Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with Eliza May. This is our second chat together. Together we discussed their upcoming EP “Candy Heart”, human dating, and much more.
You can pre-save “Candy Heart” here
You can get tickets to Eliza May’s EP launch here.
1. Mustard is thankful to have you join them again at Music Shelf. How have you been?
Thank you for having me again! I really enjoyed our last chat and was so excited when you asked me to join you again! I’ve been really good thank you! So far, 2023 has been treating me well and seems to be filled with exciting things to come. I hope you’ve been doing well too!
2. The last time we spoke you had just released “Edge of This.” What are some things you have been up to lately?
Recently, I’ve just been so busy! Since September last year, I’ve been planning and prepping for the launch party and release of my new EP “Candy Heart”! I’ve been designing new merch which has been super exciting and my band and I have been working on some new material just in time for my EP launch and some very exciting upcoming gigs too! In my spare time, I’ve also been playing a lot of Animal Crossing too because I got a switch for Christmas and I absolutely fell in love with it! It makes me feel like a big kid!
3. You get the opportunity to design and create your own candy hearts. What do they look like? What is the recipe?
Oh my gosh, this is the most exciting question I’ve been asked in relation to “Candy Heart” so far. I’d have to make a cookie dough flavoured candy heart! Cookie dough is one of my favourite desserts in the world so to have that in bite sized candy hearts would be the dream! I guess recipe wise, it would have lots of sugar, chocolate chips and the phrases on top would probably say “sugar sweet it what you are” or “you’re so sweet I’d call you art” in reference to the title track of my EP.
4. “Candy Heart” explores the stages of a relationship. How did you decide on Candy Heart to help create the concept behind this EP? What flavor of candy hearts would this EP fall under?
So “Candy Heart” was written over quite a long time (six years to be exact) and after listening back to the tracks, I realised that all five of these songs were about my dating life. The title track “Candy Heart” was actually the most recently written song out of all of them and I really liked the title and concept of a romantic relationship being sugar sweet when you’re with the right person. When I looked at all these songs collectively, I felt like they all told different parts of the story when it came to love, relationships and vulnerability. Like a candy heart, a human heart can break at any moment and we’re all vulnerable underneath our hard outer shells. If we have too much of a good thing (like sugar), we often don’t feel so great and I felt like this analogy related so well to today’s classic dating cycle.
In terms of flavour, I think this EP is a bit of a mix. It’s sugar sweet at times and quite sour in other parts. You could say it’s the best of both worlds and there’s definitely enough flavours in there for everyone to enjoy.
5. Human dating seems complicated. With apps now in the forefront, how has the dating landscape changed?
I think the dating landscape has changed loads especially in the last eight years. I feel like dating apps are a bit of a blessing and a curse because they make it so easy to find people to go on dates with but they’ve made people quite judgemental and picky. Most apps are based on looks before personality and when people swipe, they know there will always be another person available within the next swipe. It’s all well and good finding someone who’s attractive or available in that moment but if they can’t hold a conversation or their personality isn’t great then what’s the point?
On the other hand, I do think it’s amazing to see couple’s who have met online through dating apps. It seems like more and more people are finding connections and building relationships through the power of the internet. I think the best way to use these apps is to look beyond someone’s looks, actually read their bios and take the time to chat properly beforehand. Also have fun with it! Dating is supposed to be fun and I think a lot of people forget that.
6. What do you hope your fans and listeners get from this EP?
I really hope that when listeners hear “Candy Heart”, it makes them feel brave enough to fall deeply in love. It takes courage and vulnerability to fall in love and no matter what happens, each relationship journey is an incredible memory or a lesson learnt. Love is all around us and even though things can turn sour and the classic dating cycle can often keep going round and round, there’s a lot more positivity, love and kindness in the world than there often may seem. Saying that, I also hope that when people hear songs like “Edge of This” and “Empty Dreams” that they remember their worth and that they shouldn’t let anyone walk all over them no matter what. You’re worthy of love and always will be and that’s something you should never forget!
7. How would you describe “Candy Heart”?
I would say that “Candy Heart” is a soundtrack for the hopeless romantics, the people who are in love with love. It tells the story of a classic relationship cycle; starting off full of romance, originally tasting sugar sweet but over time, things turn sour as the relationship ends. Each and every song is based on true stories of my own about the relationships and emotions I felt during the rollercoaster process that is dating. From heartbreak to true love, I’ve felt it all and “Candy Heart” is like a series of entries from my personal diary. I took a lot of inspiration from artists such as Paramore, Olivia Dean, Fickle Friends and The Wombats to create catchy indie pop bops that perfectly encompass all the highs and lows you feel when truly falling in and out of love. Expect layers of gorgeous harmonies, sassy but classy lyrics and playful instrumentation that will have you singing and dancing all the way through.
8. Where will fans be able to listen to “Candy Heart?”
“Candy Heart” the EP can be found on all streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc. It can also be bought on iTunes in digital form and on Bandcamp you can find physical copies of the EP too! Basically wherever you listen to music, you’ll find it there. You can also keep up to date with me through social media at any of my links below!
Instagram ~ https://instagram.com/elizamayofficial
Facebook ~ https://www.facebook.com/ElizaMayOfficial/
Twitter ~ https://twitter.com/elizamaymusic
TiKTok ~ https://www.tiktok.com/@elizamayofficial_
YouTube ~ https://www.youtube.com/elizamayofficial
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