An Invaluable Conversation with Delilah Holliday
By Josie Lyttle
In the spotlight since a teenager, Delilah Holliday is a seasoned professional within the music scene. Once the co-founder of the punk band ‘Skinny Girl Diet’, Delilah is now a solo artist exploring the range of her sound; her punk roots influencing her current body of work Invaluable No.1 and 2. Delilah’s release of Invaluable No.2 consists of epic beats and electric sounds that pair perfectly with her voice and the story-telling behind her lyricism. Pleaser Mag heard from Delilah on her latest body of work and her journey along the way.
PLEASER: Where did the inspiration for Invaluable No. 1 and 2 as a whole come from?
Delilah: Lots of things, in my personal life really. I had a big upheaval, I got evicted suddenly in a housing crisis and had to move back in with my parents like many of my peers. Fortunately, while I was living with my parents I got inspired by my autobiographical story and life journey which has heavily influenced the visuals. Musically I had lost a lot of confidence in my own production skills and song writing so, Raphael, the producer I worked with helped me create something out of the situation I was going through. While creating the music I was heavily influenced by Tricky, Faithless and Portishead.
P: Your work feels so personal, yet speaks to a universal experience of just being alive; could you speak on this in relation to your own life?
D: Thank you, ultimately, I just want to create something that makes whoever listens to it empowered and feel understood. I understand what it’s like to feel alone and battle with your mind. At the end of the day, it’s not ever going to be easy but I’m grateful to have this so I can create art that helps me manage it and helps other people feel understood.
P: What are you most proud of with this EP?
D: I’m very thankful to have my music on vinyl for the first time since Skinny Girl Diet. It has been a long journey from then until now and I still often question myself on why I am making music at all, in this day and age. It’s the little glimmers of hope you must look out for. It’s also my first release on One Little Independent Records. I love working with them and I feel really supported. Long may it continue.
P: Are the lyrics behind your work deliberate because they have been playing on your mind, or do they come from being inspired in a specific moment in time?
D: Some of the lyrics are and some aren’t. “Everything I Ever Wanted” was more of a deliberate song that I wrote on my own compared to songs like “Liquid Pearl” and “Long Time Coming” which me and Raphael did the ‘cut-up’ technique that is an aleatory literary technique inspired by David Bowie and William S. Burroughs.
P: You started out in the industry at 14 as co-founder of the band ‘Skinny Girl Diet’; How do you think you have changed as an artist since you began and as you’ve moved into a solo career?
D: I’m less angsty and I’ve chilled out a bit. Although there’s nothing wrong with being angsty. I’m very happy I’m not tied to a genre anymore and I can be more creatively fluid. I still am in love with authentic punk music though it’s good for the soul to be angry at the powers that be and create art about it. I still carry the punk spirit within every creative action that I do because it’s very important to make a noise and make a mark regardless of whether it’s perfect or liked by the masses.
P: What’s a piece of advice you wish you had been given when just starting out in your career?
D: People are going to copy you and not give you the credit but it means you are doing the right thing.
Delilah Holliday’s EP (Parts 1 and 2) are out now! It’s personal, it’s pop and it takes you along a journey that speaks to the chaos of life and living through the noise.
