Roxana Line has an obsession. It is not with creating a faux glass house that might break, she’s going method on her style. Combining harrowing stories and dreams, she is exploring princess stories no one else might talk about. Her latest single is called Among the Dead, and is a bohemian music box jump scare that might render you speechless.
Dueting with Everchange, Roxana takes the duties of a princess with twisted purpose in minor scale. The opening of the song is like that of a carousel globe, where you can slowly delve into the life of these characters. As the live instruments blast through, Roxana’s strong vocals soar with grace and redefined purpose. Here is Roxana talking about the making of this track:
Exploring a darker tale
It was a thrilling exploration of darker themes and a fun experiment of having guest vocals on any of my tracks for the very first time. I am extremely happy with how it turned out! This track is the second chapter of my horror emo musical that continues the story that began in my previous song “That’s The Way You’re Giving Up.”
“Among The Dead” is a thrilling ghost story that is told in the format of a conversation between a wife and her late husband who returned to take her with him to the next world. It is also a story of denial and insanity of the main character caused by a sudden loss of a loved one. It is a song about finding a way back to reality even if that reality hurts a lot. In general, all of my writing is very intentional. I always start with a story and visuals in mind that I, in a sense, create a score to and then figure out a way to tell this story in a lyrical form with great melody that fits the rest of the music.
It would be a great musical to test out on Broadway, with the kind of emotions set into play with the dueling nature of the dynamic. The chorus is especially designed to incubate the feelings of dread, something it does as soon as she touches upon it.
Horror Emo Musicals: An experiment
SM: You’ve released several singles, theme hopping though the spine remains the same. Have you considered an album with a core concept?
I am very glad you caught that! “That’s The Way You’re Giving Up” and “Among The Dead” are the first two chapters (songs) from my concept album “60% Wonderworlds, 40% Tragedies”, that I also often refer to as my “Horror Emo Musical”.I chose to release all tracks for it separately due to the format of how music is released and consumed nowadays, you barely see full album releases. I also saw benefit in taking this route due to budget considerations.
I have a much better chance of saving up and creating memorable content accompanying each song release if said releases are spaced out. As somebody who wears a lot of different hats in this process – from songwriter, arranger, orchestrator and producer to screenwriter, art director and an accountant (the most glamorous job), I have to take into consideration not only the creative, but also the more practical aspects of my process. In the end, I just hope I can share the best version of my music possible with the whole world.
She’s exploring a lot of themes but has landed on a very interesting one listeners can delve into. With her trademark voice that can no doubt range several octaves, Roxana Line might be the next big artist creating via themes. The collaboration with Everchange also brought about some significant delivery changes, the yin and yang of the dynamic she yearns to portray.
The duality of perspectives
I originally wrote this song back in 2012 as a duet. While I always performed the entire song by myself on all live shows, I knew that I would eventually need to find an amazing male vocalist who would be able to perform the part that I wrote for the second character in the studio.
Luckily I didn’t have to look hard, as I met Sean Green (Everchange) by a total coincidence in an online workshop that we both joined. The second I heard his voice, I knew I had to find a way to work with him. So it all worked out perfectly and he really brought this character to life beyond any expectations.
Roxana Line is not a stranger to producing music. She was in several bands earlier, and that might have changed the way she looks at music from an individual’s perspective. Her lyrics explore character relationships with strange precision, so I asked her about it:
Creating individual stories and symphonies
SM: What do you find to be different, being in several bands earlier and now as an indie musician? Apart from the obvious creative flow not being deterred.
I love this question, and I really want to take this opportunity to share my perspective on it, as it might be a bit unconventional. I never had challenges with creative flow in my bands, because I was always the only person writing music in them. Every one of my bands I put together specifically to perform my original music and my arrangements of an occasional cover that we played.
I am a big believer in giving the credit where it’s due and I am very fortunate to have played with amazing musicians that helped me bring to life my music in a live setting for nearly a decade. My whole thing is writing, and while as part of it I did end up teaching myself how to play many different instruments, I don’t consider myself an expert at most of them. The instruments that I can say with full confidence that I am an expert at are pen, paper and Logic Pro with a good MIDI controller.
So, in this sense, nothing really changed, I approach this record the same way I approached live shows back in the day: I found a group of talented musicians who put music first and play the parts that I write to a T, no matter how weird they might seem. As I trust them with my music, they trust me with my vision and ability to see the bigger picture, ensuring it all comes together just right in the end.
Condensed art with nuances
It really shows, the effort she puts into each single. Judge not by my words, as you can find more of her music on Spotify. She has tried to break out of the crystalline shell that encases artists once they find a niche and make something more relevant and fresh. If given the opportunity, she would love to tour she says.
Listen to her hauntingly mesmerizing single here:
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Discovered via http://musosoup.com
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Self professed metalhead, moderately well read. If the music has soul, it's whole to me. The fact that my bio could have ended on a rhyme and doesn't should tell you a lot about my personality.
