Halle Abadi steps into her power
The coolest thing about seeing someone who looks like you in the music industry AND absolutely killing it, is that you start to believe that you are just as capable of accomplishing amazing things. Halle Abadi, an incredible rising artist you don’t want to miss, combines pop with middle eastern instrumentation elements. And the end product is PHENOMENAL. We sit down with Halle as she shares how she honors her middle eastern culture through her music, a fun fact about her creative process, and many more.
Abby Martinez: How did you get started with music?
HA: It feels like it's changed so many times throughout the years. When I was like five, my mom was like “You have to pick an instrument or sport, and you're just gonna do it.” And I was like, “Okay, I think piano.” So I've been doing piano for really all that time taking lessons. Then I realized I really liked humming along, you know, to the piano and stuff. So I started vocal lessons from there, and fell in love with singing. I would just annoy the hell out of my parents, to sing everywhere all the time in the car. When I was maybe 14 or 15, I realized I wanted to start making music. I started writing songs and went to my vocal coach and I asked her if she knew many producers I could work with. It just kind of started from there. It's been years and years of developing and trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Because it's only really recently that I was like, “Oh I actually would want this to be my career, and I don't want a backup plan.” That was like in the past year or so. But I realized that during the pandemic.
AM: Can you tell us more about how you honor your culture in your music?
HA: I really feel like Middle Eastern representation and instrumentation is really lacking in pop culture. You don't really don't see a lot of it at all. I grew up listening to Middle Eastern music. My dad's Iranian and my mom's Afghan. So that was the music that they would play in the house. My mom actually suggested “Maybe you could try putting some middle eastern instruments into your music.” So we experimented and honestly, I think it works really well. I love the instrumentation and pop music, it adds like a different element. I feel like that's one way to kind of honor the culture. My hope is that when people listen to it, for them to love it but also for Middle Eastern people to be like, “Wait, that's familiar.” I also like to incorporate jewelry and clothing. I think that's another really beautiful aspect of that culture.
“Focus” lyrics video
AM: Did you play any of the middle eastern instruments in your songs?
HA: You know what that is such a great point. I don't but I should get on that! I think laying down the track of me playing would be great, but we just use samples from the internet and from other artists.
AM: Tell me about your creative process! Do you write music by yourself or with a team?
HA: I really love collaboration. It's one of the best parts of making music and making a song, because it's really fun. It's a lot more fun than sitting in a room and just being like, “Okay, like how do I feel?” I mean that's great and that has its purpose but I love getting a few writer friends, who I'm so lucky to call friends, and we will just sit in a room and all just create. And starting from scratch is the easiest way for me to write, kind of just coming in a session with an idea or a feeling that we want to write about. Not having any pre-planned tracks or a track already set in place. I like to write as the track is being made by the producer. Or I have probably thousands of voice memos and hundreds of notes, saying them kind of quietly and shyly into my voice memo app out in public or something. And I write down the lyrics and kind of go from there. So I like that way too. It's very essential because I think of a lot of things when I'm just out and about. I have to find a way to record it.
AM: There are unconventional places where some artists write their songs, such under their desk or in a closet. Where do you usually write music?
HA: Honestly, I feel like it's just everywhere. For some weird reason, I feel like my best ideas are when I'm in a room full of people, everybody's talking, and you can barely hear your own thoughts. I can't just sit in a quiet room on the couch and think, “How am I feeling?” I'm not inspired, you know, it's so boring. I think chaotic situations are much better.
Halle Abadi’s tik ok about playlists that listeners added her songs to
AM: What's a fun fact that not a lot of people know about you?
HA: I use this for everything. Because whenever someone asks me for a fun fact, I can't think of literally anything about myself. But I have my second degree black belt in Taekwondo. I've been doing that since I was like seven.
AM: You usually like to emphasize how being strong-willed and confident are important to you. What are some ways that you step into your power inside and outside of music?
HA: I really love that question because like it's such a process, you know. The reason why I love artists like Rihanna and Amy Winehouse so much is because when I was younger, I was really insecure and I would listen to those powerful women. I just keep my headphones in at all times and just kind of try and keep that powerful energy, and try and build some confidence there. I felt very out of place in my life and so that was a great reminder for me. I think that getting older helps a lot. I'm trying to implement self care every day helps a lot. Being mindful of all your habits, how you eat, how much water you're drinking, how you're talking to yourself...all these things I want to deal with every day just being mindful of how you're doing, that also helps me a lot with my mental health and helps me feel good about myself. So kind of implementing those...I need to journal, write down my feelings and my thoughts, to affirm myself if I'm speaking negatively about myself and say “No, I'm good.”
I just really had to learn how to pay attention to how I was feeling when I was with certain people or when I was in certain situations. It just comes down to listening to yourself, listening to your body, how you feel, honoring things that make you feel good, and staying away from things that make you feel bad.
AM: What are some of your goals for music?
HA: I'm in a very interesting position right now because I am a student. I'm in school. I'm a pop performance major. And it kind of pushes me to think more and more about my goals with music. I mean, I've always said that my main goal is just to hit a point where I can make a living doing this...touring, making music, writing was like my dream life. In terms of short term goals, just getting in more sessions, getting more songs cut, releasing more songs because I have a lot of unreleased music under my belt that I would just like to put into the world. We're filming a music video for “Focus” on Saturday, and then I perform at Whiskey A Go Go on October 10. Just to continue doing that but I just want to keep building a base. It’s just been very overwhelming, especially the response on “Focus.” The messages and stuff I'm getting, it just means a lot to have people like this song which helped me through a lot through this traumatic event in my life. It's literally the most indescribable thing. So I think another goal would just keep doing that, keep trying to reach more people, keep having that effect, and keeping in contact with those people I think is so fun. I love responding to everybody and messaging them back because they helped me as much as I helped them. That's another goal, to keep building and keep making more friends that way.
AM: If you could tell your younger self something, what would you tell her?
HA: I feel like I think about her a lot. Because, I guess I kind of disclosed. I wasn't always very sure of myself for sure, like where I was going. I feel like when you're that young and naive, you don't really know a lot. You're always searching for someone to kind of fill that void and make you feel good. The older I got, the more I realized I can be that person for myself but I am that person for myself. So I don't have to go out and rely on people for that.
Some of my exes have told me I'm a little hyper independent but I feel like that's a healthy thing to say. I think that's fine. I'm just saying being able to do that and doing what I love, I would just tell her, “You're gonna be fine. Everybody that you think matters right now probably won't. None of what they say matters. You're gonna be your own best friend, and you're gonna be doing what you love, people are actually going to like what you're doing, they're gonna like your music.”
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