Erika Grapes – Healing Through Music, Covers, and Creative Resilience on the Virtual Sessions 9/16/25

Summary

In this Virtual Sessions episode, Milan-based singer and songwriter Erika Grapes opens up about her artistic journey, the meaning behind her stage name, and the evolution of her music. She explains how “Grapes” began as a playful nickname on music forums and eventually became her professional identity, representing the colorful and eclectic nature of her artistry.

 

Her latest single, a cover of Love is a Bitch by Two Feet, reflects both personal heartbreak and artistic transformation. Originally drawn to its sensual and bluesy vibe, Erika reimagined the track with an industrial edge inspired by Nine Inch Nails, blending cabaret-style rhythms with electronic textures. She recalls how recording the vocals became a cathartic release, channeling raw emotion into a bold new interpretation.

 

The conversation turns deeply personal as Erika shares the trauma that once drove her away from live performance and the healing process that helped her return to the stage. Collaborating with producer Eugene gave her the confidence to perform again, and she highlights the role of therapy, poetry, and self-expression in overcoming fear. Her lyric visualizer for Love is a Bitch emerged from improvised photography in an abandoned mill, showing her resourcefulness and creative vision.

 

Looking ahead, Erika teases upcoming projects including a dream pop original with producer Veronica Hall and a cover of Choking Outlines by Ren. She emphasizes the importance of authenticity, embracing eclecticism across genres, and letting inspiration arrive naturally rather than forcing it. With influences ranging from Fiona Apple to Nick Cave, Erika continues to craft music that balances vulnerability, experimentation, and resilience.

 

Topics

0:38 – The origin and meaning behind the name Erika Grapes
5:21 – Covering Love is a Bitch and transforming its style
8:56 – Meeting Eugene and building a creative partnership
10:07 – Returning to live performance after personal trauma
13:47 – The role of therapy and poetry in healing
16:01 – Ego, validation, and the pitfalls of fame
20:07 – Creating the lyric visualizer with improvised photography
24:06 – Upcoming singles and collaborations with Veronica Hall
31:52 – Choosing songs that hold deep personal meaning
38:29 – Stage presence, dissociation, and hypnotic live energy

 

Discover Erika Grapes’ music and upcoming releases at Linktree.
Follow Erika on Instagram @erikagrapes for updates and behind-the-scenes content.
Check out producer Eugene’s work at eugeneofficial.com.
Explore more exclusive interviews, live sessions, and music features at thedjsessions.com.

[Darran]
Hey everyone, welcome back. It’s another episode of the DJ Sessions presents the virtual sessions. And I’m your host, Darran, coming to you from the virtual studios in Seattle, Washington and coming in from all the way around the world in Milan.

We have none other than Erika Grapes on the show today. Erika, how are you doing? I’m doing fine, thank you for having me.

Awesome, I don’t know if Italy is the theme of today’s segments, but we have another artist on this morning from Rome today, Leandro da Silvia, Silvia, Silva.

[Erika Grapes]
Da Silva.

[Darran]
Promised I was never gonna get his name wrong, but you know what, we got it.

[Erika Grapes]
It sounds like a Brazilian surname.

[Darran]
Actually, he is from Brazil.

[Erika Grapes]
Ah, that’s it.

[Darran]
Yeah, he moved to Italy when he was a young child. His mother was an actress and moved to Italy and said, we’re staying here. So yeah, it was a fun interview to have him on the show.

And unfortunately, I know we’re missing out on Eugene who couldn’t be here today as well, who you co-produced your latest track with, but we’ll get him.

[Erika Grapes]
But I’m at his studio and on his behalf, we have a Pac-Man here.

[Darran]
I think that’s Pinky, wait. Oh, Pinky. Oh man, no.

I think, no, Pinky’s the, gosh, what was the name of the four? The Pac-Man. Pac-Man.

[Erika Grapes]
Okay.

[Darran]
Pinky obviously was the pink one.

[Erika Grapes]
Okay. I’m not too sure.

[Darran]
Gosh, I should know these. I grew up as a video game kid in the 80s. I should know this by heart.

But no, it’s not Pinky. But anyways, we’re not here to talk about Pac-Man. We’re not here to talk about Leander.

We’re not here to talk about me and my video games or Eugene yet. We’re here to talk about you. You, Erika Grapes.

Thank you for coming on the show today. Really appreciate you being here. There’s nothing to start out.

You know, I just newly found you online and we discussed and got you set up for the show. So I know a little bit about you, but we wanna know a lot about you. And one of the first things I wanna ask you is Erika Grapes.

Tell us a little bit about the meaning behind your name, Erika Grapes.

[Erika Grapes]
Okay. So the name is very easy. I was born with the name Erika.

Yeah. Okay. About Grapes, it was a nickname I had when I used to write on the music forums, Kitty Radio.

It was a hole.com, the forum of Carney Love, Hole, the band Hole, Grunge. And so at first I had another funny nickname and then at some point, because I was very worldly, like what’s the word for someone who talks a lot? Like very- Darran Bruce?

[Darran]
Maybe. Yeah. Maybe.

I joke with my friends and family.

[Erika Grapes]
They’re like, Darran, take a breath, take a breath. Okay. And so I was very active, so that’s the correct term.

