Q: What genre of music do you linger towards? If you could mess around with a genre you have not already what would it be and why?

A: Defining my genre is something I find very hard, I guess I would say it falls under commercial hip-hop: trap music, autotune, cloud rap, new wave, ambient and melodic. In my free time, I also experiment with other genres such as rock, indie, lo-fi and acoustic. I do not plan on releasing anything other than hip-hop anytime soon but it is definitely food for thought that I can use in the future.

Q: How would you describe Cloud Rap?

A: I believe Cloud Rap was born in the era when SoundCloud was really booming. I would say those sounds mimic sonic characteristics; it's hazy and dream-like. The emphasis is not on lyrics or articulation but more on viewing the artist's voice as an extra layer, instrument, or accessory to the beat. I am not very articulate in my songs either, I want people to emphasize the way my voice sounds alongside the beat rather than what I am actually saying. In the future, I aspire to be more lyrical but I am not focusing on that yet, I want to have my voice and sound mastered first.

Q: How is your experience with becoming an international artist?

A: I love it. I have a love-hate relationship with social media though, I think it is a blessing and a curse haha. Thankfully, the internet has allowed me to connect with individuals all over the world and that's something that was not previously available before our generation. Biologically, I am half Dutch and half Indonesian but I was partially raised in Malaysia. I reside in The Netherlands right now but I have noticed that the majority of my listeners are American. I think it is dope to see my sounds resonating in areas of the world where I would never imagine I could even reach. Being an international artist is a blessing because you also gain insight into other people's backgrounds and cultures; it's amazing when you make tracks that fuse two different cultures together and you fabricate a new hybrid sound.

Q: What do you like most about your album Sanity 2 Madness?

A: What I like most about my first album is that I tend to describe myself as a quintessential dichotomy, and the album, alongside all its facets, radiate that description perfectly. The album entails both upbeat and dark vibes; it is a painting of my envisioned world. It is a hybrid of happy and sad - track 2 is very uplifting whereas track 5 is very depressing. It is a hybrid of rapping and singing - track 8 is aggressive whereas track 9 is very melodic and soft. I guess the album is kind of 'split' in terms of its traits and personality; that is what I think makes it dope. I also love how the entire album was made in my bedroom with the help of my online producers, engineers, graphic designers, and animators. This, again, just shows the power of social media and how amazing it is that artists now have a myriad of ways to make music. You don't need money to make music, you just need a passion. Be creative about it.

Q: What is the story behind the album and what is your favorite song off of it?

A: "Sanity 2 Madness is my first-ever album. I gave it this title because I feel like one half of the album is sane while the other half is insane; just like how my brain is wired.

In terms of the artwork, uncanny elements are fabricated into the album cover and that is also why the album was set to release on the 31st of October 2020; it complements the aura of Halloween. The clown is a symbol that represents the entire album and that’s why it is incorporated into the title – symbolizing humor, playfulness, talent, carelessness, volatility, and celebration. However, the meaning of a clown is twofold. After all, people have a dark side, hence why people can see behind my mask on the album cover. Clowns denote a penchant for adventures and this suggests that I sometimes perceive life as a kind of game. This is reflected in the sixth track of the album during the first verse when I sing, “Running circles like this life is just a game, time is ticking and I start to lose my name.”

Additionally, the UFO symbolizes the phenomena of synchronicity where external events mirror internal psychic states. These fears center around the inability to differentiate truths from the world’s fiction and the fact that many of the world’s current affairs are undecipherable.

Moreover, the circus and broken rollercoaster are a symbol of my world. The world, I believe, has made us believe that we must be entertained. We seek thrills and those kicks are hard to find. So, welcome to my circus. Welcome to insanity. Welcome to the madness. Your new source of entertainment. This is Mona Mula.

Lastly, my favorite song from the album is track 1 - Big Slatt. I like it because it is bouncy and dark. You can hear elements of inspiration from The Weeknd which I incorporated into AbSynapse's trap beat."

Q: What are some challenges you experience? How do you overcome these challenges?

A: "My biggest challenge is the process of being able to accurately convey the sounds in my head into a song. I have no knowledge of sound engineering, I can only make demos in my room, and sometimes I can not recreate the sounds that I want to create.

