Apostola Perspective on Bubbles & Spills

Hello! Thank you for your question and I am so sorry that I have taken so long to reply (I did not get a notification and came to it by chance).

That is actually a very, very hard question! I love both but I am torn which to do more because I am not sure which genre listeners prefer... the pop is fun and light and more positive, which is nice, but on the other hand, when I want to express something more serious, the pop rock seems to fit the mood better.

I would say that the in-between tracks (adult contemporary) - like 'Solidarity', 'Lioness' and 'My Sanity' are probably a good compromise, sitting between the genres, so I will continue to balance the releases depending on the topic of each.

Incidentally, my next release 'Cancelled World' is a serious concept album but contains a mixture of pop and pop-rock tracks!

Thanks again for your great question!

'Bubbles and Spills' is a pop-rock track and one of my most popular releases. I think it would sit comfortably alongside the tracks of 90s female pop-rock singer-songwriters. The topic is how those with the most toxic agenda seem to be the ones who always shout the loudest.

The lyrics 'bubbles and spills' are saying that you can feel - and almost see - some people's toxicity bubbling and spilling over, poisoning everything in its path. These people have so much energy... for the wrong causes. Imagine if they put that energy towards positive and good, or just left the world to the 'hearts and halos' who want to make it better! Sadly, the purest voices are stifled by the overwhelming poison being spewed.

Female singer-songwriter with tracks that vary on the pop spectrum, from commercial and dance pop to rock/indie pop and some theatrical/musical elements thrown in.

If I was describing what my typical track structure is, I would say that most tend to feature standalone bridges - which I love doing - and are based on lyrics that tell stories, and that I don't release many ballads.

It is hard for me to know which other female arists I would be considered similar to for my voice, songwriting or melodies as it's hard to step outside of being 'you' and see (or in this case - hear) yourself the way others do! I guess I would describe my voice as more on the theatrical side rather than the 'pop' side.

That was a really tough question!

I don't, but I do find that when I am in water (mostly the sea), the songwriting flows very naturally and completely (lyrics and melodies together). I think it is probably because I have aphantasia (no 'mind's eye') and therefore in the absence of images in my mind, words keep spewing out non-stop throughout the day and the relentless chatter exhausts me. When I am in the sea, I find focus and clarity because of the calming effect of the water, and it's then that the songs that have been fighting for my attention among all the mundane, daily routine thoughts, are able to present themselves!

For the adult contemporary / pop-rock tracks, the topic matter tends to be more serious and sobering and released in themes. For example, the album this particular track comes from - 'World for Sale' - is a concept album of 10 tracks with musical narratives that tackle various life themes, from corruption and pollution, to solider PTSD and low self-esteem. The album is a follow-up to the 'Broken World' concept album of 10 tracks within the same theme.

I don't have many love songs in my discography; if I do write about relationships, it will be about other aspects. For example, 'The Break-up' is another concept album of eight tracks that charts a bad relationship, from rocky start, through a bad break up, and coming out of the other side ready to heal.

My commercial pop tracks - in contrast to the adult contemporary tracks - are completely different in theme. These are comprised of singles and EPs, including upbeat summer and Christmas songs, which is why they don’t tend to be on albums! If I am going to release an album I prefer it to be a concept (themed) album!

But the one thing that ties all the tracks together is storytelling! I see each song as a little story and hope that listeners will find the themes to be broad, balanced and relatable.

Listeners who know my music since I started releasing to streaming in 2017 will notice a maturity and change of direction with tracks like 'Bubbles and Spills'. This is partly because I have honed my team and work with persons I click well with musically, and who I trust implicitly when it comes to production, sound engineering and mastering, which also creates a sound consistency.

But it is also that my own life experiences and views are ever evolving, which means that the topic matter of my music is too. The earlier tracks were more commercial pop, but the albums released in the last three years are more pop-rock and adult contemporary in style, which is also thanks to their more serious topic matter.

I can also personally hear my voice changing over the years, which I think is a natural thing that comes with age.