Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Velvet Halo
THE RELEASE
Velvet Halo is the enchanting collaboration between vocalist Justina Shandler and producer David Thiele, who together, in this dynamic duo driven by their shared passion for storytelling through music. These songwriters just released their debut EP on February 16th, 2024. The evocative lyrics of Justina Shandler are seamlessly woven by David Thiele’s masterful production to create a sonic tapestry that resonates on a deeply emotional level as they traverse melodic, piano-driven landscapes to explore life’s transitions and yearnings for lost youth.
Step down the aisle and into the soothing terrain of Velvet Halo. The lead single “Fool Again,” takes listeners back to simpler days, back when pining over mix tapes and the boy next door seemed to consume every part of your life. The rest of the EP veers from soulful duets on “Warm Night” to a different kind of emptiness on “Nothing Left.” The last stand, entitled “Find Me,” is etched in lo-fi charm and rife with uptempo digs at the headspace we go to when we’re the happiest. It’s an invitation bathed in feeling and music. Velvet Halo creates a unique space between personal experience and dreams, but the dichotomy wields a space for thought and hopes that will be latched on by anyone that stumbles onto their music.
THE INTERVIEW
If you had to create a Mount Rushmore of inspiration, what four individuals molded the artist you are today?
David: Wow.. great question. In terms of musical inspiration in my life, I would say the band Over The Rhine really opened my eyes to how music could make you feel so many things in your heart and how you could feel connected in a deeper way. Linford Detweiler from that band is just amazing with his words and you can feel his soul in his piano playing which has been really inspiring. He released a few solo piano records that I LOVE! Duncan Sheik has also been a big influence for me. I always loved the interesting chord choices and musicality of his work. David Mead for his amazing voice and some of the best melodies I’ve ever heard. Last (but there are so many more) Jonatha Brooke… just killer songs all around.. listen to “Inconsolable” and you’ll know what I mean.
Justina: I grew up listening to Billy Joel, then later in my adolescence came Sara Bareilles and Regina Spektor. Perhaps my biggest inspiration is my dad, a closeted songwriter. He filled my childhood with original music for every occasion. My Mount Rushmore is filled with piano-playing story-telling icons.
Throughout the production of your new EP, were there specific challenges or breakthrough moments that had a profound influence on the overall direction and cohesion of the project?
David: Justina and I had worked together on a few songs before. I produced some tracks for her in some of her other music projects. Velvet Halo really started with “Words Fail”. I was tinkering around on the piano one day and came up with this beautiful waltz-like progression. I’ve always admired Justina’s voice and how raw and earnest and beautiful it is. I’ve just always felt an instant connection to the song whenever I’ve heard her sing, and after I came up with this music, I thought that her voice would be PERFECT for it. I sent it to her and she loved it! She came back with this amazing melody and these amazing words… I was blown away and it all just came together so seamlessly. For a long time, I had been so focused on writing catchy, upbeat music for TV and commercials, but this style of music is the true music that comes from my soul. When Justina sent back “Words Fail” with her vocal and lyrics, I knew I met my match! We kind of joked.. “maybe we should make an EP of songs in this style”. Well, time went on and one day out of the blue, she sent me this really amazing voice memo telling me how much she loved the music we made together and she was so encouraging and said so many nice things to me, it brought me to tears… That night, I sat at the piano, inspired, and “Fool Again” came pouring out. Thus.. the EP project was inevitable and Velvet Halo was born.. it was fate!
Justina: My challenges were mainly around keeping up with David and doing the songs justice. David is this prolific engine of beautiful music…he seemingly cranks out song after song in minutes. They pour out of him, fully arranged! Don’t believe him if he tells you different. My side of the collaboration — lyrics and melody — emerged at a snail’s pace. I would listen, in awe, sit with the instrumental for days, weeks, months at a time, dreaming up how in the world I could write something that adds to the beauty of his instrumental.
One of the songs in particular, “Warm Night,” took me five complete lyrical rewrites before I felt satisfied enough to show David. “Nothing Left” was also a challenge. The lyrics for the verses flowed out pretty naturally, but the outro stumped me for a long time. That outro is so beautiful and uplifting and it deserved lyrics to match it, but I found nary an ounce of optimism within me. I was in a low and dark place. I had to really dig deep to write an authentic outro to that song that felt both true and honoring of the dark period I was in. To this day I still don’t know how it all happened, it almost feels like I blacked out and then woke up to this incredible EP. I *love* soft rippling piano, and David really touches on a sweet spot of both of ours, setting the tone for this emotional collection of music.
Can you offer insights into the collaborative dynamics that shaped your latest EP, shedding light on the contributions from producers, co-writers, engineers, or featured artists and how their involvement impacted the final body of work?
David: The dynamic so far has been that I come up with the music and produce all of the songs.. I’ll offer some melody and lyric ideas if I’m hearing anything, but I like to see what Justina is gonna come up with. It’s so fun to hear melodies I would’ve never thought of, and her songwriting and lyrics are spectacular!
Considering the entirety of your EP, what lasting impact or impression do you hope the collection of songs will leave on listeners, both individually and as a cohesive musical journey?
Justina: I’m a lyricist first, so I’m hoping the stories in these songs find a home somewhere in our listeners’ hearts. I hope they can see themselves in the narrative. Words Fail can validate the agony of needing to leave a relationship but not knowing how…Fool Again can simultaneously be your nostalgic companion while also uplifting you to believe it gets better…Warm Night can snuggle up to you when the chaos of the world feels like it’s too much…Nothing Left can mirror your numbness during a low or dissociative time of life (with a twist triumphant ending!), and Find Me can fly out the open windows while you cruise down the freeway remembering that it’s all gonna be okay.
David: My goal is for people to listen and to not be able to help but say.. “wow.. that’s really beautiful”. We’ve put so much heart and soul into this music and I hope that comes across when people listen. I want people to connect and relate, to feel inspired, to reminisce and appreciate their lives and look forward to the future. I think “Warm Night” is the perfect example.. Let’s shut out this crazy world and just get lost in a beautiful moment together.
As you look forward, how does the release of this EP set the stage for your future projects, and are there any subtle hints or clues you can share about the evolving musical direction you plan to explore in the coming months?
Justina: We have a ton of live content coming out soon, and a couple more songs cooking in the oven. Get ready!
David: We had the opportunity to spend some time together this past summer and make a music video for “Fool Again”. We also were able to play some of the songs live together in the studio and got some really good video footage of it. We’ll be releasing those performances in the coming months and we already have a handful of songs we’re shaping up for our next release. Great stuff and I’m really excited about it all.
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