.H.E – What are some of the biggest challenges you have observed over the years, and how have you coped with them?

Rhia Bahree – Self-doubt/being a perfectionist for sure. I think as long as you pay attention to your gut feeling and get feedback from people whose judgments you trust if you’re unsure, you can navigate it. You have to embrace being imperfect and making mistakes.

T.H.E – You recently just finished writing and recording your vocals for a collaboration with Adam Deitch. How was it working with him?

Rhia Bahree – Yeah good! I’m really enjoying it, they’re super vibey!! I’m dying to play them live…

T.H.E – Given that he also happens to be a member of very well established bands like Lettuce and Break Science, what are the best things about him that you noticed in the way he works?

Rhia Bahree – He’s one of the hardest working musicians I know for sure. I think one thing that I’ve noticed is how authentic his artistic process is and I really respect him for that.

He’s a good guy, super focused and professional. He’s insanely talented.

T.H.E – You also finished recording your vocals for a collab with EDM producer – RYZY (Kyle Falconer, Jamie Hartman, Sony, Reverb Records). How long was it in the works, and what can you tell us about the theme of the song?

Rhia Bahree – Yes! It actually happened pretty quickly. He sent me the track and I managed to come up with the melody in the first pass, then I made tweaks here and there, and I started writing the lyrics shortly after. I re-wrote them a couple of times because I decided I wasn’t feeling the overall idea at first, so there were two different songs at one point. The second one stuck for me the most because it had more depth than the first. They were both centered around freedom.

T.H.E – As someone who has performed in a lot of live shows, in some of the biggest festivals across the globe, what is the most important attribute of being a live performer, according to you?

Rhia Bahree – Definitely paying attention to your audience and being able to connect with them during the show, as cliché as that sounds. For me, it’s by far the most crucial part of playing live. Experience and preparation are also important because it allows you to be able to focus on them and the music as well.

T.H.E – Which artists do you feel have really stood out in the last 3 years, and why?

Rhia Bahree – I’ve been a big fan of Kendrick Lamar for a long time. There’s so much depth and thought that goes into his lyrics which I really respect. There are a lot of layers. I love his live arrangements as well.

I love Billie Eilish’ song “when the party’s over.” It’s beautiful. It’s well written and it’s nice to see that it’s had so much success. I first heard it in an Uber and I thought the silence between her lyrics was so haunting, I love it.

Lauren Desberg. I first heard her album “21st Century Problems,” in 2015 and it’s one of those albums that I’ve just been listening to over and over for the past few years because it feels timeless to me. There’s a lot of attention to detail. It’s an incredible album and she’s a great artist.

I have a lot of respect for Jacob Collier, Nai Palm, Hiatus Kaiyote, YEBBA, and Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles too, as musicians I think they just speak for themselves, to be honest.

There are so many more artist’s I’d like to talk about here but I’ll leave it at that for now.

T.H.E – Describe the moment when you performed with Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winner and longtime Civil Rights Activist, Mr. Harry Belafonte, in one word.

Rhia Bahree – Humbling.

T.H.E – What can you tell us about the rest of your plans for 2019?

Rhia Bahree – I’ve got more tracks to record, and I’m currently comping my vocals for Deitch and RYZY, and then they have to be mixed. At the start of Feb I’m laying down my vocals for a collab with a New Zealand band, which is also going to be released in the next 2-3 months. I’m writing another song for them as well but the release date for this one won’t be for about a year, unfortunately! I’m also working on a song for an Australian artist too, and much more. So lots of writing, studio time, and lots of shows; in fact I think we’ve got the next year and a half booked out already which is awesome!! There are also some really exciting things in the works as well, so far 2019 has been super busy so I’m looking forward to seeing how the year turns out!

T.H.E – Lastly, what tips can you provide for upcoming musicians, drawing from your experience of 19 years?

Rhia Bahree – Well, it’s a tricky business to be in, creators are not supposed to work on a timeline…deadlines can make it really uninspiring. The key is to do it often so that it’s easier to get the good stuff to come out. So if you’re constantly writing or playing you’ll start paying attention to words and concepts or things that stick out to you and your mind is sort of always on it. That has certainly helped me deal with having to be creative when it’s not the most comfortable.

T.H.E – Thanks, Rhia! Please let us know when your songs are out, we’re dying to hear them and we’ll be looking out for them in the meantime as usual! 

Rhia Bahree – Aww no problem, will do! Thanks so much for having me and for supporting my career, I really appreciate it guys.

Follow Rhia here.

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