COCO BESON X CANADIANRAVERS INTERVIEW [BEHIND THE NAME, INSPITRATION BEHIND THE MUSIC VIDEO, DOWNTIME]

Born in Michigan, USA, and growing up in Zürich, Switzerland, Coco Benson was exposed to a wide variety of music from a young age and discovered her voice at the age of 7. Granddaughter to Highlife icon Bobby Benson, music has always been at the core of her being. Blending elements of afrobeats, house and pop, Coco made her musical debut with ‘They Call Me Coco’ in 2014, which was produced by IKON. Showcasing her West African and European roots, Benson strives to deliver high quality productions that strike a chord with audiences from all around the globe. With her debut extended play on the horizon, Coco Benson and Shizzi demonstrate their undeniable synergy as they ready the world for her ‘Here We Go Again’ EP.

Celebrated as one of Nigeria’s most talented and unstoppable hitmakers, producer extraordinaire Shizzi (Magic Fingers) has produced for global superstars including Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Davido, Meek Mill and Wizkid. With humble beginnings as a drummer in a church, Shizzi has worked relentlessly to gain worldwide recognition, signing to Sony Music and founding his own record label Magic Fingers. Championing up-and-coming talent, as well as working with major producers, Shizzi continues to make his indelible mark on the global music scene.

THE INTERVIEW

CR: Hello Meredine, glad to have you on Canadianravers. How are you doing?

CB: Thank you so much for having me, I really appreciate you guys and I’m excited about this! I’m doing great. 

CR: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what is the story behind your name ‘Coco Benson’?

CB: I am an international cocktail LOL, I’m West African and European and the reason I call myself Coco is literally because of my skin tone! I’ve always loved the way Coco sounds. It sounds soft and enjoyable and it’s most importantly it’s easy to remember! Benson was taken from my mother and my grandfather who was also a musician.

CR: Tell us a little bit of the story behind the track ‘Majesty’, How did you connect with Shizzi?  

CB: Majesty was always about a strong message for women. Me being a mother and a wife myself, I always think it’s important to stand your ground in life and it’s important to have tracks that let women know they are amazing, they are wonderful, and beautifully made. I was working on this with Shizzi one night, we were just going through music beats and there was a certain sound that stood out to us! The minute I heard whatever it was I heard, I knew that was the topic instantly. PS. Shizzi is my husband *wink*

CR: Also, tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind the music video.

CB: The music video was so important to represent everything the song was. It had to be regal, it had to be strong and it had to be original. I made sure I had the strongest team and I made sure that we did everything right. The packaging for Majesty was one of the biggest projects I’ve done in my career, but I have no regrets about anything because all I know is what you hear in the song is exactly what you see in the video. It makes you feel empowered. I feel like once you see it the first time, you want to watch it again to make sure you saw what you actually saw.

CR: While you were on a hiatus, what were some moments that motivated you to create new music?

CB: It was all about a feeling, it wasn’t even just a break for me… at one point I actually quit music because I was so fed up with so many different things, but I knew it was such a passion of mine & that when I was ready, even spiritually when I was ready I knew that I would get back in and the motivation was just a feeling and the support of important people I knew.

CR: What do you like to do during your downtime when you are not writing music?

CB: I love spending time with my children, making memories with them. They inspire me so much every single day and if I’m not in motherhood, I enjoy travelling and eating and all the good things life has to offer. Life can be cut short, so I always recommend live it. 

CR: What is the best advice you have received while pursuing your career?

CB: The best advice I’ve received would be to just stay true to who I am, there are so many people doing so many things and it’s easy to get caught up but what’s important is just to be who you are and eventually, those that want to listen to you, WILL listen to you.

CR: Outside dance music, what other styles do you like listening to?

CB: Soul, R&B & classic Pop. I love listening to older music, it brings back so many memories and good feelings. 

CR: Now that shows are coming back when you perform live, is there a ritual that you go through before a show?

CB: I haven’t been on a stage in a very long time, but what I can tell you is when I do get back on stage it’s going to be an amazing experience. Honestly the best ritual for me it’s just a prayer to calm my nerves.

CR: This is a 3-part question, Your first gig, your last gig, and your favourite gig?

CB: Open-air concert singing a Destiny’s Child song, I can’t even remember my last gig LOL that’s so sad… My favourite gig was a wedding - no, it was a surprise birthday party and I sang it was one of the best live performances I had done in a while. 

CR: What are some of your goals for 2021, anything our followers should know about?

CB: I just want to continue to release timeless and fun music, stay consistent, that’s my goal! I have an EP on the way, so stay tuned for that, it’s an exciting listen.

