Angel, Alien, Warrior, Woman: Interview with Musician Eriel Indigo

Music, color, spiritual theories, sci-fi, feminism and glitter swirl together in the kaleidoscope that is Eriel Indigo. Her music is catchy, and her presence rooted firmly between goofy/fun-loving/space-minded, and the deeper, more soulful aspects of life. Recently, I had the chance to chat with her via email a bit about her new song, Born an Angel (from the upcoming GALACTIVATE), as well as the beautiful, surreal world she lives in. Read on...

What is your chosen battle tactic against anxiety or negativity?
 
   I am a very empathic, sensitive creature so I do have experience with anxiety and sadness. Personally I think it's first important to do a lot of self inquiry to discover what your highest excitement is; what you love doing, whether it's creative or logical and engage with it as much as possible, while setting the intention to utilize your passion to be in service to the world.

  Other than that, meditation, kundalini yoga/breathwork, sounding/tapping, dance or any kind of cardio exercise that floats your boat, healthy human touch and animal snuggles, reconnecting with nature and striving to trust and create meaningful connections with others who inspire and support you.







 
Great advice. I feel like not enough artists talk about struggling with these things, but we as women especially tend to hide it so we don't appear anything less than strong. Onto another topic: Like me, you love scifi and are creating your own artistic statements in the realms of the speculative. What do you find yourself going back to again and again for science fiction inspiration?

   Ah! It's true, I am a scifi junky;;) I don't really need to go to any content for "scifi" inspiration because really the work I create that might seem like scifi to others is actually quite real to me. I really do identify emotionally more with other planetary cultures and sentient beings (yes this may sound crazy to some) so it's the information I have gleaned from these other realms that fuels the perhaps more scifi seeming portions of my work:)

   I do love so many scifi films though. To me they just seem closer to reality ;;)

 

 As an add-on have you seen the M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming music video series?! One of the dopest bodies of work I have EVER seen.



I haven't seen that, but I definitely will check it out. I know M83 has really pushed the limits with art and music for quite some time. Can you tell us a little about what to expect from your new song?

 "Born an Angel" is off of my upcoming debut album GALACTIVATE. This track is more in the Earthly and autobiographical than space pop lyrically, but musically is still pretty trippy with a lot of vocal cuts and electro sparkle;;)

I love seeing a throwback to trip-hop, as a fan of Sneaker Pimps and some of the lesser known experimental artists of the 90s. Who are some of your favorite trip-hop artists?

 Oh yeah, gimme alllll the trip hop, baby. There's so much good stuff; Portishead, obviously holds the crown, Lovage, Cibo Matto, Goldfrapp, Sneaker Pimps, Bjork, Massive Attack, Morcheeba, Tricky, Esthero, DJ Shadow, RJD2... I mean, we could go on for a while here.


I'll have to look some of those up that I haven't heard yet! What is the best way for your fans to reach/contact you on social media?

  All of my social media links can be found on my website www.erielindigo.com

  Twitter and IG @erielindgo

  https://soundcloud.com/eriel-indigo

  


What essentials should a woman pack for a festival?

 Well, my love that depends on the festival! One doesn't really need protective goggles in the woods but if you catch yourself in the desert in a seven hour dust storm, you had better hope you have those blessed things.

 Essential for every festival: Sparkles, if you're a sparkle pony, good dancin' shoes, headlamp, water bottle, warm and cool steezy attire, wetnaps, backpack, friends, mind expanding treats or just some nice snacks to share::D 

But really the ultimate guide to what you need at a festival is most certainly Burning Man Radical Self Reliance Packing List. Really a great read for any camper;;)

Love this. I'd like to try Burning Man one day, really. Onto another important topic: What is the best way for a woman to get in touch with her sexual power?

  Well we are a diverse bunch so I venture to say it's different for anyone, but I would recommend doing some reading on tantra, sex magic and self pleasuring meditation exercises for empowerment and getting to know your own body.

 

  Other than that, more self inquiry on what makes one feel healthy and powerful sexually. This could take form in so many ways. I have quite a spiritual experience of sexuality and I think it is important to develop one's self in this way but you know, there's also BDSM, polyamory, role playing, fetish, furries and Goddess only knows what else out there to explore so I say do your research, be safe and have at it! You never know where your own personal ecstasy might be hiding.


