Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr
Interviewee: HERSTORY’s Tiziana and Shantal
Hello and welcome to the Artist Ant Interviews People Fall Series! Welcome to another edition to my latest talks with local and global creatives that are alive, hustling and thriving in their respective crafts! Today I have two special guests that recently completed their latest EP The Benefits of a Liar, and thankfully I had the privilege of interviewing them in the midst of their promos and live shows. Ladies and Androids of the Interwebs, please welcome Tiziana and Shantal of HERSTORY!
Q0. Who are your inspirations?
Tiziana- My biggest inspiration in the music scene is Mary J Blige, the combination of her hard edge and soulful spirit within her lyrics and voice blow me away all the time. She has always been the one artist that has helped me develop my own self assurance in my personal life and creatively as well. The next two women can simply bare their souls in their music and I admire them extremely for it. Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga have such poise for their craft that they make it look effortless and otherworldly if I could ever get to the level of those two I would feel like I’ve made it!
Shantal- It’s going to sound a bit egotistical but i am one of my biggest inspirations. I am very proud of myself for being a self taught guitar/piano player and all the beautiful things that have come from it, like Herstory. As far as artists that I admire I would have to say, Bruno Mars and Jennifer Lopez because they both have such amazing work ethic and can definitely put on a show.
Q1. How did you get into art, most notably songwriting?
Tiziana - Art has always been a passion of mine, before I could name a single friend or gather any memory regarding another person, I had art. It has always been in the forefront of my life. Since I’m a free spirit; I consider it a personal form of expression. Ever since I could remember, art has driven me to get experimental with my thoughts and make something out of them. My most “used” form of creative expression has been song writing and or writing all together. As a young tween; I always felt out of my element with the kids in my school, I always knew I had a lot within me but never felt pulled to sign up for any school activities, until there was a poem fair.
At first, I was quite resistant on joining and I had only a day to prepare but my mother believed in me so profoundly, that she gave me the last bit of encouragement that I needed to apply. I picked up my pen and paper for the first time and wrote a poem about the connection between humans and their pets, not knowing what would come of it I shared it with a room filled with children from my school. Some that taunted me, some that never knew who I was and of course some great friends.
I remember vividly, as nervous as I might have been the minute I began to speak--- all my thoughts went away, I was ONE with my words and I felt like ME. After my poem had finished I remember the room settling in, for a couple of seconds it was quiet, and then I felt the energy shift to amazement and cheering, I’ll never forget the teacher who came up to me after my recital of why children love their pets. She asked me if a parent had written that poem for me and I simply said “no; I wrote it myself last night, It just came to me really”. Her face was happily in shock stating that I had quite a gift and that I should really look into writing when I get older. That was the moment I fell in love with writing and the rest was...well ...Herstory.
Shantal- Art was just always a part of me since very little. I loved music, dancing, and everything that has to do with it. When it comes to songwriting, it is not something that comes naturally for me like it does for Tiziana. She’s a songwriting machine! For me however, coming up with a melody on the piano or the guitar, like the one for Benefits of a liar, comes much more naturally.
Q2. When did you take the Herstory seriously? How did you both embark on this journey as artists?
Tiziana/Shantal - Herstory was a fluke, we always sang music together, since we both share a passion for music and art expression. But it wasn’t until one day that Shantal was sitting by the piano coming up with a beautiful ballad, she knew of Tiziana’s songwriting, but up until that moment she had never actually heard it. That’s how the song benefits of a liar came about and then it just continued growing more and more after that.
Q2.1. You recently released a track called "Benefits of a Liar" featuring Xeno, and directed by Amando Ortega. What were the origins of the song? What was the song writing process like for that particular track?
Tiziana: This song is the main reason Herstory stands, if we had never made this song you wouldn’t be speaking to us today, so it holds a lot of power and the creation of this song in particular was due to the piano piece Shantal made. I felt a desire to write to it and Shantal just allowed me to work my magic, before that day, the last time I had written a song was when I was 15. This song was the beginning to not only Herstory but the revival to my song writing all together.
Shantal: Tiziana pretty much nailed it. Only thing I would add is that the song touches close to home. It was written during a tough time in our relationship. We managed to take the pain and turn it into art.
Q2.2. What themes tend to recur in your music? How do you both know when to agree on the direction of a track or concept?
Tiziana - The Benefits of a Liar EP definitely has a recurring theme of love and experiencing certain moments within romantic relationships. But moving forward we would like to give all themes of life a try, since we are called Herstory the best way we ever want to depict our music is storytelling in all forms,this is to be seen but as for right now the big theme in our music is LOVE.
Shantal - WE NEVER AGREE. It’s a back and forth until our egos have had enough and we decide to compromise. However, lately things have been smoother on that aspect.
Q2.3. What is your regime when song writing? Do you tend to make an instrumental first and then write lyrics after? Or do you write lyrics and then create an instrumental around it?
