The final artist to feature in this year’s Music Interview Marathon is folk singer-songwriter Dr Fabola. He tells us about how his music focuses on love, kindness, gratitude and socio-political happenings and how he enjoys sharing emotions and ideas through music.
Artist’s Name: Dr Fabola (Ade Fabola)
Genre: Folk, Blues, Jazz & World Music
Founded: October 2018
Originated From: Manchester, UK
Discography: Something Good (single, 2021) & Good Times (EP, 2021)
How would you describe your music?
My music is a blend of folk, blues, jazz and world music. It’s predominantly acoustic and driven by warm nylon string guitars that produce intricate melodies.
My sound is predominantly warm, and it’s characterised by soft, soulful vocals paired with precise guitar fingerpicking.
My music tends to explore themes around love, kindness, gratitude and socio-political happenings. For the most part I like to keep things light-hearted, as it’s a key ingredient in making music that’s suitable for easy listening.
That said, music and art generally is so powerful in effecting change and spreading messages so if I have a message burning on my heart, I have to get it out there.
What is your musical creative process like?
It isn’t really set-in stone, so it changes based on my mood, environment and intentions, but generally speaking, I write a lot, sometimes for writing/journaling sake to help process my emotions, and sometimes I write with intention and purpose to create a song.
It’s not uncommon for me to start a song by playing around with melodies on a guitar, and then I come up with lyrics based on how I’m feeling in the moment, or what’s on my mind.
Other times I take some words I’ve written and come up with suitable melodies based on the vibes the song is headed in. Sometimes I stumble on the words and melody all at once. However, it happens, I’ll explore the idea/music when it comes to me.
How did you come up with your stage name?
Since I’m a solo artist my stage name is just my name really. Well, in music circles I go by Dr Fabola, which is a combination of my professional title (Computer Science PhD) and my surname (Fabola) for uniqueness.
Who influenced you within the music industry?
There’ve been so many over the years, but Passenger, Tallest Man on Earth and Tracy Chapman come to mind.
Have you performed live much and what was your favourite gig to play at?
I perform live fairly regularly though not so much in the past year due to the pandemic. In terms of my favourite gig, I’d say the gig I played Matt & Phreds (Manchester) back in 2019 was pretty cool.
What is the best thing about being a musician?
The best thing about being a musician is sharing ideas and emotions with people, and having these people engage and even relate to your ideas/emotions on occasion.
What’s the biggest problem you’ve had to overcome so far as a musician(s)?
Silencing the voice in my head that says I’m an impostor…it’s a work in progress to be honest.
What plans have you got coming up this year?
Releasing more music, both new tracks and re-issues. My first new single, Something Good, from my Good Times EP came out June 25th, and more tracks to follow afterwards.
What is your ultimate dream as a musician?
To make music that espouses human values of love and kindness, and for my music to evoke these emotions even after I’m gone.
You can find out more about Dr Fabola by visiting his LinkTree page.
If you’re in a band or a musician and would like to appear on this blog, please contact me and I’ll forward you an interview template.
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