Hello Lily, and
thank you for taking the time for this interview! I would like to start by
saying congratulations on the release of your latest album,
"Legacy4Humanity"! Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the
album and what listeners can expect from it?
Thank
you so much for having me and thank you, the release means a lot. It’s been a
while since we had a chat. So much has happened since my last interview about my song release “The Stolen Years” back in
summer 2022.
“Legacy4Humanity”
is a collection of 13 songs written and sung from the heart. Never in a million
years, did I think that I would one day have an entire album with my song
lyrics. It all started with my heartbreaking song “80 Million People”. In
spring 2022, I was raising awareness about the plight of refugees worldwide and
using my voice for better rights regarding education and integration with my
online petition #HumantiyB4Nationality.
In the
recent two years, I used the power of lyrics and the miracle of music with the
angelic voice of my feat. artist Thri13een aka Warren Young to spread awareness
about more delicate topics such as racism and discrimination with my rap track
“Blood is always Red” or hunger and homelessness with the soulful track “Tasteless
Breakfast” and for people living with disability with my “My Vision”.
People
can expect 13 great tracks about social issues with meaningful and inspiring lyrics,
beautiful melody, uplifting beats and an angelic voice.
Your album features
a diverse range of genres, including Soul, R&B, Pop, and Rap. How did you
approach blending these different styles together, and what message were you
aiming to convey through your music?
Yes, it
does. I am blessed and privileged to collaborate with an exceptionally, insanely
talented producer, singer-songwriter, and vocalist who is not only able to
produce but also to sing all kinds of genres. He is like an octopus and my
angel of music. Together we are the voice for the voiceless and as you
correctly say each track has a message.
“80
Million People” set the tone for our
partnership, grounded in deep empathy and a desire to make a difference through
music and lyrics. Now, two years later, I have an entire album which I’m very
proud of. Every single track is precious like a baby. The album is a treasure
filled with love, emotion, and devotion. As the album name says it is my legacy
for humanity.
Your recent singles
"Ping Pong & Puzzle," "HomeTown," and
"Bowling" are three great tracks that show your artistic maturity and
creativity. Can you share the story behind these songs and what they mean to
you personally?
Honestly, I’m obsessed with “Ping Pong & Puzzle”.
It has become my daily booster track. Whenever I feel down, depressed, upset,
or angry I listen to this uplifting pop song and it reminds me that NO ONE and NOTHING
is worth the pain and sorrow. We have to let go of toxic people and painful
memories and appreciate the ones who have let us down and made us stronger.
As I say in the lyrics, “Those who are meant to be in your life stay in your life”. This
song is primarily dedicated to my selfish and thoughtless father (and all the
selfish, irresponsible, and heartless husbands and fathers out there). He left
us when I was only five years old not to be seen ever again. It is also
dedicated to family members, relatives, and “friends” to whom we are forgotten
before we are even gone.
“HomeTown” is the most personal song next to “The
Stolen Years”, “The Three of Us” and “SIMA”. Every line speaks for itself. For
the first time, I also used the German language because I feel that many
people, especially those living in the German part of Europe feel my deep
desire for a HomeTown.
As I say in the lyrics “See myself living in a magical
Hallmark movie, all year round in a magical town, a magical place, where
neighbors don’t live past each other but together looking after one another,
like in a heartwarming fairytale where traditions still matter!”
Only the foreigners who live in Germany, Austria, and
Switzerland understand what I mean. When you visit these countries as a tourist
they are gorgeous but living with narrow-minded people who belittle and
discriminate refugees and foreigners - like slaves were terribly treated in the
past - is emotionally exhausting. I think Germany and Austria’s dark history and
inhumanity speak for themselves. I don’t have to say more. It is heartbreaking
to say, that not much has changed in almost eighty years. People are still
suffering and struggling to survive the inhumanity and injustice in today’s
society. As I always say, once a refugee, always a refugee. Once a foreigner,
always a foreigner!
“Bowling” is the follow-up track to “YoYo & Chess”
and “Ping Pong & Puzzle”. By the way, I don’t play any of these games! LOL,
but games are a good example of how people toy with people. The Bowling ball
symbolizes the bombs in war that destroy countries and kill people. The ten pins
standing and looking at the bowling ball rolling towards them symbolize our
incapable world leaders who wait, watch, and don’t stop the bloody wars and
madness because they are making a fortune!
