Berlin/Los Angeles-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, and multimedia artist, Christina Wheeler, announces her hypnotic and intimate new LP, Songs of S + D, due out March 25, 2022, along with thrilling single, “Asleep at the Wheel,” along with an official music video.
After releasing an enchanting and intimate EP, That Was Then, This is Now in November 2021 that served as a prelude for what’s to come, Wheeler now introduces a deeper dive into vulnerability with her signature blend of soul and shoe-gaze (or “soul-gaze”) sound culminating in a raw, electro-acoustic peak into the human experience.
Christina Wheeler is widely known for her iconic performances with David Byrne from his tour throughout the U.S., Europe and South America in 1997 and 1998, which brought her to The Late Night Show with David Letterman, where she made her television debut with Byrne. In addition to her appearance with Byrne on PBS’ Sessions at West 54th, Wheeler has recorded and played with countless musicians like Ryuichi Sakamoto, Chaka Khan, Vernon Reid, and more.
As a solo artist, Wheeler manages to brilliantly merge the worlds of electronic and acoustic with analog and digital electronic processing. Picking up where That Was Then, This Is Now left off, Wheeler continues to peel back layers of her conscience on Songs of S + D. Through twelve tracks, Wheeler illustrates the multifaceted human experience with profound exploration of love, heartbreak, growth, grief, and the fragility of life and its cycle.
Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?
My music background is extremely diverse. As a child, I grew up on a rich, musical cornucopia of soul, R&B, funk, and disco. Yet, I have always wanted to hear these funkier beats in the context of the equally-loved, dense walls of sounds associated with shoe-gaze music, which has often been anchored to indie-rock beats. How would it sound to fuse these different worlds together? This is what I set out to realize with this album’s series of songs: soul-gaze music.
What should a song or piece of art communicate in your opinion?
A song or piece of art should allow space for the participant to have their own experience of what is conveyed through the song or art. I personally like to include many questions in my songs, to leave space for more questioning, and through the inquiry, hopefully more than is extra-ordinary can be revealed.
Who were your top 3 artists last year?
I love so many artists’ work; I couldn’t choose a top three. Three newer artists that I found last year that I loved included L’Rain, Nala Sinephro, and Jo Johnson.
What are your 2022 projects and goals?
For 2022, I will complete the release of my first album, Songs of S + D, on my new label Bamboula Audio, including producing vinyl and CDs. I’m looking forward to performing at SxSW (March 18) for the first time. I’m planning to start doing tour support for the album. I will begin preparations for my next release on the label, an instrumental album, Tres Es un Número Mágico: Kaleidoscopic Triptychs, and I’m looking forward to continuing my projects with my various collaborators, and working on new projects with new colleagues. I’m also creating immersive multimedia performance works, and writing and developing sound design for my latest instrument, the glass armonica.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
Songs of S + D is a deeply personal album long time in the making. Inspired by my experience of having lived through 9/11 in New York City and the subsequent attempt to negotiate the aftermath of that time, I wrote a series of songs addressing the larger human experience of life, loss, joy, ecstasy, sadness, and the connecting, universal condition, framed through the context of vivid, intimate vignettes.
What is something you would want to change in the music and entertainment industry?
I would like to see more recognition and support of women/non-binary BIPOC mid-career artists. Too often, we are at a creative highpoint and not offered opportunities to present our best work.
Can you outline your creative process?
I have a variety of projects that are inspired by recurring themes in my work. I tend to write many questions, then sit in that space of inquiry. Often, the point of the work, whether it’s a series of songs, or a multimedia performance piece, is to not find answers, but see what becomes revealed in the process. Generally, I write the words/text/lyrics first: it’s the most challenging part of me. Then, I move onto the rest of the content. Coming up with melodies is the easiest part for me.
Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
My music style and aesthetic has been inspired by the classic soul, disco, R&B, and funk icons that I grew up listening to, from Stevie Wonder, Rufus and Chaka Khan, Minnie Ripperton, P-Funk, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Chic, to classic jazz musicians, like Sarah Vaughn, Betty Carter, Thelonius Monk, Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, and Eric Dolphy, to the classic dance music producers and vocalists from the disco, house, techno, and drum and bass cannons, to all the incredible musicians that I have had the honor and pleasure to collaborate with over the years.
What is the achievement or moment in your career you are the most proud of and why?
I have had so many: one that stands out was performing at the first tribute concert to Joni Mitchell and her songwriting from her jazz-inspired albums, which took place at Central Park Summer Stage. Joni came and sat in the third row, and I got to serenade her with two of her favorite songs of mine. The musicians on the line-up are incredible, and it’s an experience that I’ll treasure always.
What do you think an artist should sing about nowadays?
I think that artists should sing about what inspires them and what is unique to their personal perspective and experience, because nobody will tell their stories and sing their songs in the individual way that they will.
Do you have any regrets?
I regret that the electronic music scene was so sexist when I first started out, and I’m glad that this is improving steadily over time, even if that change is slow. Personally, I try to not have regrets, but live in the moment, stay as peaceful as possible, try to learn from what happened in the past, and bring those lessons to my life now as best I can.
