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Ghita Discusses Her Single ‘Brand New’ & Her Time at Berklee College of Music (Exclusive Q&A)

Pop artist Ghita has a sound that you can’t find anywhere else. As a singer-songwriter who grew up between Spain, Morocco and Switzerland, and speaks four languages, she has many unique experiences that translate directly into her music. Ghita released the music video for her single, “Brand New,” and it’s definitely worth the three minutes of your life. 

Before leaving for Europe, Ghita spoke with Her Campus about her favorite childhood artists, the European influence in her music, what she’ll be doing this summer and more.

Her Campus: You recently released a single called “Brand New,” what was the inspiration behind it? How is it similar to and/or different from other singles you’ve dropped?

Ghita: “Brand New” is actually a song I wrote before all the singles that I dropped. The inspiration was a relationship that ended pretty badly. I felt very embarrassed at the time, so I wanted to write about it. I think I wanted to write something more mature that would make me feel empowered in a way, but without having a lot of adjectives like I have in my other songs. I wanted it to be more genuine and raw.

HC: What type of music did you grow up listening to? How has it influenced your current sound?

G: I grew up listening to lots of pop music like Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez. Besides pop radio, I also listened to jazz. I went to jazz school at Berklee College of Music in Boston and was influenced even more by that. Then, I moved to LA and started listening to rock and a lot of R&B. I guess that’s pretty new to me. I think you can kind of hear my music and tell it’s not straight pop, [and] that’s because I’ve also listened to old school jazz.

 

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HC: How has living in Spain, Morocco and Switzerland affected the way you approach music?

G: You can hear in my accent that I sound French, and that’s because I went to a French school my whole life. I kind of grew up as a French girl in Morocco. I think what I really get from Morocco is my love for percussion. In my music, I always try to incorporate a European vibe in everything I do because I’m from here. I don’t see why I would try to be American-sounding. That’s pretty much how I started making music. I’m still finding myself and my sound. I haven’t found 100 percent of it yet, but I’m really excited to spend time in the studio. I think by releasing all of the songs, it made me know even more what I want right now and what I want to sound like.

HC: You went to Berklee College of Music where you studied songwriting and performance. What was your favorite class? What was the best piece of advice you received during your time there?

G: My favorite class was actually performance. That’s when I realized that I really wanted to do that. I became obsessed with performing live, which is weird because I’m a very shy person. I had an amazing teacher that really made me feel comfortable. The best piece of advice I received was actually from my last class that I took there. My teacher said, “Leave the school and go make music.”

 

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HC: Are there any artists you hope release new music soon?

G: I love so many artists that it’s such a hard question, but I would love to hear some music from Billie Eilish. I love Drake, and listen to Post Malone on repeat. I really like Sara Bareilles and Christina Perri, but they haven’t had music in a while. Honestly, I listen to literally everything—which I think is a good thing.

HC: What are your plans for the summer?

I’m going to be in the studio most of the time and if everything goes well as planned, I’m probably going to jump on a tour in September. I’m probably going to be rehearsing with my band. I’m heading to Europe because I’m going to be working with some British producers, and that’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

Emily Schmidt

Stanford '20

Emily Schmidt is a junior at Stanford University, studying English and Spanish. Originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia, she quickly fell in love with the Californian sunshine and warm winter temperatures. Emily writes a hodgepodge of pieces from satiric articles for The Stanford Daily to free-verse poetry to historical fiction. Just like her writing repertoire, her collection of hobbies are widely scattered from speed-crocheting to Irish dancing to practicing calligraphy. When she is not writing or reading, Emily can also be found jamming out to Phil Collins or watching her favorite film, 'Belle.'