And I was looking for another nickname and I was at a Chinese restaurant and there were these grapes of fruit. And so I picked that randomly and it stuck on me. It stuck when MySpace came out, I used great Erika Grapes and then afterwards it was, I even named my company E-Grapes, so yeah.

[Darran]
Awesome. I definitely know that the power in choosing a moniker or a name is very important for an artist because that’s, again, what you’re gonna start identifying with, what you’re gonna be identified with. And over the years, when I first went to produce my first broadcast television show, the name for my first TV show was called Phantasmagoria.

Okay. And everyone’s like, why did you come up with that? And if you looked at the definition of what it was, it actually fit the meaning of our first television show.

But what was interesting, it was the name of a concert series that my father was gonna produce with my brother’s bands and a few other bands when I was a kid growing up and that show ended up not happening. And so when it came to me to produce a TV show, the first name that popped in my head that I wanted to use was Phantasmagoria. And which is beautiful by the way.

Now, the funny thing is I had the name for the show, but I had no idea what the show was gonna be about. But I had the name and that was what was important.

[Erika Grapes]
No, I like the fact that it’s random because my personality is a bit like that. I mean, I think that sometimes our subconscious decides for us and we are not really sure what it’s about, but it defines us in a way. And so I’m happy with the grapes.

Yeah.

[Darran]
Yeah. Yeah.

[Erika Grapes]
And then you get- It’s colorful, it’s sweet, it’s with vitamins.

[Darran]
I got a wine when I think of grapes.

[Erika Grapes]
Yeah, but it’s not grape. It’s grapes actually.

[Darran]
Grapes, yes.

[Erika Grapes]
So it can be a bundle of different fruits.

[Darran]
Yeah, exactly, exactly. So you have a new single out that you produced with Eugene called Love is a Bitch. And so we were talking a little before the show and how inspiration comes about with artists in many different ways.

What was the inspiration behind or the meaning behind Love is a Bitch? There’s a story, there’s always a story. I’d love to know what that story is about.

And I also want to talk about the second component with this in a minute, but more about the music and the creation of the song Love is a Bitch. Okay. Your insights on that.

[Erika Grapes]
Okay. Some of my singles are original songs, so some others are covers. This one is a cover from Two Feet, Love is a Bitch, which is a very bluesy sensual track.

And I fell in love with the original one a few years ago. I really wanted to cover it because it’s so soft and so I was so in tune with it. And we even played it live last year, like with a proper mellow guitar of a good country guitarist, et cetera.

And there’s some electronic samples which Eugene would be better in explaining how he uses them because he’s got, you know, Terramini or this sort of, yeah. Those are fun. I would show you around in this studio because he’s packed with really a lot of gear.

Maybe another time. Yeah. And so when I decided that it was the right time to cover this song, I was actually heartbroken.

So I was going through a very personal phase and I couldn’t sing it the way I did before. So I wanted it more aggressive as a base and the inspiration was probably Nine Inch Nails, something kind of industrial. And it was mixed with a sort of cabaret rhythm because the composition is kind of bluesy.

And so it’s very interesting. And when I went to record my vocals, I generally when I go recording, I say to myself, whatever my voice wants to do, that’s the way it should be. And so I generally am more ethereal in my singing.

Sometimes barely, you can barely hear my voice. But on that delivery, I was very, I don’t know. It was like a column of voice came through me and they needed from my guts to sing those lyrics.

And not in a negative way, but more in a cathartic way. And it worked really well with the music. So it was kind of different points of view on the same subject.

[Darran]
And how did you end up collaborating? How did Eugene come into the picture and this become a collaboration between the two of you? Have you known each other for a long time?

[Erika Grapes]
We’ve been knowing each other for one year now, more or less. And we collaborated on our live show last year. I wanted to collaborate with him because he’s really all around an artist and also producer.

And he’s also a very nice person who can, you know.

[Darran]
Well, I hope he’s a nice person if you’re working with him.

[Erika Grapes]
I mean, he’s a nice person to work with because for a personal detail, I was kind of scared to come back to play live shows. I don’t know if I can share very personal and traumatic stories on here.

[Darran]
Whatever you want to share, of course.

[Erika Grapes]
Right, so my music career is divided into two or three parts. Years ago, I had a band in London. I moved to London.

I had a band there. And before a show, there was a very traumatic personal event. Okay, I was followed by a stranger and something happened.

So I went on stage, but then I decided after that show that I didn’t want to sing anymore. When I started recording again years later because a jazz player, piano player was telling me, you need to sing. So I had to go back and I was really happy that I decided to do so.

I was really scared, like subconsciously, to go back on stage. And that’s why a nice person, like a sensitive person like Eugene, who’s also a producer, musician, et cetera, was really helping me like some sort of a coach. And he was really, really cool, like the set on the stage.

I had two musicians like angels on my sides and it all went well. So I’m really happy and grateful about that. So it came natural, this collaboration.

I don’t know if we will collaborate again on other singles because I have other things in stores with other producers, but I’m very satisfied with it, so really happy.

[Darran]
Yeah. Yeah, it’s interesting how things will happen. I can kind of relate of not the same experience, but taking time to gather oneself and feel comfortable.

Again, it’s kind of like the effect of my friend. He was a boxer, golden glove boxer back in his youth. And when you get knocked out in the ring, it can be hard to get that confidence back up to get back in the ring again.

Cause you’re like, you might be shying away from, instead of being aggressive, maybe that’s what got you knocked out. So you’re like, I don’t want to do that again. But you gotta be that way to knock the other person out, you know, and be gun shy or punch shy.