Favorite lipstick ever?

 Well, I don't love to applaud companies but hot damn is matte MAC Ruby Woo the most perfect red a girl could hope for.

Thanks Kendra! Sending you giant pink and turquoise bliss bubbles of love::)

 ~ERIEL

 

DOWNLOAD BORN AN ANGEL FREE! https://soundcloud.com/eriel-indigo

Why You Don't Harrass A Sci-Fi Author

So yesterday I had a little run-in with an annoying stranger on Facebook, and I posted about it. The post was picked up by Buzzfeed and spread rapidly on the internet. For some reason, though, this morning the post had vanished.

I'm uploading it here, for your sharing and laughing pleasure.

Stranger guy sent me a bunch of annoying "hi" "hi sexy" "what's up?" messages, which I didn't answer, plus pictures of his face, over the span of about three months. Over lunch yesterday I had this conversation with him:

THIS is why you don't mess with a feminist sci-fi writer! ;)

1989, Taylor Swift, and Sexism in Media

1989 just came out, and everyone’s talking about how Taylor Swift has grown up so much and finally made an album that people are proud to listen to. But she’s actually had great songs for a few years now… you just never heard them.

Part of the problem with Taylor Swift as a brand is that her singles are rarely her best songs, and the general public doesn’t realize how much better she is on the album tracks than the 3 minute megahit you hear on the radio every half hour. While I can appreciate the histrionics of faux dystopian revolutionary freedom fighter Matt Bellamy or the sparkling, earthy wails of witchy Florence Welch or fae-like Christina Perri, Taylor Swift seems to veer closest to silly when she’s leading a brash singalong about never getting back together or life at 22, complete with self-deprecating spoken-word comments.

In her quieter moments, though? Taylor Swift is an impressive songwriter. By her second album she showed potential, but it was her third album when she really blossomed. Her specific images, much like Lorde’s, are so pointed and vivid that they create a universal feeling. Never is she better than when she’s describing a scene:

I walked through the door with you, the air was cold,
But something ‘bout it felt like home somehow and I
Left my scarf there at your sister’s house,
And you still got it in your drawer even now.

Oh, your sweet disposition and my wide-eyed gaze.
We’re singing in the car, getting lost upstate.

Much has been said about Taylor Swift writing from personal experience, though I would venture to say people who think that’s odd or problematic aren’t writers. Writers draw from the well of their experiences. Her songs have become stronger as they’ve become more specific and evocative, drawn so directly from life experience that sometimes you feel more like you’re reading her diary.

Some of her best lyrics, from “Innocent”, show her ability to craft devastating poetry out of more subtle images and words:

Wasn’t it easier in your lunchbox days?
Always a bigger bed to crawl into
Wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything?
And everybody believed in you?

Some of her other best songs (“Enchanted”, “The Last Time”, “Holy Ground”, “State of Grace”, “Long Live”) deal in similar deep subject matter, delicately impacting word play.

One of the other greatest issues with Taylor Swift has always been the is she/isn’t she media storm that has always surrounded her. Much of that isn’t her fault, of course, because fame came to her very early, before she could form opinions on a range of adult issues like feminism, relationships and sex.  In the early days she, much like I did once, bought into an image of herself as a pure, innocent, chaste girl in a world of handsome boys and mean cheerleaders. She played the outsider by way of tennis shoes and t-shirts and glasses. The sexist media, sensing an opportunity to cause trouble, latched onto her ideas and multiplied them in every article, every interview, laughing and pointing at this “good girl” who was also dating boys. Taylor Swift, like many other girls that age, struck back by insisting that she was not “one of those girls.” The cycle of viciousness spiraled downward from there, until at some point she broke out of her media-spun dichotomy and realized you can love love, love relationships, love boys, date often and still wear 1950s dresses and be a good person. There are no “other girls” to not be like. Women can be as complicated and multifaceted as men, despite what the sexist media says.

To me, 1989 is that realization in one album. It’s less apologetic about romance, it’s more honest about flaws in both side of every relationship. The style of the songs feels drawn from Lorde, from Lana Del Rey, from other women who have been strong in their message from the beginning. The songs are cohesive and interesting and mature. And the songwriting is good.