The track is not only an anti-war but also an anti-mainstream
media song. We are brainwashed with lies and nonsense, the so-called “Breaking
News” daily. And we must protect our peace of mind now more than ever. I’m
happy that I was able to include my grandfather’s wise words in the lyrics as I
have quoted my grandmother's great advice in “Ping Pong & Puzzle” to fight
depression and heartbreak.
I understand
there's a bonus track on the album called "Secret Angels," which you
plan to release as a single later this year on Bandcamp. What can you tell us
about this track and why you chose to include it as a bonus?
Yes, there is. I wasn’t planning on releasing a bonus
track. After a while, it was clear to me that if I was gone continue my
collaboration with Thir13een aka Warren Young, I had to release an album with
13 tracks. Why 13? Not only because of my feat. artist's name Thir13een, but
because 13 is my lucky number. In my country's calendar, I was born on the 13th
and the year of my birth starts with 13.
The
bonus track “Secret Angels” is inspired simply by Kindness. Nine hardworking humans,
working in a little grocery shop around the corner that we visit weekly for
twenty years. The staff is always very friendly, polite, kind and welcoming.
This
beautiful track is a reminder that we all have helpful angels around us daily,
but they never get any recognition or acknowledgment for their hard and usually
underpaid jobs. People working in retail, public working sectors & Co
shouldn’t be taken for granted.
“Secret
Angels” is dedicated to all the daily heroes near and far who take care of our
well-being and daily needs, without us knowing them and them knowing us
personally.
My mum and
I will reward Secret Angels around us with a personalized Lily4Humanity Award &
Certificate starting this summer with the nine Secret Angels/the grocery shop staff
around the corner, who have inspired me to write the lyrics.
Alongside your
music, you've also launched an online petition called #RespectIndieArtistsWork.
Can you tell us more about it and the goals you hope to achieve with it?
Raising awareness and changing the corrupt
distribution system is my main goal with this petition on gopetition.com. It’s
kind of ironic, my journey as an indie-lyricist started with an online petition
#HumanityB4Nationality for better rights for refugees.
Now, two years later I’m promoting my album Legacy4Humanity
at the same time as a new online petition. Trust me, this wasn’t planned and I
wish I didn’t have to go through this awful and unlawful experience.
The previous two months were a wake-up call and
eye-opening. Everything in life happens for a reason though and I don’t want
any other indie-Artist to make the same nasty experience.
Only three days before my 12th track “HomeTown”
was released my former distributor amuse.io, a Swedish company based in
Stockholm closed my artist account, denied access to my 13 tracks, and kept my
royalties. Monthly payments for two years that I was collecting to donate to
two charities: The Christoffel Blind Mission (in Switzerland) and Smile Train (in
the UK) are gone!
Amuse.io ignored my emails and left me in the dark
for more than an entire month. I had no clue what happened and why. To this
date, I still don’t know why they had the audacity to treat me like a criminal.
I explain everything on the petition page.
I’m still speechless about the disrespectful treatment.
So I went to the Swiss Police to report the Swedish distributor and fight for
the charity's donation. Unfortunately, they told me, that the process is not promising
at all considering the high number of cybercrimes the Police have to fight daily.
The best solution would be to travel to Stockholm and file a police report in
the country at a Swedish police station.
And that’s when and why I decided to raise my voice
and fight this corrupt system as it is right now. In my last petition, I used
my voice for the voiceless refugees. This time my goal is to raise my voice for
ALL the incredible hardworking indie-Artists who put their heart and soul, love, time, energy, money, and hope into their
passion.
I chose the name “Respect Indie-Artists Work” and
not “Respect Indie Artists Music”, because people forget how much work is
behind every music release. Artists without a label, management, PR, and legal
team, have to do everything along the media and social media promotion and gigs.
It is a full-time job with no payment in return!
Even cleaners make more income an hour than artists do! I would go so far and even
say factory employees working in the most horrific and inhuman working conditions
in India and Turkey make more money than indie-Artists do. This is the harsh
reality!
Today a petition supporter who is a well-established
music producer with a high number of followers and streaming throughout all platforms,
wrote me these lines, which touched my heart. “I understand that I never will get back the time and money I spend on
music, in return you have almost nothing, but I love to make music, you can
compare it with bringing water to the open sea with other words who cares.”