Tiziana - As a songwriter I always allow myself to flow, mostly i get melodies off the bat but if Shantal ever begins to play around with the guitar and or piano I’ll jump in and write to it--- If I’m compelled to! Music to me is a spiritual connection;if I need to force it, it doesn’t work. I have a very close relationship to my skill set. I never like to make up words up for no reason, if it comes from me just know I give it my heart and soul.
Shantal - There isn’t an order to things. Just whatever flows to us first and then we work from there. The order does not matter as long as we get the same result.
Q2.4. What was the process like when shooting the music video for "The Benefits of a Liar"? How long did it take for the shooting process?
Tiziana - It took us a long while due to different unfortunate mishaps but shooting our scenes were quite fun, we shot it in the streets of downtown manhattan when not a lot of people were awake just yet, in an alleyway street which made it quite cool, it was very cinematic and quite fitting for the songs message.
Shantal - This video has been by far the most challenging for many reasons that we are not allowed to disclose. It was very stressful to say the least, however, we are very pleased with the end result.
Q2.5. What challenges do you both face off as singer, songwriter/musicians?
Tiziana - Being understood and acknowledged, the world today is conditioned to oversee and overlook because people are geared for perfection or “look perfect” we don’t want to fit a mold we want to be as authentic as possible and sometimes that’s not as inviting. It’s a small challenge but it doesn’t stop us from following our passions and making music for those willing to listen.
Shantal - What she said :)
Q2.6. What projects do you have currently that you are most proud of?
Tiziana - We are proud of our new music video Benefits of a Liar it’s been a long process to make but it has moved us to create more heartfelt pieces in the future.
Shantal - I am proud of everything, because guess what? We are doing it! We are following our passion in hopes to one day have it be our careers. We are putting in the work which is more than what I can say for myself before I met Tiziana.
Q2.7. Compared to your earlier efforts, what do you feel has changed stylistically in sound and in the songwriting?
Tiziana -The sound development has flourished quite a bit but it’s an everflowing growth within this skill. I would never say that I’m finally fully set in my form of writing, there’s always room for development and rebirth.
Shantal - I mean if you listen to our very first single “Get with you” and compare it to one of our latest like “W.T.B (Want to Be)” you can literally hear the growth, if you know what I mean. But all jokes aside we keep exploring different sides of us with every song because we keep evolving as artists. What we used to like before is no longer the case today.
Q2.8. Is there any genres that you are currently experimenting with? Is there any particular genres that you both would like to explore and incorporate into your pallet? What genres would you like to try to dabble in down the road?
Tiziana - Definitely would love to incorporate more spanish into our music, more upbeat songs to feel good. And a combination between jazz and hip hop would be great to bring into the new year.
Shantal - Yes, definitely spanish, it’s the music that we both originally connected with when we first met. It’s our roots! Plus our families are tired of asking us to do spanish music so they can understand the songs. I would also love for us to do some rock music, an Evanescence type of vibe.
Q2.9. What upcoming projects do you guys have down the pipeline that readers should keep an
eye out for?
Tiziana - We have a music video in the works with Richard Pigkaso that’s called “A Different Hand”, it’s quite a personal one for us and we can’t wait to see how our followers relate to it.
Shantal - We also have some spanish trap music in the way. So stay tuned for that.
Q3. What drives you in your daily life?
Tiziana - My deep thirst for knowledge and growth, I might not always get things right but I give my effort to grow and learn from everything that I live through.
Shantal - Self improvement. Every day I want to be better than I was the day before. Physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Q4. What made you the people that you are today?
Tiziana - Music and my connection with my aunt for sure.
Shantal - My mistakes and those mistakes of the people closest to me.
Q5. If you could speak to any living creator or inspiration, who would it be, why, and what would talk to them about?
Tiziana - Lady Gaga!!! I would love to learn from her and simply just talk about life.
Shantal - Jennifer Lopez, I would love to pick at her brain and thank her for being such an inspiration for women and latinas all over the world.
Q6. If there were any deceased creators , actors, singers, writers, etc that you would want to speak to, who would it be, and why?
Tiziana - I would love to work with Michael Jackson,Prince and Amy Winehouse all together in one room.
Shantal - For me it would be Michael Jackson and Chester Bennington. Michael is the greatest showman. Linkin park was a big part of my childhood and I would have loved to sing along with Chester.
Q7. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Tiziana - I would love to go to Dubai or Santorini, Greece.
Shantal - I would love to go to Spain and Brazil.
Q8. What is one thing that you fear?
Tiziana - Growing old and having to allow others to take care of me, that makes me feel almost sad to age because I know I have to place my life in others hands.
Shantal - I fear death. Just the idea of everything just no longer being there. Like, what happens? Does everything just turn black?
Q9. If you had a superpower what would it be and why?
