Chatting with Molly Burman

We loved your debut track ‘Fool Me With Flattery’ – what was the process in deciding that this would be your debut single?

Thank you! It was really important to me that my debut defined me as an artist. I wrote Fool Me With Flattery over 2 years ago, but it has always stayed so true to what I believe in. It was the first song I wrote where I think I really started to find my sound and style. Its upbeat, but also holds a strong message, which is exactly what I try to do with my music. I thought FMWF would show people what I stand for and give a nice introduction to my sound.

 

Talk us about ‘Everytime’ and ‘Debt’! What were the stories behind them?

Everytime follows a classic, modern day, ‘situationship’ story. I wrote it after feeling absolutely defeated by the endless cycle of getting to know people and then being rejected. It gave me pep talk that I needed to feel happy being single, and also helped me get out a lot of my frustration. I think it’s definitely a song lots of people can relate to. 

Debt was written after a night out I had, when a guy bought me a drink and then felt like I owed him my body or something. Again a story which I’m sure a lot of people relate to. The situation made me realise how sick and tired I was of not being able to go out and enjoy myself without being grabbed by multiple guys. I wanted a song that I could dance to and also be able to poke fun at the guys who are incapable of having a good time without harassing people.

 

What was it like working with Harv Frost?

Working with Harv was amazing! I’ve known her for years now and we’ve always wanted to work on something together, and I think everytime was the perfect project. To Harv the video stood for so much more than the initial message of the song, it was about gender, identity and self-acceptance and I loved watching her embrace her whole self throughout the process of the video. (She wrote a really lovely piece about it on her instagram). Harv absolutely nailed the video and we were on the exact same wavelength throughout, which made it a really enjoyable time.

Your style is bedroom pop mixed with indie – what genre would you slot yourself into? And what other artists would be there beside you?

I would put myself in the dream/pop/indie genre. I feel like I use so many aspects from different genres, so it’s definitely hard to stick to one, but I’d say ‘dreamy’ definitely covers it. The artists that would be beside me would probably be Girl in Red, Caroline Polacheck , Conan Gray and Raveena. 

 

Talking about your influences, are there any artists in particular that you look up to?  

At the moment I’m really influenced by Nora Jones, I’ve been listening to her CD a lot recently and I just think she has such beautiful lyrics and harmonies. I’ve also always been influenced by The Beatles , their riffs and backing vocals are definitely something that i’ve been inspired by over the years. And finally ABBA , because the main goal in their music is just to have fun, which I love, and their whole aesthetic gives me life!

 

Are there any up and coming artists that you’re excited about at the moment?

Yes! Firstly an artist called Dora Jar, not only is her name a brilliant pun, I think her music is so cool. My friend showed me her recently and there’s one song “opening” that I genuinely listened to on repeat every day for a month, its great. I also love what Olivia Dean is doing right now, I think shes super cool too, and I love her lyrics! 

 

Do you think your path was decided with coming from a musical family? Or was it a decision you made separate to your family background?

My family is definitely the reason I am so musical, but I’d say it was definitely just something inside of me that always chose this path. Music is genuinely the only thing i’ve ever had a real interest in and songwriting has always come naturally to me. I have always been so supported and encouraged to just go for what I want to do, although I do think my parents would’ve preferred if I’d stuck to my 10 year old selfs dream of becoming a vet. 

 

What can you tell us about your upcoming EP?

The Fool Me With Flattery EP is a collection of songs that I’ve been working on over the years. They were all recorded and produced by me and my Dad at home. The songs explore the themes of gender, relationships and self-acceptance. The EP follows the journey of me growing up and learning to stand up for myself. 

 

Is there a track that you’re particularly excited to get out into the world?

There’s a song called ‘slipping’, its packed with guitar riffs and I love playing it. It has my favourite opening line and is loads of fun! Also a song called ‘Little Love’ , which shows a much more mellow and sad side to my music, which I think is a really nice contrast to the other tracks I’ve done.

Image: DORA PAPHIDES