This statement sums it all! Indie-Artists don’t do
music for fame and fortune, but because they love what they do. So the least indie-Artists
can expect from “partners” such as distributors and music stores is RESPECT and
everything else that I demand in my online petition.
How do you believe
the music industry can better support and uplift independent artists like
yourself, especially in terms of transparency and fair treatment?
Honestly, the way the industry is treating indie-Artists
right now; is everything but uplifting and supportive. It’s the exact opposite.
It is disgraceful. I’m shocked, disgusted, and disappointed to witness how
disrespectful, unfair, and unkind the distribution companies and music stores discriminate
and communicate with indie-Artists.
In my personal opinion, the whole streaming concept
is wrong. As an indie-Artist, you only get paid across all platforms, when a stream is played for
at least 30 seconds and the royalty rate for streaming is about 6 cents per 100
streams. You make the calculation! This is ridiculous. People pay for fast food,
cigarettes, and alcohol. Why shouldn’t music lovers pay for music, a product
that is not poisoning but healing their mind, body, and soul?
Indie-Artists invest time and money in production
and promotion; it takes decades until/if they ever see any profit at all! So the least we can expect from so-called “partners”
is RESPECT! Be a team player and don’t
insult, accuse, and discriminate indie-Artists, just because they don’t have a
label or management. Indie-Artists should be treated as professional and
respectful as signed artists.
The way I see it, the streaming system is as corrupt
as the Post Office scandal in the United Kingdom. Only this is a national
scandal. The corruption in the music industry and the awful treatment of indie
artists is a global scandal! Nothing about it is fair and transparent.
The three
major labels in today's industry Universal Music Group, Sony Music
Entertainment, and Warner Music Group, 35+ distributors worldwide, and 8+ music stores such
as Spotify, Apple, YouTube, Amazon, etc. are dominating the music/streaming
industry. According to my research to this date, there is NO Organization to
hold accountable when indie-Artists are treated like a criminal, while ANYONE
out there can add music to playlists that might be AI-generated without the
artist’s knowledge!
The moment when indie-Artists release a track
through one of these many distributors, the artist/THE copyright holder trusts
its baby blindly and in good faith into “fortune hunters” hands not having any control,
say, and transparency at all!
So tell me in what world is it allowed to treat
innocent indie-Artists like criminals? In what world is it OK to punish,
insult, and humiliate indie-Artists with false accusations and get away with
it? And above all, have the audacity to keep the artist's royalties? In my case
to steal money that was meant to be donated to the Christoffel Blind Mission
and Smile Train for life-changing surgeries!
The music industry
is becoming every day a harder territory for independent artists. What advice
would you give to those young artists making the first steps into this world?
This is a hard question to answer as the system is
right now. If you are a fame and fortune hunter, stay away! Because you neither
get the fame (that you deserve) nor the fortune (that you deserve)!
But if you are writing and producing music with
other goals like me whose main goal is to raise and spread awareness about
social issues, or you simply want to entertain music lovers, nothing is holding
you back.
Be careful though with the platform you choose and
don’t fall for celebrity names as references like I did with amuse.io. I only
and mainly chose this company because of the American artist Will.I.Am who I
respect and think is trustworthy. This was a huge mistake.
Today I would only choose a distributor to release
my music on social media (Instagram, TikTok, etc.) and a site like Bandcamp or
SoundCloud to upload my tracks and have full control over the price, takedowns,
and any other changes as I wish when I wish, like cover change, new audio file,
etc. I have full control and no one else! This way no one can insult me and
hold my babies as hostage!
Despite the
challenges, what keeps you motivated and inspired to continue creating music as
an independent artist?
My main
goal as an indie lyricist from the start was never fame and fortune. I began my
journey as an indie-Writer ten years ago and my journey as an indie-lyricist
two years ago. If money was my main and only motivation, I should have stopped
after my first book and song release.
Therefore
this corrupt streaming system as it is right now won’t stop me from continuing
my journey. It also won’t take away my joy in writing, illustrating, and
publishing books and my love for songwriting and releasing songs. Music is
healing and the best medicine for the soul. I’m now more motivated than ever to
use my voice/lyrics! The voice is Thir13een! I leave it to the pro! LOL.
Your album
"Legacy4Humanity" is now available on Bandcamp. What significance
does this platform hold for you as an artist, and how do you feel it empowers
independent musicians?
