Leah Culver Unleashes Her "Demons" in Upcoming EP [Exclusive Interview]

Leah Culver Unleashes Her "Demons" in Upcoming EP

10/22/2018

First of all, congratulations on recently graduating from Icon Collective! What was your experience like over there and what were some of your most valuable takeaways?
Going to Icon Collective was one of the best decisions I've ever made! I think the most empowering thing I took away from it was the amount of support that I received in that environment. Anyone can go to Icon Collective and learn more than they knew from the beginning. It doesn't matter if you're brand new or if you've been producing for a while, I've seen all kinds of producers with different levels of knowledge take away a lot from Icon Collective. I would definitely suggest anybody who's interested in furthering their production knowledge to go!

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Today I graduated from @iconcollective! So stoked to be nominated for Student of The Year and on top of that my grandpa surprised me and flew in all the way from Atlanta! Made me tear up! â–¡â–¡â–¡

A post shared by LEAH CULVER (@leahculvermusic) on Oct 6, 2018 at 5:35pm PDT

Looking back through your Soundcloud releases, you used to produce progressive house but have now moved into the more modern, experimental sound. What led to this shift and which direction do you plan on taking your music next?
I feel that I just like to make music for how I feel at the time. Recently, I felt like making a dark and heavy EP called "Demons" and it will be released this month! Those who caught my set at Imagine Festival had a little preview of what's coming up soon!

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A post shared by LEAH CULVER (@leahculvermusic) on Sep 15, 2018 at 12:28pm PDT

You made a name for yourself DJing throughout the city of Atlanta. How did you go about building your brand and getting gigs when you were first starting out?
I feel like it's really important to go out and support your local events and make as many genuine friendships as you can! In addition to those friendships, your branding is absolutely important for moving beyond the local scene. You've got to focus on your craft and brand yourself in a way that you feel fits you best and represents you genuinely.

You've collaborated with names such as Marshmello and Adventure Club. What was it like working with them and what impact do you think it truly had on your career?
Working with artists like Adventure Club and Marshmello were two very different experiences! I've known Marshmello for really long time and we made that song in 2015! Being able to work with his team was really interesting because I was able to learn so much from how they get stuff done. They're all a bunch of selfless and talented individuals and I often think about our time working together. It's really interesting and cool to have seen him blow up in the way that he did and I'm so very proud of him! Working with Adventure Club was an absolute joy and I learned a lot writing with them! They're next level kind and talented. More people should be like them! They look after their friends and support artists in all ways! I am always so grateful to collaborate with other artists because it opens up their audience to my music and that's always a plus!

In a previous interview, you mentioned that you might start rapping under a different name. What can you tell us about the progress on that project or any other interesting ventures you're looking into at the moment?
Yeah I love to rap! It's not at the forefront of the music I've been working on simply because I'm working on so much music at the moment. It is true that I have a few rap songs I could put out but I'm just not sure what to do with them yet! I'm also working on a lot of really cool, groundbreaking parts to Leah Land that nobody in the industry has done before, so I'm really excited to finish working on that to share with you all!

You've been a regular at Imagine Festival since the beginning. What has been your experience with them over the years?
Imagine Festival has been an incredible experience every year, not only because I get to perform there, but I've been able to watch Imagine Festival grow and improve upon itself every year. I couldn't be more grateful to get to watch two of my favorite people grow their idea into one of the biggest festivals in the country! I couldn't be prouder of them and the massive team behind them that I've seen working towards making Iris and Imagine Festival what it is today! I've seen it all with that group of people and I really consider them family. So proud of them and it's extremely rewarding to see them shine!

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Had so much fun playing drums on my set last weekend at @imaginemusicfestival! I hope everyone had a great time!

A post shared by LEAH CULVER (@leahculvermusic) on Sep 30, 2018 at 11:57am PDT

You've said before that you don't view yourself as a "Female DJ" but also said that the media isn't shining a light on female talent. The times are definitely changing but it is still an important issue to discuss in this predominantly male dominated industry.
Yes, I'm a woman and I produce music. I also DJ, sing live, and play instruments live. Not once when I'm doing any of that am I focused on the fact that I'm a woman because I was just born into this body. Like a tattoo that you got ten years ago, you don't think about it just because it's part of the many things that make up who you are. My soul writes the music, not my ovaries. My soul is genderless, and my music is genderless. Why is it that when I get asked about my music, my gender is always brought up? I'm happy and proud to be a woman and I'm happy and proud of my music. In my mind, those are two very separate things.

A huge thank you to Leah Culver for taking the time to answer our questions! Be sure to follow her on social media for all of her latest projects and shows!