I think punch shy is what they call it. You know, and that kind of happened to me a few months back. I was just like, didn’t know where to go.

I’d hit a point and just like, what do I do next? And I couldn’t get creativity in me to step up in front of the mic and do an interview.

[Erika Grapes]
You were healing.

[Darran]
Yeah. And I don’t know if it was just, it was a lot that was going on with me, you know, in the sense of things. So yeah, it can be stifling.

It can ruin, it can hold you back when you want to be out there. And what do I do? And what led me to get into that spot?

And, you know, the PTSD basically of it all. PTSD. Of dealing that.

So I’m glad you pushed through that and forward, pushed through that and are moving forward. That’s awesome.

[Erika Grapes]
Therapy helped me as well, especially EMDR, because, you know, integrated, it went to work on the response. So the PTSD response, the fight or flight, freezer, I don’t know, the phone probably is the other one. So I’ve been through two years of therapy, which is not much, but it was really useful.

And yeah, letting all the things out on paper. I used to, when I stopped with music, I went through a phase of poetry writing. So I had for myself, for myself healing, a lot of poetry for years.

Then at some point my poetry started to suck. And I said, okay, this is the end of the poetry phase.

[Darran]
Back to music.

[Erika Grapes]
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it’s like back to music gradually.

It’s like all the pieces came into place. And I believe in that. It’s like in arts, when things are meant to happen, they fall all together in the right place.

[Darran]
Yeah. You know, I was recently just talking with Leonora, Leandro earlier today and another artist on Monday, yesterday, about the health effects that can happen to somebody in the entertainment industry or almost any industry for that matter. But he was mentioning, you know, he’s now a counselor, does counseling for people, not Leandro, but the gentleman I was speaking yesterday.

And he says, you know, you got to understand an artist goes on stage and they perform in front of all these people as a DJ. And it happens for other artists, I’m sure as well. But they’re on stage, thousands of people, and it’s this big rush, this big dopamine kick, the rush that gets in your head.

He goes, for a DJ, you could be sitting in the airport by yourself two hours after your show’s done, waiting for a plane for four hours. It’s like a- And you’re like, whoa, I was just here, down here. And doing that over and over again without understanding or prepping for that.

You can see artists that play in front of tens or 20s or hundreds of thousands of people. You know, that’s a performance. It’s mentally, you got to prepare for it like a marathon.

[Erika Grapes]
It can be addictive.

[Darran]
And it can be addictive too. And that addiction can also become too much of your, I got to be in the crowd, I got to be in the crowd. You see this, we talk about, I’ve talked about this a couple of times over the last few days.

[Erika Grapes]
The adrenaline rush, the endorphins, or the overwhelming, yeah.

[Darran]
Yes, and you see this with influencers that get online, they get this big rush and they’re popular. They have hundreds of thousands of people following them. They post something online and the conversations are going, and they’re blah, blah, blah, blah.

And then they walk away. There was a documentary made about it, about these influencers, used to be on top. And now nobody knows who they are.

And they’re like, I go home, I’m in a shell of myself. I don’t feel like a real human being. You know, I don’t feel well.

[Erika Grapes]
I mean, there’s been cases of- I think that one of the most important lessons that a human being must learn is to let go of the ego. The ego, yeah. Yeah, that’s a validation, seeking validation from a crowd.

It’s important to understand that there is a sharing moment, not to lose themselves into the connection with others. Because they are taking some parts, no? Every kind of relationship, like a friend, some friendships, some romantic relationships, and probably also the relationship between the artist and a large crowd can be like, it’s like a mutual exchange, but when the silent falls, it can be like falling into a void or something like that.

I can only imagine because I’ve never- I mean, I’ve been an animator with a lot of people dancing, et cetera, but it’s not the same. It’s like being part of a party in a way. So it’s certainly something that, if you don’t experience yourself, you can’t really understand what they are going through.

Yeah, but yeah.

[Darran]
And a lot of people don’t understand, when a person’s going to perform on stage, they’re putting themselves into a zone. So just because they don’t say hi, or they might come off a little abrasive, they’re amping themselves up. I mean, there’s pressure because they got one shot to do it in that moment.

And if they screw up or something goes wrong, it throws their whole timing off. I recently just did an interview with a very large name group, celebrity group. And in their chat room, I did the wrong thing.

I wasn’t supposed to watch the chat room when I’m doing an interview. And because I didn’t have a moderator moderating it for me. And I saw somebody put a message in there that just threw me off.

And I didn’t know what was going to start coming up next. So here I am doing the interview with them, watching this chat room to see if it’s going to blow up and go in one direction or this direction. Luckily, somebody came back in and the comment was, this guy must not know anything about this group whatsoever.

And I’m sitting there and I’m like, I just found out about the group, just invited him on the show, didn’t have time to, I’m not a fan of their, I am now, because they’re awesome.

[Erika Grapes]
You should ignore those.

[Darran]
Yeah, but I didn’t know where the chat room conversation was going to go if somebody’s going to take a shot at me like that. And it’s like getting booed on stage basically. And luckily somebody came in a couple of chats later and says, hey, just because you’re a super fan and you know everything about them, and he’s not asking the questions that you want him to ask, doesn’t mean this isn’t a good interview.

