Exposed Vocals Interviews Malak
Ottawa Showbox calls Malak “one of the most powerful and beautiful voices in town”. She rose to attention throughout Europe by winning numerous international voice competitions. Now calling Ottawa home, she has quickly been gaining notoriety as a unique performer, singer and songwriter. Her music incorporates elements of jazz, orchestra, adult contemporary and pop.
Malak celebrated the release of her debut EP at her sold out show at Live! on Elgin, where renowned Ottawa musician and multi-award winning artist Lucas Haneman opened. She donated %100 of profits from EP and merchandise sales to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind in collaboration with Inner Wheel Club Ottawa. This EP was recorded at The Gallery Studio and produced by Dean Watson. It features collaborations with some of Ottawa’s best musicians. This eclectic record demonstrates the range of Malak’s vocal abilities as well as composition and song-writing versatility.
Malak has had her tracks played on Canadian radio stations such as CBC and college radio stations such as CKCU, as well as American radio such as Skopemag.
Malak currently continues to perform both in and out of Ottawa while recording her full length album, to be released in early 2017.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Malak: I grew up in the busy and dynamic streets of Cairo, Egypt. I spent my whole life there before moving to Canada in 2011. Since then Ottawa has been my home. My decision to pursue music came from a very early age. I have vague memories of dancing and singing a song I made up about shapes to my extended family at a gathering. I began piano lessons at age seven, and have been vocally trained for over ten years now. I think once I began my singing lessons was when I realized this was what I really wanted to do. Lessons lead to talent shows which lead to concerts and voice competitions all over Europe, and I eventually ended up writing my own songs. Nothing gives me more joy than spending time in the studio creating new music or sharing it with my fans.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Malak: Malak is my first name. While I like to adopt a theatrical persona as an artist and on stage I still want a part of my real self to be out there for my audience.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Malak: I actually think free online music sharing can have a lot of benefits. Even for the artist. If you are trying to spread the word about yourself, a good way of enticing potential fans to support you as a musician is by sharing your music with them through online sharing. It is difficult to convince someone to pay money for music they have never heard. And in this day and age, you are competing with lots of music out there that is already free, so why not go where the thunder is? Besides, there are much more lucrative ways to get paid for your recorded material than selling it to fans, such as publishing, sync licensing and radio play.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Malak: Make LOTS of connections. Make a point of going out to other people’s shows and music related events (panels, conferences, festivals). Show your support for other artists and industry reps so they will show you theirs. Introduce yourself, make friends. It’s about who you know more than anything else these days. Send your music out to blogs and radio stations. And, of course, social media presence is essential.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Malak: I find inspiration in other people’s stories. I think as musicians we are lucky to have a way to voice ourselves, so why not give a voice to others? It is fun trying to put myself in someone else’s shoes and try to see the world from their perspective.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Malak:
Facebook: Malak Sound
Instagram: @malak.sound
Twitter: @malaksound
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Malak: I could use a vacation. I’d love to travel the world and discover the music of different cultures, and find ways to incorporate their inspiration into my music. Paying off my student loan would be a good idea, too.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Malak: I am an Instagram addict. I post weekly cover videos as well as news about my music, shows, and recording activities there (as well as my Facebook page). It all syncs up to my website news feed. I find Instagram the most relevant social media platform for musicians today, because it gives you the opportunity to offer a lot of visual content to your audience. Seeing as it is also growing – getting more and more users every day – getting followers is easy, provided you use the proper hashtags with your posts. You’ll always find supporters and people with similar interests on Instagram. It’s the best. I also follow fifty dog accounts so my feed is filled with adorable puppy pictures.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Malak: I am currently recording my next full length album, which will be released in 2017. A few music videos are also underway. Filming will take place in the summer. Something else to look forward to: I will be hosting an Amy Winehouse tribute concert in Ottawa this summer.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Malak: Dead.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Malak: I don’t. I ignore them and do music instead.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Malak: Music videos, single releases, and lots of live shows, always.