SEPH is a musical venture of the ardent Ohio-based musician Joseph Majka. A young and spirited artist, Joseph Majka stands out from the crowd because of his authentic electronic styles and out-of-the-box approach.
He recently released a vibrant electronic track ‘The Dawn of a Dream’. Here’s the interview of SEPH we recently took:
1. What is the idea behind the song ‘The Dawn Of A Dream’? What motivated you to create such a mystical and gripping track?
The song “The Dawn Of A Dream” felt like a turning point for me in the writing process for my new album. At this point, I had written a handful of songs that I felt were going to be a part of a future 2nd project, however, that project at the time of writing this song was still untitled. I was working on the production for a new song shortly after finishing my master’s degree and returning from a vacation to Europe. My life was about to change again, as I was moving back home and starting a new job within the next month. As with a lot of my songs, I start with production and utilize several audio loops to get a sense of the song’s feeling and mood, and then I start writing lyrics and coming up with a vocal melody to complement the production. When I listened back to the production, this song felt very triumphant and almost like I was on the edge of something great. And with so much going on, I couldn’t help but feel like a phase of my life was ending and a new one was beginning. I was reflecting on a relationship that I made the decision to end, as this person had caused so much pain and anxiety. I didn’t want to let go of this situation, but I knew I had to do it. “The Dawn Of A Dream” symbolizes the end and also the beginning of my life. The dawn is the start of the day or the sunrise. A dream is something that happens when we are asleep, and it also refers to our deepest desires and aspirations in life. To me, combining these two concepts felt true to the project as a whole, so that is why it’s the name of my new album. I feel that this album represents a very distinct chapter of growth in my life, including both love and loss, yet it is still just the beginning of my future.
2. Please share with your listeners your musical journey thus far. Has it been challenging or smooth sailing?
My musical journey has definitely been challenging. I started releasing music in 2017 with my twin under the moniker “Twinzsz.” We put out several singles and released a 6-track EP called “Afterglow.” While I am proud of my confidence as a new performer at that time and the lyrics to these songs, I feel that I may have rushed through some of the production and quality of the songs. I later re-recorded one of my favourites from this era of music in 2019 called “No Serenity (Here in Your Arms)”, which featured updated vocals from me and a more cohesive, uplifting production compared to the previous 2017 release. After taking time to write more music and making the decision to be a solo artist, SEPH (my new stage name) was born in 2018. SEPH is just short for Joseph, which is my full name. I began releasing singles throughout 2019 and into 2020, while performing at local events, scheduling photoshoots, making more music, thrifting unique clothes to wear for shows and photoshoots, editing photos, and working on a full-length debut album. This was a lot to take on as a 24-year-old while working a full-time job and trying to get a music career to take off without any sort of “team” to help out. I was doing this completely on my own and had high, almost unrealistic expectations for myself. As I was finishing up my first album, the pandemic hit and I could not go to the studio where I had been recording music since late 2016. We didn’t have too many songs left to finish, however, I figured my album would have to come out much later than I wanted. Flash forward to 2021, when I was able to finish recording on breaks and weekends when I was back home from grad school. “Electric Expressions” was released in September 2021, as my very first album. While some of the singles received a decent amount of streams for a new artist, the rest of the album did not manage to make an impact with anyone outside my followers, friends, and family. I felt extremely defeated and began to question if I should quit music altogether. However, there was too much that I wanted to say, as I began writing songs again. After gathering about 8-10 songs for a potential 2nd album, I started recording the new songs in November 2022. We recorded for most of 2023, before I took a break for my own personal reasons, and finally finished it in May 2024. The album was released in August 2024 and has now been out for a few weeks. I’m still in the middle of promoting it, and I’m performing at an album release show this week to showcase all the new songs, plus a few old favourites. Overall, it’s been hard because I have had to manage life demands, school, work, friends and family, and more, all while spending hours and hours on a music “side hustle” that hasn’t generated much of a profit yet. With that being said, I create music for myself and while I would love for it to be a career, I am a very realistic person and I know my own limitations.
3. How would you define your music?
My music is definitely the realm of pop meets electronic meets synth-wave meets alternative/indie pop. I love pop music so much and my music has always taken inspiration from great artists like Charli xcx, Tove Lo, Lady Gaga, and Allie X. I would say from the two albums that I’ve released so far, my music leans more towards “dark pop”, as my lyrics are very honest, emotional, and draw from personal experiences that are sometimes extremely dramatic, but almost always are based on true events in my life. I am always open to experimenting with my songs, whether that is unique, unconventional production, or creating original song titles. For example, with the first single from my new album “Secrets Taste Like You”, I changed the title I had written from the demo, which was “Without You.” I realized there are so, so many songs with the title “Without You” and I wanted to stand out a little more, so I went with “Secrets Taste Like You”, which is bold and to my knowledge, is the only song I could find on the entire internet and streaming services with that song title.