And it doesn’t mean that he’s not asking questions. And I got over in the chat room and went, yeah, this is my first time interviewing them.

[Erika Grapes]
And my interview approach is- But that sounds a bit self-defensive. Maybe you should have simply asked them, okay, what is the question that you want me to, yeah.

[Darran]
Yeah, no, I mean, but yeah, it was just, it was nice that the fan, the other fan came in and kind of said like, hey, give this guy a break. Not everyone knows everything that you know. And they can’t read minds and he’s setting up a standard interview with these people.

And later on, people were like, that was really bad-ass. That was a good question. And I’m like, okay, because I’m like, wow, I’m already being cut up and we’re five minutes into the show.

I gotta wait for their answer, you know? Anyways, stuff like that can happen though. And bouncing back from it, I think is part of the artist experience as well.

Being able to cope with that, bounce back from that. But enough about my experience, I’m in front of the camera. I’m really interested because- Yeah, I’m interested to find out though, more about this Lyric Visualizer that you have with the song.

What is that all about?

[Erika Grapes]
And is it- Did you enjoy it? Did you like it? No, I gotta see it.

[Darran]
No, I know I haven’t seen it. Tell me, where do I find it?

[Erika Grapes]
On YouTube, you write Erika Grapes Eugene.

[Darran]
Hang on, hang on, hang on. I’ll look this up. We got cool technology over here.

I can do some cool stuff. So let’s see. There we go.

Okay, let’s see if we could do this here. So we are looking at- You do a reaction.

[Erika Grapes]
We will both react.

[Darran]
Oh, is this the Erika Grapes plus Eugene, love is a bitch, a fierce show. Okay, hold on here really quick. Let’s get here.

Okay, so let’s pause this. We’re gonna go ahead and take a look at this really quick. We rarely do this because of copyright regulations, but we’ll go ahead.

We’re gonna take a look at the visualizer. I’m gonna mute the music though, so that way we don’t get taken down for copyrights. Even though you’re the artist, your label or whoever may not have the rights and clear it.

[Erika Grapes]
I’m an independent artist, but you know.

[Darran]
Yeah, okay. Well, then if you’re giving me the rights, then we’re cool. I don’t, but sometimes it’s a disagreement.

We’ll still have the voice over here and I’ll let you talk over it and then we won’t worry about playing the music for it, but we’ll do that. Let me just go ahead and share this with our guests and see how this comes out. Boom, share, and then we’re gonna hit play and then we’re gonna, yeah.

Okay, cool. So this is the visualizer I take it. This is awesome.

And who made this video for you?

[Erika Grapes]
Me and Eugene. It was my idea. I have a friend who’s a photographer and an urbex, I don’t know how you pronounce it in English.

Urbex, probably, explorer. So there was this abandoned mill, a paper mill where we took pictures, promotional pictures. And I said to Eugene, why shouldn’t we shoot a video for our new single?

And he said, yeah, sure. But we didn’t find the time. So we only got the pictures, but they were so expressive.

I asked the photographer to take pictures while we were moving. We put on our smartphones the song and we were moving like kind of improvising. And it looks like it’s rehearsed, but it’s really not.

And the pictures were so powerful, like sometimes also scary, but there was really nothing scary going on there. And it was just the emotion conveyed by the lyrics and the music itself as well. Because it’s like my vocals is like my point of view on the song.

And the instrumental is the same for the producer, Eugene. His point of view on heartbreak was delivered through music. So we had these pictures and I edited them.

And I said, we should do a lyric visualizer even if they’re not moving. And we managed to do so. Some people really likes it.

It’s like a very do-it-yourself product.

[Darran]
It’s amazing. I’ve been in this industry for 35 years and it’s really amazing with the tools that are out there that you can do that I’ve seen advance over the years to do editing and make video projects and then be able to distribute them and share them. Yeah, it’s a freedom of expression.

[Erika Grapes]
Awesome, that was cool. Was it? Yeah.

It was just different, yeah.

[Darran]
Yeah, definitely awesome. So that was the first we’ve never actually, I’ve only very rarely do I bring videos in just because I never know if something might go wrong when I do it.

[Erika Grapes]
Special moment.

[Darran]
Yay, yay. So you have some other upcoming singles though. You mentioned an original dream pop song and the cover of a famous hit by Welsh artist, Wren.

Tell us all about that.

[Erika Grapes]
Which one of the two?

[Darran]
Oh, I just saw upcoming singles, both of them.

[Erika Grapes]
Both of them, okay. It’s going to be the same producer. I’m working with it.

And she’s the first female producer I’m going to work with. And she’s also a singer. Her name is Veronica Hall.

And she wrote this song almost a year ago. And we just met at the show because we were on the same night. We had a concert on the same night and she really liked what I do.

And she wrote this song for a movie by Asia Argento. I don’t know if she’s known. She’s the daughter of the horror movie director, Dario Argento.

And it was a movie from the year 2000. I think it’s kind of controversial one, but really depicts the story of a very lonely girl who went through trauma and finds kind of extreme ways to cope with it. And as she wrote that song, she had kind of like this call, like Erika Grace should sing these lyrics.

And so one night she said, can I show you this song? Because I really feel like you should sing it. And I said, look, I’m very honest.

If I don’t like it, I won’t sing it. But I really do. And so it’s very difficult for me to find the right words now, because I’m in between.