Tiziana -Having the power to travel through time, I would love to travel to the past and to the future for fun and to experience certain things again and or see the outcome of a few things.
Shantal - The power of teleportation. Time would no longer be my enemy. I could be anywhere in a matter of seconds.
Q10. What catches your attention when you meet people?
Tiziana -Their energy, I’m quite an intuitive soul and feed off of energy quite a lot.
Shantal - Eyes and teeth, I tend to immediately make eye contact and look at their smile.
Q11. What is one word of advice that you would impart to your younger self?
Tiziana -Keep writing and keep believing in yourself regardless of those that don’t.
Shantal - Go easy on yourself. I am still telling myself that now.
Q12. What are three books that you always remember or return to, and why? How did they shape you?
Tiziana -I love Oprah Winfrey, she is one of my greatest inspirations! Her books What I Know For Sure and Wisdom of Sundays are two of my most favorites and The Tao by Alan Cohen is absolutely magical! They all have shaped my character and brought me deeper meaning to life!
Shantal - It’s sad to admit, but I haven't read a book in years. I’ve read very few in my adult life. One book I would definitely recommend is The Automatic Millionaire.
Q13. If you could continue or remake a movie, or franchise, what would be your film of choice ?
Tiziana - Since I’m a creative soul I know for a fact, there's not one specific movie or franchise that I could continue to remake time and time again but if I was given the budget I would love to make a movie based on mythology, it ties with my passion for art and spirituality for sure.
Shantal - I am a fair believer of “if it ain't broke, don't fix it”. As far as continue, bring Tony Stark and Captain America back and never end Avengers, ok?
Q14. If you were to make a film, novel, or comic book based on an album, what album or artist would you pick?
Tiziana - I would make an autobiography actually...
Shantal: I would make a novel or a film about the life of an up and coming artist. Pick multiple artists who struggled more than others on their way to success.
Q15. Who In this life, has motivated you to stay true to what makes you who are?
Tiziana - I have had a lot of strong women in my personal life to thank for all the drive they has been instilled in me through time. Those women taught me to persevere from a lot of pain and struggles, one being my mother Victoria, secondly my aunt Adriana and thirdly my sister Denise. Thanks to them and all of my life experiences, I can proudly say that I have learned to become my own prime example. As humans we all strive to become a better version of ourselves, quite consistently in our lives and if I don’t look up to myself than I’m doing something wrong.
Shantal - To be honest, myself. As much as I love my family, they tend to project their fears onto me. I know they do it because they only want the best for me. But at least the more we continue on this journey, the more they are believing in what we do.
Q16. Where do you hope to see yourself in five years?
Tiziana -Making more music in a grander scale!
Shantal - Having music be our full time career. No more 9-5.
Q17. What are three albums or songs currently, that you listen to on repeat? And why?
Tiziana -Lately I’ve been really inspired by Donna Summer’s song “On The Radio”, she’s a classic and her voice is so dreamy, this song uplifts me and drives me to make more dance tracks. A current pick has to be Always Remember us this way from the A Star is Born Soundtrack, as a writer I connect to it profoundly and Lady Gaga just captures all the things I want to be as an artist. Lastly, I’ve been patiently waiting for Jhene Aiko to drop her next album and due to that reason, I’ve been playing “Triggered” repeatedly, I respect her extremely and I know that if there was an artist outside of Lady Gaga that I would write a song with, it would be her!
Shantal - There’s too many to even pick. I have been listening to all these different 90’s music because when I first heard the songs as a child like, Backstreetboys, Britney Spears, etc., I did not speak a lick of English. Now as an adult and being able to understand the language, I listen to them and analyze them
Q18. What color speaks to you the most and why?
Tiziana -Red--it’s tied to my aunt in a very personal way.
Shantal - Purple, because as a kid I could not pick between red and blue, so I picked purple.
Q19: What is your greatest weakness?
Tiziana -Those that need me.
Shantal - My kindness, I tend to suffer more than I should. I need to practice more self care.
Q20. What is your greatest strength?
Tiziana -My perseverance!
Shantal - My determination!
Q21.What's one thing that you're proud of?
Tiziana - I’m proud of the love that I give and how hard I’ve worked to give it to myself!
Shantal - I am proud of Tiziana for finally coming out of her shell and believing in herself the
way that I believe in her.
Q22. What is a mantra that you tell yourself?
Tiziana -Don’t worry be happy!
Shantal - I'd rather regret something than to wonder what if.
Q23. What is success to you?
Tiziana - SELF growth is my main focus in life, everything else is completely out of my control but I am an advocate on equality and would like to bring in more awareness with my resources and platform. Anyway that I can help another makes me feel successful.
Shantal - Success to me is finding inner peace and happiness. You can have a lot of money but
have no peace or happiness. Be present, be happy.
You follow their music and their work on these different platforms.
Website: https://info273492.wixsite.com/duoher..