Ultimately, the person who edits, mixes, and masters my songs is the one who brings my creative ambitions to life. I currently work a lot with Hans Rodríguez, we found each other through a mutual high school friend and we have been working together ever since. At the moment, he is one of the few people that understands how my brain is wired haha. So in order to overcome this challenge, we talk a lot and bounce back and forth files until we're finally able to recreate the sounds in my head. I do this with other engineers and producers too. I always make sure to include them in my writing process too because I think it is important that they have their input and value in the song. We write together until we think the song is catchy. I also think it is important that they like the record as well, it's only then that I am motivated to finish the song because if my producers and engineers are happy, I am happier too when I write."

Q: Where did the name Mona Mula come from?

A: To be completely honest, I do not really know. It just sounded catchy and I do not have a concrete answer. However, in middle school, a couple of friends used to call me Mulan or Pocahontas because they said that I look like those Disney characters but also kind of act like them sometimes haha. I figured that Pocahontas would be hard to incorporate into a stage name but Mulan could work. However, I refrained from using just "Mulan" because, in essence, it's a name that has already been used so I was left with "Mula." But just "Mula" on its own sounded generic and too simple, there are already a lot of artists with "Mula" in their name because it is another word for "money," so I randomly chose "Mona" to complement it. Together the words sound catchy, it is one you won't forget but it's also a bit of a tongue-twister sometimes haha, or at least, that's what people say.

Q: What does creativity mean to you? How do you apply it to your career?

A: "Creativity for me is a way to escape the mundane routines of real life, hence why I do not usually make very serious music. Music is a creative outlet for me; my life is serious enough as it is in terms of my academic-oriented bachelor's degree so, in order for me to be able to escape that monotone realm, music comes in. Music allows me to discover new creative facets that I did not know I had or could do. At school and at university I am always encouraged to be objective-driven and very technical. Music, therefore, brings balance into my life because I can keep my creative gears turning - I think if I was only allowed to have my academic and technical gears turning I would go crazy for real.

In terms of my career, I have still got a lot to figure out. The future is so uncertain sometimes and there is beauty in that but also a bit of fear. Due to my academic background, I have developed a very business-driven trait in myself and that's a good thing when it comes to my education but it is not always handy in music. I am therefore very thankful for all the creative individuals I have met online, most of them have creative backgrounds, unlike me, and because of them, I have developed the ability to take off my objective-driven thinking cap and put on a subjective-driven thinking cap when I need to. I can now see the world in a more creative way because I've managed to connect with these individuals and I think that'll be very valuable in my music career."

Q: Who is your biggest inspiration and why?

A: "My biggest inspiration, well, that is something that I can not just narrow down to one person but first and foremost, my parents. Not only are they my parents but they are also my best friends and I think that's amazing. They inspire me because they have shown me that you can create and build anything from nothing. I have nowhere near experienced the same things in life that they have but because of the paths they have walked in life and the stories they have told me, I am who I am today. In terms of life skills, I know what I know because of them and I'm thankful for that. My family home was, and is, always a safe haven for me. In our home, love conquers all and that is something nobody and nothing can buy.

In terms of other individuals, Travis Scott, Lady Gaga, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Elon Musk inspire me at the moment. There are many more but if I were to name them all, I think I could write a whole novel haha. Travis Scott inspires me because I love his sound and he is also a marketing genius. Lady Gaga inspires me because she encourages artists to stay true to themselves and remain kind; to not lose yourself as a person when you become a successful artist. Alexandria inspires me because she empowers minority groups and shines a light on those groups that deserve recognition. Lastly, Elon Musk inspires me because I think he is a business genius and in my free time I like to delve into astrophysics. I chose astrophysics as a sort of major in high school alongside the subject physics so occasionally now and then I am still a bit of a nerd haha, I just can not get the nerd out of me. I love the mission and vision of SpaceX and I'm curious to see how Elon's career and projects will develop over time."

Q: Who is your favorite American artist and why? How about an international artist?

A: My favorite American artist at the moment is TyFontaine. He is on the rise and I love his versatile sound. Not only does rap, but he also sings too. I think that is dope; he fuses retro sounds with new-school sounds and brings a whole new vibe to the market. He is definitely a source of inspiration too when it comes to discovering new sounds. My favorite international artists are actually a band, they're called The Ocean. When I am not listening to hip-hop then I am usually listening to rock. The Ocean is a German progressive metal band and again, I love their versatility. In some songs, they convey an ambient atmosphere whereas in other songs they are aggressive.

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Netherlands Artist Mona Mula

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