I would like to write something personal, but at the same time, because the song, it was inspired by the movie that I liked when I saw it before knowing her. I need to find the common ground. I need to find the meeting point between my personal vision or story or whatever I have to tap in and that movie.

And so I know that there is one, but until I find it, I can’t just write down any lyrics. I’m really, sometimes I take my time.

[Darran]
Yeah, no, the creative process is, I have people that come- I’m a very slow, slow creator. Yeah, they’ll say, I’ve worked on this song for four months or I’ve worked on it for a year or I put it in the vault and I brought it back out two years later. Or you have producers that’ll come and say, I produced a song in four hours and push it out and I think it’s ready to go.

And I’m like, wow.

[Erika Grapes]
I don’t have the talent.

[Darran]
So I’m not a musician. I’m probably too much of a perfectionist that nothing would ever get released. And then when I do release it, I’d probably be like, you know, I gotta go back and change that.

But that’s one of the things I love, even for my productions is I do live now. Even if I make a mistake, I just got used to it so many years ago that if we screw up, hey, it’s live. You can do better.

Go for it. You know, I roll with it now as opposed to trying to make it, the pressure of just trying to get it so perfect and the editing points just right. That doesn’t sound right.

And okay, no, just do it live and let it go. And you know, something happens. Yeah, it’s way more, less pressure.

And my episodes are done. They’re ready to go. I do a little bit of editing and dropping some logos on and stuff.

But as far as music goes, you really got to feel the project and then feel it, you know, put it out there.

[Erika Grapes]
Yeah, I think to serve the right vibe, you need to be not so rigid with yourself. Otherwise you can’t shape into the shape in reality.

[Darran]
And that leads, yeah, that leads right into my next question perfectly is what are three things that create inspiration for you? That is the three things that you really, like this, this, and this really helps me to focus. Three things.

[Erika Grapes]
Okay, oh, well, cause I didn’t end answering the previous question about, you know, the other song, the cover for Choking Outlines. My God. Okay, Choking Outlines by Ren, which is, I don’t know if you know Ren.

He’s an exceptionally talented musician that you should interview, I think.

[Darran]
Okay.

[Erika Grapes]
Definitely, yeah. Also a producer, very, very talented and very, very followed by, you know, like he was, his second album, I think, was number one in the UK and totally independent. There is one video of him that has like over 50 million views, and it’s just him playing guitar and answering questions, answering back and forth with himself, like Eminem or something like that.

It’s a very, yeah. So there was this song that was moving me a lot for the lyrics, and I decided that I wanted to cover it. And I posted a poll on Instagram, asking my followers if I should cover it solo or in duet.

And I also tagged the artists, Ren and Chinchilla, who’s a really good pop artist. I don’t know if you’ve heard of her. Okay.

And they both liked the story. So I was like, okay, I have their permission. And Ren also wrote me a DM saying, go solo.

And so I said, okay. If the legend himself says go solo, I will do that. So I’m going solo with this girl who’s a producer, and I have also a guitarist who’s really, really much into dark wave.

So it’s going to be very experimental, very far from the original track once again, but I want to do it more ethereal, more dream pop, and really sing the lyrics meaningfully, like I always try to do. So my inspiration comes sometimes from a concept, sometimes from a feeling, a vision, or a song also written by somebody else that really taps into my buttons. And I don’t know if it’s an expression, but yeah.

So pushes the right buttons, my emotional inside out characters. And so, yeah, it’s basically something that moves me in a direction or another. It serves as an inspiration for me.

[Darran]
If you could take one, if you looked at a list of your productions you’ve done so far, which one of those stands out to you the most?

[Erika Grapes]
Okay, you mean my singles?

[Darran]
Mm-hmm. Or even your covers. One that maybe really says, I was really happy to get this one out there and it meant so much to me.

[Erika Grapes]
I don’t want to sound like presumptions, but I really love most of them. Okay.

[Darran]
Nope, I have a lot of people refer to them as their children. And they make their children and they put them out in the world and they see what it does and they love every single one of them. Exactly.

[Erika Grapes]
That’s exactly it, yeah.

[Darran]
Hard to choose. I mean, people ask me all the time, what’s your most memorable or favorite episode of the DJ sessions? And I have to say, every single one of them, all 2,700 plus of them.

[Erika Grapes]
I don’t have- You can’t speak for all of them.

[Darran]
Yeah, I mean, what do you mean? I’m having fun doing what I want to do. And every single one of them, now they said, what’s the weirdest moment you ever screwed up in an episode?

Or what’s the most funniest moment or whatever? Those kinds of things are a little bit, but the best one, yeah, that can be kind of hard is the most memorable or best.

[Erika Grapes]
Let’s say the one that I was like more hyped when I heard it, I was like, wow, I’m really good. In this song, it was Red Right Hand, if it’s one.

[Darran]
Red Right Hand?

[Erika Grapes]
Yeah. It’s a cover. It was the soundtrack of Peaky Blinders.

I didn’t know before they blocked my YouTube videos. I didn’t. It was bad.

Because I don’t really watch those series. And it was a song from Nick Cave. And I realized that it was covered by many other artists.

But my version is very dear to me because it’s swing side, it’s groovy, and it has nice electronic things going on. It’s kind of like a big beat feel. It has a big beat feel to it.

Like I was inspired by Shirley Bassey with the Propellerheads, like history repeating, that kind of vibe. Even I’m not Shirley Bassey, but that was the inspiration. And yeah, if I can say one song, it’s that one.