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4. What is the no.1 thing you want your listeners to take from the enchanting musical world you offer them?
I want listeners of my music to know that they are not alone. As I am super honest with my lyrics, I hope that my lyrics resonate with listeners and they feel that they can be honest in their own lives too. Even though my songs are often emotional and intense, I incorporate upbeat and dancey energy with the production because I like that dichotomy. I’ve heard the term “sad bops” to describe some of the songs that I love, which holds true to the songs that I create. There are some very dark lyrics, but you can’t help but tap your foot or dance to the beat of some of my more catchy songs. I strongly believe that it’s okay to feel your emotions, while at the same time making the best of a situation and dancing with tears in your eyes. I hope that my music can be a sort of escape for my listeners and that they truly enjoy what I’m putting out in the world.
5. What should your listeners and fans look forward to? What is in store for them? Please give us a glimpse into your future projects.
Currently, I’m running through my set for my upcoming album release show. I’ve put together a solid setlist which includes every song on the new album, plus a few old favourites and a special cover song by one of my favourite artists. I’m a little nervous, as it’s my first show in about a year and I want to give it my all since we are professionally recording the show at the studio where I made the album and all of my songs. After this, I’m looking forward to planning future shows and working on new music. I’ve written some newer songs this year, but we’ll see if they make the cut for the next project. I have ideas of what the next project could sound like, and I think it should get even more experimental than my past stuff. I would also love to collaborate with other songwriters and producers, as I’ve always been the only writer on each of my songs. I need to give myself some time to experience life and get inspired again though. I can’t write a song if I’m not inspired by something. I want to write about some topics that I’ve never discussed in my music, in order to keep it interesting and exciting. I could never put out a song that I’m not passionate about!
6. Lastly, tell us a little about your creative process. Is it random and impromptu? Or does it involve days and months of planning and careful webbing?
My creative process is both impromptu and involves a lot of planning. As far as writing the lyrics for my songs, it’s pretty impromptu. I sit down with my laptop, pull up a session, gather some looping synths in the same key, and start writing my lyrics. I often feel when listening to the production that I have started, if I don’t write the lyrics down that immediately come to mind, then I’m scared they will escape from my memory and be gone forever. So I write some lyrics and build a verse and chorus, singing an initial melody that fits in the realm of the song’s mood. Once I’ve come up with a solid first verse and chorus, I usually progress to verse two and add a bridge, another chorus, and/or outro for the song. In a lot of my songs, I feel that the last minute to minute and a half of it is the best part. I believe that if you’re going to listen to a 3, 4, or even 5-minute song all the way through, you should be rewarded for listening to it until the end. That’s why for the last part of the song, whether that be a third chorus, an extended outro, or a bridge into the last chorus, I usually add interesting backing vocals, different instrumentation, or change lyrics to keep the listener’s attention throughout the whole thing. I don’t often consider my audience’s perspective when creating a song, as I do that when I’m promoting the record later on, but I believe it’s important to have every part of the song be captivating enough that you wouldn’t want to press skip!
For the planning part of my creative process, it definitely takes days, months, and even years of planning to create a campaign for my singles and upcoming album. For this most recent album, I finished over half of the album before I even put out the first single. I wanted to have many songs to choose from before I considered what would be the first preview of more music to come. After releasing “Secrets Taste Like You” in July 2023, the first single, I put out “Rhinestone Soul” and “Heartbreak Heaven” in September and December 2023, respectively. This year, I released “Glitter In The Air” in March, “Gold” in May, and “Cancer Moon” in July, before launching the entire album in August. I wanted to put out multiple singles spread out over a year because as a small artist, it helps to focus on one song at a time. I also needed to coordinate photoshoots, one for the singles and one for the album. This involved creating mood boards, thrifting outfits, choosing a location for the shoot, emailing back and forth with the photographer, and editing the album artwork so it looks polished and represents the music well. I loved creating the album, writing, producing, recording, and working on the photoshoots, but planning an album campaign to promote on social media is very exhausting and is my least favourite part of this whole process. I will say though, that I am so, so proud of this body of work and it deserves to be promoted and shown to as many people as possible.
Listen to the song right here:
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I hoard up thoughts, pieces, and souvenirs, which you could only have a glance of through my words...