Lighting Round

Texting or talking? Talking 

Coffee or tea? Neither, Soda water

Hard liquor or Wine? Vino

Cake or pie? Cake-a-licious 

Hot dogs or hamburgers? Hot Dogs Mmm

Xbox or PlayStation? I’m a Nintendo gal!!!

Movie theatre or arcade? Arcade (skeeball all the way)

Guitar or piano? Piano 

Marvel or DC Comics? Marvel 

Dog or cat? Meow 

Hot weather or cold weather? Hot weather, I love being warm. 

COCO BENSON SOCIALS:

MARCO DALLA VILLA X CANADIANRAVERS INTERVIEW [MUSIC THEORY, FAVOURITE GIG, GOALS FOR 2021]

Marco Dalla Villa had a very early introduction to music, starting piano lessons at the age of four before moving onto composition at the age of just eight. At fourteen Marco joined a school for music composition and technology in Milan where he discovered his love for producing dance music, sparking a passion that has moulded him into the producer he is today. Using theoretical knowledge in an experimental way, his tracks are a flow of raw emotion which in turn forms an unexplainable connection to his listeners. After his first success in 2018 with ‘La Francesita’, which reached more than 1M streams, 2021 is shaping up to be Marco’s most fruitful year to date, with his first releases amassing over 300k streams so far and over 60k monthly listeners on Spotify alone, additionally attracting attention from some of the world’s most authoritative media. 

Marco Dalla Villa shows no signs of slowing down, with ‘Baltasound’ proving to be another incredible addition to his ever-flourishing discography, just in time for the summer months ahead. Fans can also look forward to a breath-taking Livestream in conjunction with the release, which will showcase some of the incredible islands in all their glory.

THE INTERVIEW

CR: Hello Marco, Glad to have you on Canadianravers how are you doing?

MDV: I am good thanks! Glad to have a chat with you.

CR: Tell us a little about yourself and your latest release 'Baltasound'? What was the inspiration behind it?

MDV: I found Baltasound (a remote village in the Isle of Unts, Shetland) while exploring the world using the Google Maps Pin during the lockdown. When I saw the street view pictures of that place and given the impossibility to explore it at the time, I tried to describe it the way I saw it in my imagination. That’s how Baltasound the track was born.

CR: With knowing music theory, did that help hone your skills as a producer?

MDV: Knowing music theory gives you freedom when creating a song. If you can’t control every aspect of your production, you’ll have limited possibilities. Instead, by knowing music theory, producers have the freedom of exploring and digging into every sound they want to achieve, with no limits! It’s like writing a book... would using only 5 letters of the alphabet be the same as knowing the 26 letters?

CR: This is a 3-part question, Your first gig, your last gig, and your favourite gig?

MDV: My first gig was with the DJ academy I attended when I was 14. There were probably 10 people in the audience and I performed for 30 minutes. It felt sooo good!

My last gig before the lockdown was in East London, in a Club I was playing at every Monday. I didn’t know it would be my last gig so it didn’t feel as special as it actually was.

My favourite gig was at EICMALAND, a festival in Milan in which I played for one hour in front of 3000 people. I loved the fact that I could feel the people had the same music tastes as I had from the very first song I played. So, for one hour we just enjoyed dancing and singing together, without distinction between me playing and them listening. It was more like everybody celebrating together. Only when watching back the recordings did I fully realize it was actually me performing at a festival!

CR: When did you first realise you could make a career in music?

MDV: I started dreaming about it when I was 14 and from that moment, I had no doubts. I think when you want something so badly, you lose objectivity, so it is not a rational decision to consider whether you can make it or not. I just decided it from the beginning and started acting as if I could make it from day one.

CR: Outside dance music, what other styles do you like listening to?

MDV: I love listening to acoustic sessions of famous artists. I love singer/songwriters like Ed Sheeran and I love old-school Italian music (90/00’s).

CR: Now that shows are coming when you are playing live, is there a ritual that you go through before every show?

MDV: Honestly, I don’t have rituals. I try to act as normal as I can before shows… As I am lucky enough to have a job that is so much fun, I try to stay away from any stress or tension in order to be relaxed and able to enjoy what I am doing while doing it.

CR: DJs/ Producers travel with multiples of that one item, what is that item for you?

MDV: USB devices. I have around 10 USB drives that I bring with me. All with the same songs in them. Just in case 9 of them don’t work :)

CR: What is the single event that has changed you and the way you view life?

MDV: I don’t have an event that comes to my mind. I have changed a lot since I left my hometown at the age of 19. But it is a constantly changing process that is still happening. I think it’s called “growing up” (which in my case came together with “losing hair”)

CR: What are some of your goals for 2021, anything our followers should know about?