But also there are many other ones. I think they are beautiful. I’m not like, oh my God, this song by myself.

I hate it. No, I don’t really have any of them. Yeah.

[Darran]
No, I understand. Yeah, it makes sense. You know, outside of now, your genre that you kind of labeled as is, your music is indie chill, dark dream pop with dashes of fierce and fatale.

[Erika Grapes]
Yeah.

[Darran]
You know, I know that’s a lot for a genre.

[Erika Grapes]
It is.

[Darran]
But if you would take yourself outside of your genre of music that you describe as your music is, what would be somebody outside of your genre that you would, you know, say is your favorite artist outside of your own kind of genre? You know, if I said, if I was trying to say, oh, I like this country music artist, people would be like, that’s way outside your genre, Darran. You’re into electronic music pretty much.

You want to go out and talk country, you know, or hip hop. I used to love hip hop, but I don’t follow it as much anymore.

[Erika Grapes]
I touch many different music genres.

[Darran]
Yeah.

[Erika Grapes]
Like from electronic, trip hop, a couple of songs, and also some alt pop, dream pop, new wave, psycho billy, probably garage for a truck. So I like to, I’m not fixed to a genre. That’s why my definition is so extended because it depends on the song really.

Some are very dreamy. Some other are the exact opposite. And some come across as very cold hearted and some others are like me pouring my tears and heart on sleeve.

So it depends on the song. Every song is a universe in itself. So it’s like we are not in the album era anymore.

So it’s more like every song has its own word and it speaks its own language, says different things. And so I like to do very different things. Also not to get bored.

I even did some folk or, you know, you can say, I mean, people who follows me for a few years, they seem to appreciate the variety of the production. They is eclectic, but they say there is some distinctive trait that can say this is a Erika grapes. Maybe it’s my timber.

I don’t know what is it because it’s not in the genre. Answering your question after this very long preamble. There are many artists.

I think Fiona Apple, she’s great.

[Darran]
She’s like- Yeah, I loved her out when she came out was Criminal. I remember that song. That music video was phenomenal.

Love that song so much. I used to play that a lot. I just thought it was just a great range.

And it’s like, yeah, it was a really great, really great.

[Erika Grapes]
And the singing from the cuts, like that’s why it’s very powerful from a very young age because she wrote the first album when she was probably around 17 or something. Also very much for lyrics and a very good pianist. Yeah, I admire her a lot.

[Darran]
And speaking of performance, shifting gears here for more album track based on the music there, how that comes out of the studio, when it comes to your performance, your stage performance, do you become a different person when you’re on stage? And are you a different person off stage? Is there a character or is it Erika grapes is 100% and Erika grapes is 100%?

[Erika Grapes]
I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Dissociation disorder, so derealization, depersonalization. So I have many different personalities.

It’s not like a schizophrenic kind of thing, but more like I’m more integrated now, but I used to really have some personality stuck in trauma, like childhood and other stages. So they popped up. So sometimes I like to make them have their own song, each of them.

So maybe that’s why they’re all so different. It’s like, okay. And, but when I’m on stage, I’m generally very focused.

I’m not like before what happened that I told you in London, I was very more extroverted, more, I used to be a dancer in clubs, techno clubs in Italy. And, and I used to go on the, what’s the name of the cube?

[Darran]
The train, the subway?

[Erika Grapes]
No, in clubs. Okay. I used to go there and dance for five hours in straight.

Okay. Very energetically. And so I was really, I don’t know how to explain, very happy, very full of energy.

And I don’t know. Then yeah, I’m more introverted now. So I don’t really communicate with the audience, but they told me when I had the gig last year, that it was hypnotic.

It was like a mesmerizing. And that was exactly what I wanted to convey, to have like a bubble, a cocoon, which is safe and cozy, a vibe made of music, waves. And the songs were like kind of something sometimes lullabies, sometimes scary stories, sometimes more up-tempo.

And so it’s like a journey. It’s not like I am in a certain way, but I become part of the show and the audience as well. And so it’s all an experience, a shared experience through music.

I try to, you know, to give frequencies and waves of music.

[Darran]
Yeah. And being on stage and not only the stage performance, you actually are backstage before the show goes on. Who was the most inspiring person you’ve ever met backstage or while doing a show or being just backstage as maybe not even part of the show, just kind of back and hanging out and anyone inspiration, anyone that comes to mind that’s been kind of a, oh wow.

[Erika Grapes]
I’ve been backstage many times, but not on my shows. Because my day job, I assume, okay?

[Darran]
Yeah.

[Erika Grapes]
It’s the music PR. And so I’ve been doing this for quite a long time now. And I’ve been to festivals and, you know, and I noticed that some bigger artists tend to be very humble and human and very kind and nice and very chill.

And that surprised me. And it was an inspiration. It was like, yeah, they don’t need to be self-inflated or anything.

They’re like vibing with others. And sometimes they’re even shy. So, and when they go on stage, a completely different person.

Well, it depends on the, yeah, on the artist, but yeah. So it was really nice to meet a few of them. Yeah.

[Darran]
You know, I found that out as well is that, you know, the ego, as you mentioned earlier, is one thing that it’s hard to, people don’t understand it may be happening and they might ego trip and they might be like, oh, because everyone wants to be me. I must be a well-liked person so I can get away with whatever I want. And people are still gonna like me.

