What do you do when someone breaks your heart and an overwhelming flood of mixed emotions enter your mind? For this Brampton artist whose early days in music were spent performing in front of friends and family, as early as the age of four – you sing.
In case, you haven’t heard of Selena Dhillon, the prolific R&B singer is a rising musician whose sound falls somewhere between soulful and edgy with a hint of sweet. From actively recording her music in her high school years to working alongside artists like Sikh Knowledge, Humble the Poet, Noyz and B Magic, Dhillon is amassing an audience while staying true to her values of spreading insightful revelations.
Recently she’s collaborated with LA producer KinG! to give her listeners a track that very succinctly wants you to take any negative experience and flip the script and turn those experiences into positive and profound. It’s about losing all inhibition and liberating yourself by you and only you.
Sitting down with the talented artist, we discussed what the track was about, it’s creation, why music is the medium, her Brampton roots and more.
Bramptonist: Tell me about this track
Selena: The song is an expression of liberating confidence when there is no one to impress but yourself. It is the moment when we decide that the weight of the world is not our anchor. It’s about dismissing anything that keeps you away from being yourself. It’s about making a declaration to yourself that happiness is a priority. It’s about no one and everyone. It’s about our happiness and chasing it all day in every way.
Bramptonist: What went into the creation of the song?
Selena: There are two things I do when I need to let go, express myself and get my happiness. I sing and revamp my hair (the video for the song is a reflection of that). And that’s exactly what I did. FVCK was a freestyle. The night I recorded I had scribbled down a few words, ‘FVCK this,’ were two of them. And the rest were delivered on the mic as I found myself listing all the things I had loved about myself and want to reclaim. It was freeing. I showed the recording to Keith a.k.a. KinG! and he wanted the acapella right away. I sent them to him in L.A. and he empowered every single word and inflection of my vocals with his incredible musicianship and production. It bumped.”
The creation of the song has been a journey on its own. It went from a somber tone to this uplifting jam. When I hear it now I don’t think back to a time when I was sad and confused. When I hear it now I think about the day I was relieved and joyful and empowered to take control of my life…my happiness.
Bramptonist: Why is music your chosen medium for self-expression?
Selena: Music is, has been and always will be my therapy. Since I was four years old music was there to help me heal, love and empower myself from the highs and lows of reality. So many artists were influential on my life and saved me in a way. Over time as I realized the universality of music and sound, and that it allowed me to share it with anyone…words are important, but whether or not you understand the words the fact that a sound can make people feel something is special. I’m grateful that I was given such a gift…and my aim is to create pieces that will be there for other the same way my idols were there for me.
I also really love to color. I still have the pastels I used as a child. I’m no Picasso, but there’s something therapeutic about coloring.
Bramptonist: What’s your Brampton connection?
Selena: Brampton is home. It’s comfort. It raised me. It holds my memories. Although I’ve moved out of Brampton, returned, and will likely move away again…it will always be home. There’s a beauty about the suburbs I appreciate too. I love Brampton under the moon. The stillness of the suburbs in the after hours is so calming.
Bramptonist: What’s your dream project or collaboration?
Selena: Again, there are so many on my list! But if I had to choose just one right now…Lauryn Hill (with J Dilla on production ~ in spirit…may he be resting in paradise).
Bramptonist: If you could have one super power what would it be?
Selena: For the betterment of the world…heal ailments with my hugs. Selfishly…make vegan cheese and chocolate taste like real cheese and milk chocolate (For health reasons I had to go vegan recently and life just isn’t the same).
‘Fvck’ is available on iTunes, Spotify and Apple Music. For the latest, check out Selena’s website here, or follow her on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.