When I
had no access to my tracks for over a month and no say in taking them down from
all the music stores, I realized how naïve, clueless, and helpless we are as
indie-Artists and it wasn’t a good feeling. It’s like giving away your baby to
a babysitter and they treat your precious child as they wish and keep your baby
hostage! This is criminal and should have consequences!
Thankfully
a music journalist who was writing an article about “HomeTown” advised me to
upload my tracks on Bancamp.com until the mess caused by Amuse.io was solved,
which I immediately did. And to be honest, I’m seriously considering taking
down all my tracks from streaming platforms and only making them available on
Bandcamp. This is also a reason, why I’m not releasing “Secret Angels” yet!
The
best thing about Bandcamp is having FULL CONTROL and SAY over my work!
Can you share any
memorable moments or experiences you've had while working on the album, whether
in the studio or during the creative process?
Awww,
every song production is like giving birth to a new baby and is a memorable
moment, especially when I hear the finished song for the first time. It is
exciting and magical. Warren Young never fails to impress me with his God-given
gift. Like a magician, he turns my lyrics into a masterpiece, every time!
The
writing process for every song was different. Some of the tracks took me longer
than others. I still remember how I
cried tears of joy when I heard “The Stolen Years” with my voice on it. A childhood
dream came true.
“HomeTown”
was written in one morning and recorded within days. Warren sang my lyrics
completely differently than all other songs. You feel my pain and deep desire in
his voice which brought me to tears as well.
But he
also made me emotional and teary when he sang my grandmother and grandfather's quotes
in “Ping Pong & Puzzle” and “Bowling”. I wish they would be still with us
and could listen to Warren's angelic performance and dance with us.
Other
songs make me dance in my living room and kitchen with my mum Sima. We dance to
SIMA, the Miracle of Music, YoYo & Chess, Ping Pong & Puzzle, and
Bowling. These are my favorite memorable moments. The joy that the songs bring
into our home is precious and priceless. The little girl in me who cherishes music
from a young age is beyond thrilled, excited, and grateful for the opportunity
to collaborate with a shining star like Thir13een.
As an artist who
values authenticity and creativity, do you think the advent of AI in music will
damage creatives and traditional musicians?
Definitely!
AI is destroying many creative fields not only the music industry. Also, people
have started using AI as an excuse for everything that goes wrong like they now
do with fake streaming generated by AI (BOTS).
When
you can’t have a real person supporting your needs, answering and solving your
problems on different platforms you know that you are in big trouble. This new
technology is the beginning of a nightmare and is the end of humanity!
What are your plans
for the future?
Right now, I’m working on a new book project. The
life story of the founder of the Christoffel
Blind Mission has inspired me to write a book about living a legacy like
he has. Mister Ernst Christoffel faced many difficulties and obstacles in his
life, but he always knew and felt that he had a mission and continued his
journey during World War II and became the father of the Blind, Deaf-Mute, and Orphans after more
than 50 years of missionary work.
Today
the charity in his name is located in several countries and they are doing
life-changing surgeries. This shows that we all can make a difference in
people’s lives and that fame and fortune should never be the motivation but
humanity!
Lily, it was such a pleasure having you with us today. Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers and your fans?
It
was a pleasure chatting with you. Thank you for giving me the chance to promote
my music and use my voice for the indie-Artist community with my online
petition!
I
would like to thank everyone who is listening to my tracks. If you enjoy
meaningful lyrics, professional production, and an angelic voice, please download
the “Legacy4Humanity album” and help me collect donations for the Lily4Humanity
charities that I support. Thank you so much.
Fellow
artists and indie-music lovers fight for your rights. Demanding Respect for
your hard work is the least we can expect from distributors and music stores.
Please
sign and share the petition #RespectIndieArtistsWork at gopetiton.com Let's
support each other. Together we are stronger than this corrupt system! Your
voice matters now more than ever!
![](<center> <a href="https://lilyamis.bandcamp.com" target="_blank"><img src="../lilyamismusic/images2024/legacy4humanity.jpg" width="475" height="475" border=1></a><br> <iframe style="border: 0; width: 80%; height: 472px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=997770221/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=none/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="https://lilyamis.bandcamp.com/album/legacy4humanity">Legacy4Humanity by Lily Amis feat.Thir13een</a></iframe> </center>)
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