And it’s like, no, you’re being an a-hole. And, you know, and nobody wants to say no because they want to be next to that person or be that opportunity, you know, be next to that person. But I’ve met a lot of people in this business.

And I find that, you know, unfortunately people do get that at the lower levels and that’s something tough to break free of. They feel that that’s a persona they have to put on because maybe they saw somebody else act that way, you know, or they don’t know how to cope with success or what they think is success.

[Erika Grapes]
And not there yet probably.

[Darran]
Yeah, I mean, I think the most chillest people are, I’ve had some of the biggest names on my show and they’re like, hey, Darran, how’s it going today? And I’m like, not much, how are you doing today? And turn out the fan boy over here and go, woohoo, and I’m like, hey, I’m cool too, how are you doing?

I gotta put my cat outside. You have a cat? Yeah, you know, it’s crazy fun stuff.

Like you said, like I said to you before the show, we make it relaxed and fun for people to want to talk and be here, you know? And yeah, I think ego, you’re right, is one of the biggest things that you gotta kind of curb that and put it aside and focus on the goodness.

[Erika Grapes]
I think it’s part of the process of being alive on this planet to deal with it and learn from it, like through karmic lessons or enlightenment sometimes. So yeah, it’s an evolution. I used to blame others for their limitations until I found out that when I was blaming, it was a reflection of my own ones.

And so I was like, that’s why I was blaming, because they were mirroring me in the same way. And so after that, you start judging less and less and being more understanding of the place they are at the moment. And the struggle they’re probably going through.

[Darran]
And you never know what somebody’s going through, you know, if they’re vocal about it.

[Erika Grapes]
Sometimes they are all like you said before, just like by decision, they are not really nice. They know that they can act a different way, but they decide to be that way because they are under the illusion that it’s more convenient.

[Darran]
Yeah, exactly.

[Erika Grapes]
Yeah.

[Darran]
And that was like, it was funny. I saw something online yesterday, the day or two ago, maybe. And it was a story about this guy who’s an office worker.

And one of the things he does is he was, it wasn’t announced till the end of the kind of joke. It wasn’t a joke, but it said, yeah, when I get a new job, the first thing I do is I go around the office and I ask everyone if I can borrow some money for a cup of coffee. And you’re kind of like, wow, what?

And the guy, he was saying that I had a very prominent job and everyone knew the guy was making money because he’s working for the company. And he was asking people if they could buy a cup of money, buy a cup of coffee. And when he went back to his friend or whoever’s talking to him said, hey, how can we do this?

He goes, because I’m an introvert and I find out if I do that, everyone leaves me alone.

[Erika Grapes]
Okay, that’s genius.

[Darran]
It was his tactic to basically make people go, I want to stay away from that guy because he’s weird. He’s asking for money for coffee. It was really attacked.

And the guy goes, that’s pretty ingenious.

[Erika Grapes]
You know, like, wow.

[Darran]
And it wasn’t, the guy wasn’t really trying to be rude. It was just creating a mechanism to have people not get in his space.

[Erika Grapes]
To be disliked by others, like to be avoided by others.

[Darran]
Yeah, yeah. So it’s like.

[Erika Grapes]
But it doesn’t convey very, it doesn’t attract very good energy or vibes. You got a good point there.

[Darran]
I’m not condoning the behavior, but I’m just thinking like, okay, I don’t know how the actual interaction.

[Erika Grapes]
It’s not a really happy, it’s not a really happy life. I mean.

[Darran]
I mean, maybe you don’t have to practically, you know, say something like that, but it’s anyone’s business. If I have to wear, I don’t have to wear a sticker that says, I’m an introvert, leave me alone.

[Erika Grapes]
Yeah, it makes sense. And I believe in the owning your flaws because they are part of you. Like if someone is kind of bitchy and like, yes, I am bitchy.

I’m not pretending not to be one. There might be a reason behind it. So you just know that they are honest about themselves and like, leave me alone for a moment because I’m not going through a very easy part of my life probably.

So I respect that, especially if someone is declaring it openly, like, okay.

[Darran]
You know, do you ever get fed up with making and playing music? And what do you do to deal with that? Like, what are your summer grounding techniques that brings you back into the fold?

Or if you hit a writer’s block or a creative block, do you have any methods that you go, this is my go-to when I know I’m feeling this way?

[Erika Grapes]
I’m very, very lazy. I mean, I don’t force myself. Maybe I’m wrong.

Maybe I should. I read something like about waking up every day and writing 100 terrible songs and then one of them would be okay. But I don’t think that it works for me because I would hate myself for wasting that time and brain energy.

And so I’m more like when inspiration hits, then it’s the moment to go. And it finds its own way. But maybe I should change this mindset.

I don’t know. For the moment, it’s like this. Yeah, I don’t really have a writing block.

When I don’t feel like writing, I say there’s nothing coming through. It will when my subconscious is ready because it’s generally an integration of the subconscious being ready to, after a long digestion, to share something with others. And so it’s a kind of a sacred moment, I think.

Because this is true. It’s not a labor of exercise, but it’s more like it needs to be shared. So it means it has a meaning and it’s part of my dharma in a way.

It’s part of my, not just a talent if it’s good, but it’s more like it’s a message that needs to be shared. I don’t know for whom. Maybe for someone I will never know.

