In this interview spotlight, I chat with Sandra-Mae Lux about the latest music, inspirations, challenges, and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?
I was born and raised in a small suburban town outside of Vancouver, BC (Canada) and both my parents are Dutch. I would describe my music as an up-beat fusion of soul, disco, pop with a sprinkling of jazz!
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
Music called to me from a very early age. My mom told me that I sang before I spoke haha. Some of my earliest memories are standing on tables and singing at family gatherings!
I started playing piano at age 6, took up saxophone at the age of 11, and guitar at 13.
As a very bullied teenager in highschool, music and the arts literally saved my life.
Music for me, especially in highschool, was sort of an escape from all that bullying. It was my safe place, my haven, a place where I could express my authentic self, knowing that I wouldn’t be judged or made fun of.
Were it not for encouragement from my extraordinary high school music teacher Jeremy Hepner, I might not be here. He opened my eyes to what a career in music could actually be, that it was even possible. And frankly if Jeremy hadn’t caught me at that time, I probably would have gone into some other career altogether, and been a very very unhappy person. In my last year of highschool he said to me “you don’t pursue music, music pursues you.” He went on to say that you can either do it now while you’re young, or find out that you have to do it later on, when it’s a lot harder!
I started gigging properly during and after University, and after gigging in function bands and doing my own shows for a few years, I came to a point in my career when I looked at my life in Vancouver and said “wow, I’ve done every gig this town has to offer.” At that moment, I knew that I needed to go to a bigger city to continue my growth as an artist. Alan (my writing partner) was at a similar stage in his life, and had an opportunity to do a one-month run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017. When he invited me to join him and relocate to London, I said yes; it felt like the perfect opportunity had landed in my lap! Within a month, I sold my car, quit my day-job, gave up my apartment, put my stuff in storage, and bought my very first one-way plane ticket.
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
My latest release titled “Perfect Weather” is a slight contrast from my previous releases. I grew up listening to lots of authentic Brazilian Bossa Nova (Astrud Gilberto in particular) and have always felt a very strong pull to this music. My writing partner wrote these lyrics in about 5 minutes, and I took one look at them and said “well, you’ve just written a proper Bossa.” The rest of the song (chords and melody) also fell out in about 5 minutes! So this Bossa-inspired track was a lovely exploration of my passion for this music, and at the same time, pushing the boat out a little to incorporate a heavy beat and some cool synth lines. And I got to play sax on it as well! It’s like Asturd Gilberto meets Stan Getz meets Ariana Grande. You can take a listen to it at https://linktr.ee/sandramaelux
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
The biggest challenge I’ve faced as a creative is the ability to just survive. Streaming has completely obliterated the earning power of independent artists. With record inflation, staggering financial inequality and a massive cost of living crisis (and the fact that streaming does not pay), it’s almost impossible to make a living as an artist right now. Even the costs of gigging and touring is economically prohibitive. I work a few day jobs to be able to pay for rent, food, etc and also to pay for things like production and mastering costs, and other musicians to play on tracks. Working day jobs really makes it much more difficult to allow creativity and inspiration to happen. And even with those multiple jobs, it is quite a balancing act. It’s frustrating because I have so much music inside of me, so many more songs just dying to get out into the world, but the financial reality is that this can’t happen on a regular basis. So, to answer your question, it’s very difficult to keep those creative fires burning, but without writing, creating and recording music I wouldn’t be here.
What was the last song you listened to?
“Moonshine” by Young Gun Silver Fox. They’re amazing!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
Definitely vinyl for me! I have a lovely vinyl audiophile set-up at home and it truly is a different experience. There’s so much more warmth and depth with vinyl, and the listening experience is so much more intimate and interactive. Also, the mix can sometimes be very different from the digital version of the same recording. Sometimes I go back to vinyl recordings, and I’ll hear things that I couldn’t in the digital version, which is a real treat! Although digital is a more convenient way of listening to music, sometimes it is because of its convenience that it makes the listening less active. I’d love for more people to start actively listening to music again instead of just listening to wallpaper playlists on the streamers.
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
On Instagram @sandramaelux and feel free to sign up for my (non-spammy) email list on my website at https://www.sandramaelux.com/contact-me
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
The music industry has gradually eroded the earning power of artists, to the point where they are being paid virtually nothing for their creations. When someone buys an album, song, mug or t-shirt directly from an artist, they circumvent the middleman, and all the people who have nothing to do with the actual creation of the music. Why should a music fan pay multi-billion dollar record company executives, or CEOs of streaming services (who have virtually nothing to do with the creation of the music), for the songs they like, when they have the ability to pay an artist directly?
The current system of remuneration for an artist is unsustainable. Purchasing music directly or becoming a patron to an artist, cuts out the middleman.
If I have to work three jobs just to survive (which I do), that leaves me very little time and mental capacity to create new work.
Composers and artists like Mozart and Beethoven were financially resourced through direct patronage. Maybe it’s time to look at that system again.
On that note (pun intended), feel free to purchase my music on iTunes or BandCamp at https://sandramaelux.bandcamp.com/merch