MDV: I am aiming to tour Poland as some of my songs had really nice success over there. That is my aim, to be able to tour again. I know there’s not very much I can do about it but honestly touring and performing live is the reason why we do this job so there’s nothing more important than this.

LIGHTING ROUND

Texting or talking? Talking

Coffee or tea? Coca Cola

Hard liquor or Wine? Hard liquor

Cake or pie? Pie

Hot dogs or hamburgers Hamburger, no onions, please.

Xbox or PlayStation? PlayStation

Movie theatre or arcade? Arcade

Guitar or piano? Piano

Marvel or DC Comics? The Powerpuff girls are my only superhero

Dog or cat? Dog

Hot weather or cold weather? Hot weather

MARCO DALLA VILLA SOCIALS:

NOW O LATER X CANADIANRAVERS INTERVIEW [SOTRY BEHIND THE NAME, ANYTHING TO CHANGE IN THE, SIRUP MUSIC]

With support from all the right places, Now O Later’s tracks have made their way into sets by industry titans Yves V, Sam Feldt, Gil Glaze, FaderX and Max Vangeli. Stepping up his game with every release, this promising producer has a musical maturity beyond his years, and his streaming figures speak volumes. Following their previous collaborations, including ‘Summer Clothes’, Now O Later, Chinese producer Vanished and New York vocal sensation Jaime Deraz have perfected their formula to devise versatile creations that work their magic on dancefloors and radio shows around the globe.  

THE INTERVIEW

CR: Hello Now O Later, Glad to have you on Canadianravers how are you doing?

N: Thanks for having me! All is great.

CR: Tell us a little bit about yourself, what is the story behind the name Now O Later?

N: When I thinking my artist name linked to my music, I want my music can be listened to now or later. in other words, they can be stood the test of time. But in order to make it looks cooler, I shortened the or into O, so Now O Later is the artist name I gave myself.

CR: Tell us a bit about the track ‘Love Like Wine’, and how did you connect with Vanished and Jaime Deraz.

N: Vanished is my studio mate since I started producing. We’ve been working on several tracks in the past already. He is a very talented producer from China. I know Jaime since her first release on Sirup called “My City”. I loved her voice and her great talents in singing and writing lyrics. So I tried to get in touch with her through Instagram. All things are perfectly smooth. And “Love Like Wine” is our 8th collaboration!

CR: Is there anything else about the current state of dance music that you’d want to change?

N: Slap house is taking over the EDM market. All of them sound so similar to each other, they are lack personal ideas and sounds. But they are so popular. So hopefully, both listeners and producers will get rid

of it soon.

CR: When did you start DJing and what were your early influences and inspirations?

N: I started to DJ in the first year of my university. I am a dance music lover since high school. I bought a controller and learned how to DJ myself from some tutorials on Youtube. I watched a lot of Tomorrowland set, and some radio set from those BIG DJ, and I was telling myself, one day I will do something like they do.

CR: What were the main challenges when you started DJing?

N: To be honest, I did not feel any difficulties during DJ. But since I ve also been DJing as a resident DJ in some very big clubs, it is sometimes challenging to balance keeping the style of myself and being commercial as the clubs want.

CR: How did you get connected with Sirup Music record label?

I just send them a demo at a very early time when I started producing. They have a really nice team

there, and all people there are very friendly. I’ve been declined a few times at first, but they let me know

I am really close to what they are looking for. And about 3 times later, my first track with them is signed!

CR: This question is for every DJ/Producer we interview, what is the one must-have item on your

rider in the green room?

N: My phone! I am a very socially addicted person. So with my phone, I may be able to make a connection with another artist who performs at the same event and I like making new friends.

CR: What do you like to do in your downtime when you are not DJing or producing music?

N: Playing computer games. It is a very good way for me to release my stress. Besides, I love clubbing a lot.

Usually, I go to the club once or twice a week where they play the newest records from the world.

CR:  Are there any projects that you are working on that our followers should know about?

N: 2 collabs coming very soon with an American Producer and an amazing Vocalist. Both tracks sound very

different from my usual production. SO stay tuned!

Lighting Round

1. Texting or talking? Talking

2. Coffee or tea? Tea

3. Hard liquor or Wine? Hard Liquor

4. Cake or pie? Cake

5. Hot dogs or hamburgers? Hamburgers

6. Xbox or PlayStation? Playstation

7. Movie theatre or arcade? Movie Theatre

8. Guitar or piano? Piano

9. Marvel or DC Comics? Marvel

10. Dog or cat? Cat

11. Hot weather or cold weather? Cold Weather

NOW O LATER SOCIALS: