epona discusses debut single “Voice”
By: Laury Verdoux
Since discovering her passion for the performing arts at the age of 7, epona has spent her time doing theater and film. As she continues to pursue acting, she now explores the realm of indie rock music and songwriting; where she aims to address important social topics including harassment, male violence, and gender inequalities. While epona prepares to release an upcoming EP this year, I had the chance to talk to her about her debut single.
777 Collective: What was the starting point of your musical career?
epona: My musical career started when I met Dimitri Eggermont, my music producer and guitarist. I actually started my artistic journey as an actress, and we met at a theatre show in which I was acting and singing. He offered to collaborate, and it made sense because I really loved his work. We quickly found our own style and sound.
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard of you?
E: My music sounds like old-school rock, and my lyrics come from feminist shouts.
You addressed gender inequalities in your debut single “Voice.” Was the song inspired from your personal experience?
E: My inspiration when writing “Voice” came from things that happened not only to me, but also to my sisters—we are a big family made up of 8 sisters and 2 brothers. I’m also reading a lot about it, hearing people’s statements about challenges they experience, and having conversations about these issues with my friends and colleagues.
What do you want listeners to take from your music?
E: I want rock music to come back to the mainstream and take a greater place in the world like it used to. And of course, I would like people to talk about my lyrics. I’m hoping that it sparks conversations between them, so that there are no more taboos about these topics.
Who are your favorite bands/artists at the moment?
E: My favorite artists are The Strokes, Muse, Radiohead, Cage The Elephant…
Can you tell us a bit more about your upcoming debut EP ‘Help I’m Fine!’?
E: All my songs will talk about any kind of harassment. One of them talks about having to deal with an exhibitionist, another one is about the movie Thelma and Louise, and more... I’m committed to addressing these kinds of issues in my music. In terms of sound, some will be more rock than others!
How do you approach the songwriting process, and where do you usually take inspiration from?
E: Sometimes I’m really in the mood for working on songs as inspiration strikes, so I sit behind my piano and look for some chords, start to find a first line and send it to Dimitri. He then tries to make something with it, and we go from there. Sometimes he sends me something he made, and I try to find a melody that fits, and that I’d like to sing. Then we see each other and work on this together. It’s an easy and natural process between us! Then we listen to it, let it sink in, and work on it again a week later. I’m usually inspired to make all these things when something touches me or upsets me very much.
What was the best piece of advice you were ever given?
E: As I’ve just started my career in music, I didn’t really get any good advice yet, but I’m very open to getting advice and opinions. There's always room for improvement.
What do you wish to achieve with your music?
E: I would love to sing at festivals and travel with my music. It would actually be a dream to organise tours in beautiful countries around the world.
You’re from Belgium, but your songs are in English, was it an obvious choice for you to sing in another language?
E: My songs are quite heavy and raw in terms of the topics I’m addressing, so I didn't want my friends and family to be too exposed to my lyrics. Also, I want to get my music out of the country as I want it to be heard beyond France and Belgium, so singing in English made sense and makes it easier to achieve that.