Lolita is a female Singer/Songwriter/Producer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Born of Italian descent 21 years ago, she is the product of a traditional Italian family that is comprised of many musicians, making music a rich part of her heritage. It should probably come as no surprise then, that by the time Lolita was 15 years old, she was already writing, producing and performing her own music. Classifying her music as “Electro-Pop”, Lolita clearly defines a very refreshing do-it-all approach to establishing a music career. From the catchy melodies to the mainstream production, Lolita has already shown she has the skills to take the industry by storm.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
Lolita: I’m born in Toronto, Canada, and spent most of my life here but also lived in Italy for about 4-5 years when I was younger. I’ve always been interested in music, sounds, performing & singing. Everyone needs an outlet where they can express themselves and being an artist gives me exactly that.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
Lolita: I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of “Lolita” and all the definitions that come with the name itself. I feel it matches the content of a lot of my music and what I offer as an artist, especially when things get really sexy or controversial.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
Lolita: At this point online music sharing is extremely important, especially as an independent artist to get your name out there and share your music. It’s definitely a great way to gain a fan-base. Many well-known artists today have been discovered online. I’ve given promo songs or first singles away for free download, because it’s not always about the sales for me – and the songs spread around quicker that way.
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?
Lolita: I say it’s best to have a list of your top 3-4 tracks to present to local venues/radios, get ready to change up your songs for the live versions to spice them up and keep them exciting, and practice on stage presence!
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
Lolita: There’s been times where I have, and it’s definitely one of the worst feelings in the world, but sometimes people don’t always notice it- especially if you just move on to the next part quickly. You have to pick yourself back up. If you make it a big deal, it will be one.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
Lolita: So far I have only had a mini local tour… I have some important things in the works.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
Lolita: I generally seem to gather my songwriting inspiration from real life experiences, could be anything from wanting to feel confident to moments of loneliness.I’d say most of the time from good (but mostly bad) relationships. Pressing play on my music is like someone is getting an insight into my deepest thoughts and feelings.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
Lolita: I feel social media accounts like Instagram or Facebook are way more important than a website nowadays. It’s more of a community where people can constantly find your posts, music, live dates and more. Especially if you’re an artist, Instagram is where you need to be.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Lolita: I’d say old unpolished demos from when I first started making music in 2012, and I used to listen to them on my Ipod while going out, thinking I was so proud of my music back then. Haha.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
Lolita: I would probably go somewhere really warm and write music – is that ok for a “year off” ? I always need to be working somehow.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
Lolita: I definitely want to collaborate with a few more producers to make things more exciting for my next project, right now I have a smaller circle of people – but I do a lot myself so I’m happy with that. Bringing my music to the next level is always really important for me.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Lolita: Generally I’d say posting about it religiously on platforms like Instagram definitely make a big difference, especially with the right keywords.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
Lolita: One of my dreams is to perform in Europe or Asia! I think the crowds would be exciting there. If there’s one artist I’d want to perform with it would be Madonna. In my opinion she’s a true performer and she puts on a really good show… something a lot of pop artists forget to do nowadays.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Lolita: I am working on my next EP, and I will announce more information on that soon! Also some new live shows possibly in the works for this summer, and the rest of the year.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Lolita: I suppose being boring? Haha.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
Lolita: One of the first albums I bought was Britney Spears’ self titled album. I was obsessed with it and couldn’t stop playing it on repeat.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
Lolita: It’s definitely the toughest part about this all, that people don’t get to see, but I’ve always been a really good multi-tasker. I generally organize my schedule for the week so I have studio time and non-studio time. Creating my own deadlines also helps.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
Lolita: Definitely a new me, more music, new and improved live shows. Always upgrading.