shishi is what surf music would sound like if it was made in the dark near the frozen shores of the Baltic sea. Because it was.
Benadetta, Victoria and Maria Rosa (these are definitely not their real names) are a trio of Lithuanian mermaids who create “zero-waste trash music” under the name “shishi”. They sing about how it feels to be living in times when nothing makes sense anymore. Their music is perfect for people who care about what’s going on, but don’t really know what’s happening.
Genre-wise shishi takes sugar, spice and everything nice from surf rock and blends it with a chemical formula that has been distilled from the raw sounds of the best riot-girl and punk bands. The result is a beautifully awkward eco-friendly vibe reminiscent of indie surf frontrunners like La Luz or Tennis smashing into the powerful femininity of bands like Hole, Kleenex and Delta 5.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with shishi about the music, the journey, the 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?
Benadetta: we are from windy baltic shores, Lithuania, and usually we describe our music as rap/trash/soul/surf or maybe even mermaid rock sometimes.
Victoria: from the tears of the almighty nature.
Maria Rosa: We write music the way we want to and we play it the way we can.
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
Maria Rosa: My mother’s lullabies was the first music I’ve ever heard and remember! Then many ensembles, lessons, music schools and stuff followed. I always dreamed about being a musician but I could never let myself believe it could be more than a dream. Even when I started being paid for gigs I still could not believe it. Yet I had many wonderful people and friends around me who said many encouraging words. Also, I got inspired by some diy musicians – if they can, then I can too! And so we’re here 🙂
Benadetta: I personally learned music from first grade, learned it for almost my whole life and have been learning till now so it was no brainer that I would choose to be a musician. I think specifically shishi pushed me in showbiz when they asked me to play with them.
Victoria: Well, first of all mother and father did a great job by making love and going through pregnancy and giving birth and raising us up. And also, my mother, as far as i remember put me in the music loving mood. Firstly with Lithuaninan traditional folk songs and after – music school with classical music and jazz. That’s our love story with music in brief. I am still not comfortable with music biz though. It sounds terrible.
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?
Benadetta: As I wasn’t in the band from the beginning, I will let the girls answer this one more widely. As for me – I wanted to bring something of my own in the new album. And when I’m listening to their first two albums I think that new album is very different but not so that everyone would think that it’s another band completely! 😀
Victoria: Actually, the project before was a lithuanian EP, where we gathered these counting-out games and made it into songs. That’s how we reached kids. And so yes, this one – is our first serious album with Benadetta. There are no Lithuanian songs – that’s one contrast. haha. Why? – you wonder? Well, we wonder too. We were creating it for 2 years maybe? The corona beibi if i may. We control our instruments better, we are more eee courageous maybe? And well, Benadetta is another totally independent unit who adds a different spice to what we were before. Please proceed.
Maria Rosa: In the very first album we were just playing what we could at that time, discovering our possibilities. Once we know them better, we can move forward, think about sound, so definitely, this last album is the most thought out. Also, the least naive. From one perspective, maybe it’s a little bit sad that we cannot be satisfied with very simple things anymore, but on the other hand – we grow, we learn and we want to share it with our listeners as well.
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?
Victoria: You mean corona and war? or what ? Man, it’s tuff, of course. In the beginning of the pandemics I was shitless scared, I just recently saw that movie – pandemics or something, where there’s this zombie apocalypse almost. And then KABOOM CORONA. So for the first months, I was staying home and being paranoid. After I got used to it, and even started liking this isolation thing, it gave me a break I needed I guess. BUT THEN ! The break was too long. I mean, it was very confusing. People changed, listeners changed, everything changed. Slightly but significantly. War in Ukraine? my god. Heartbreaking. For quite a while, nothing made sense. Playing music felt stupid. But I guess all these experiences in the end become the wood for those creative fires, right?
Maria Rosa: These past few years made me grow up a little bit and I’m very grateful for that. I started to think more about my well-being, about people that surround me and how hygiene of our emotional health is so very much important, especially if you have such crazy dreams like being a musician : D
What was the last song you listened to?
Maria Rosa: Dina Ögon – Undantag
Benadetta: Miles Davis Sextet – Chance It
Victoria: Pharoah Sanders – Love Is Everywhere
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
Benadetta: I prefer streaming platforms. I don’t like collecting stuff that I don’t really need. Somehow having just the needed things makes me calm 😀
Victoria : Music is good in every shape. Ee, but yeah ok, recently i realized – when you put on a tape, a vinyl, a cd – it’s like a little celebration, and you listen more carefully. It becomes a moment, more sacred somehow. Normally when I play music on the computer, I stop hearing it and it becomes a barely hearable soundtrack for the moments of whatever is happening then.
Maria Rosa: I prefer to sit back, relax, listen to vinyls and do nothing else. Unfortunately, things not always go the way you prefer ;D
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
Benadetta: You can follow our journey or chat with us via Facebook and Instagram. If you want our really cool merch – it’s on bandcamp. And if you want to listen to our music – the best way is to come to our concert but if you can’t we have our music on all streaming platforms (Youtube, Spotify, Soundcloud, iTunes, etc.).
Victoria: : YES. What she said.
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
Victoria: Thank you so much, I appreciate Your time too. I hope you all are somewhat happy and the world still has hope to be a better place. Much love, more love, love is everywhere. Ok it’s not everywhere, but it should be.