Maybe someone 10 years from now. But if it comes out, it means that it’s, I’m very fatalistic in this sense.

[Darran]
In those in-between times, what do you prefer to do when music and inspiration isn’t at your forefront? What does Erika like to do when it’s time off?

[Erika Grapes]
I listen to music. I listen to music.

[Darran]
Listen to music.

[Erika Grapes]
Yeah. I listen to a lot of music, yeah. Since I was a child, it’s like my comfort zone.

Music itself, I can’t live without it. I’m so happy. I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but I’m so happy that we have streaming platforms nowadays because I can really find new music and listen to whatever I want at any given time.

And so, yeah. I mean, from a music business point of view is not the best because of course, we know.

[Darran]
Don’t get me kicked off my platforms, Erika. I got, I could have a lot of words, but.

[Erika Grapes]
I said, I’m really a supporter of streaming platforms as a user and also as an artist because it gives artists the opportunity to be discovered by others on the other side of the planet. Sometimes I get messages from people. I didn’t know, like your song is working in the streets of Kathmandu.

And I’m like, wow, I feel so honored. I feel so happy about it. And it’s like, yeah, my song, my child is traveling a lot and having fun in places.

And so it’s good.

[Darran]
Nice. Where’s the weirdest place or time that you can think of? Weirdest place you’ve ever heard one of your own songs?

In the weirdest way.

[Erika Grapes]
I don’t know. It gets shut down in different parts of the world, especially in Mexico for some reason. And there was a time when there was a singer which is Love Potion number nine.

And I got many messages from Vietnam because there was a Netflix series, an Asian one that had the same song. And apparently the singer of that song had the voice which was pretty similar to my version. And so they thought it was the same one.

And they were writing me, ah, your song is on Netflix. And I’m like, how come I don’t know? I didn’t know.

And I was on many Vietnamese playlists with that song. And I don’t know, another major artist from the Western culture and a lot of Vietnamese music. And I used to listen to those playlists also to find out how it’s associated with other songs.

And I found out that the Vietnamese music is really, really relaxing and nice. And so I started to put it also on my own playlist. Playlist like the chilling ones.

Yeah, it’s really cool because sometimes there are some kind of, you know, they say we have seven notes with, but no, there are many other factors that can make a song and make it different from anything else that you’ve heard before. So yeah, I’m never getting bored of music, never. Awesome.

So happy, yeah.

[Darran]
If there’s anything you could let our DJ Sessions fans know before we let you go, wonderful interview by the way. Thank you so much for being here. What would that be?

What would you want to let them know about?

[Erika Grapes]
Okay, I had one hour time to think about this answer and I honestly can’t come up with anything. I don’t know, just follow me and you will find out.

[Darran]
There you go. Where’s the best place for people to go to, to do that?

[Erika Grapes]
Follow me around and find out.

[Darran]
Yeah.

[Erika Grapes]
Yeah, on LinkedIn.

[Darran]
Okay.

[Erika Grapes]
That’s the link, that’s it. And yeah, I also suggest to follow the producer of Love is a Beach, who’s Eugene and the owner of this- Pac-Man Ghost. Pac-Man, okay.

And it’s, oh, that’s it, eugeneofficial.com. He’s also a really, really good artist, recording artist. And yeah, maybe you will have him as your guest sometime soon when his flu is recovering.

Definitely.

[Darran]
Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde.

[Erika Grapes]
Okay, I don’t know that one, no.

[Darran]
That’s the name of the Pac-Man Ghosts.

[Erika Grapes]
Okay, so this is Pinky or Inky.

[Darran]
Yes, Blinky is the red one, Pinky is the pink one, Inky is the blue one, I remember that because blue ink, and Clyde is the orange one.

[Erika Grapes]
I don’t know if it’s orange or red or pink.

[Darran]
It looks like he’s the red one.

[Erika Grapes]
That looks- He’s the red one.

[Darran]
That’s the red one, definitely the red one.

[Erika Grapes]
Oh, cause there’s written also only Pac-Man in here, so it’s a nameless one. So we know that it’s Inky.

[Darran]
Blinky.

[Erika Grapes]
Blinky, it’s Blinky. Hi, Blinky.

[Darran]
Awesome, thank you so much for coming on the show today, Erika.

[Erika Grapes]
Thank you, Darran.

[Darran]
Definitely gonna give a shout out to that Linktree one more time, Linktree, Erika Grapes. Awesome, thank you. We’ll be following up with you and we’ll get Eugene on the show here in the future.

And definitely good luck and congratulations on the new albums and our new tracks, new tracks coming out as well.

[Erika Grapes]
Thank you. You’re welcome.

[Darran]
On that note, don’t forget to go to our website, thedjsessions.com. That’s right, thedjsessions.com. Find us there, all our socials, over 700 news stories, 2,700 plus past episodes, exclusive mixes, live interviews, past interviews, our new music section coming out.

We even have a virtual reality nightclub in VR chat and our mobile app version two coming out soon. All of that and more at thedjsessions.com. Go there, tell a friend, share it, share the episodes.

We love it. We love sharing our stuff around the world. And thank you so much for watching today.

I’m your host, Darran, for The Virtual Sessions, coming to you from the Seattle Virtual Studios. And that’s Erika coming in. Erika Grapes coming in all the way from the lawn for The DJ Sessions.

And remember, on The DJ Sessions, the music never stops.