Eternia Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Feb 22nd 2010 1:00PM by Matthew Pruitt
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Touted by Pound Magazine as "one of Canada's best kept secrets," Juno-nominated Eternia returns to SXSW this year with a distinct roots-style hip-hop reminiscent of hip hop's early days, before the reign of Auto-Tune. Eternia is backed up by a three-piece band -- DJ Boo, beatboxer Chesney Snow and bassist Colin Dean. She brings with her the experience of three full-length albums, six music videos, and international touring in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Australia and Europe. Her latest album will be released worldwide on a soon-to-be-disclosed record label.

Describe your sound.

Boom-bap traditional East Coast good, old hip-hop.

How did you get started with your music?

I was eight years old, and my brother was the coolest thing on the planet. He was like God. And he brought hip-hop home in the form of N.W.A., 2 Live Crew, Public Enemy and a lot of stuff from the late '80s. I've been rapping ever since.

What have been your biggest influences?

The golden era of hip-hop. I've also really been influenced by the crews I've rolled with, including Nextra (in Canada), Demigodz (in the US), and Tough Dumplin.

How did you come up with your name?

Well, Eternia is me solo. Because the band was just formed this last year, I'll usually say, "Eternia and My Band." Eternia was the planet on 'He-Man.' My birth name is Silk.

Do you live in New York or Canada?

I like to say I live in both places. I actually do spend half my time in Toronto, just for work, music-related and otherwise, but I did kind of relocate [to New York] in 2005. Interestingly enough, the same month I dropped my debut album, 'It's Called Life,' I moved to New York. So I was kind of like, OK, done that, on to the next.

And you have a new album coming out?

We're dropping the album a couple months after SXSW. It's my first worldwide record deal. We're not announcing yet what label. We have a party coming up in Brooklyn at this bar called Sputnik, and [then] we're announcing the record label.

What's your biggest vice?

Honestly, off the top [of my head] -- sleep. I think some people turn to drugs, some people turn to liquor, and some people turn to sex whenever they want to escape. My escape is sleep. I can sleep any time, any place, anywhere -- bus, train, plane. I can pass out on a club speaker in the middle of a nightclub. I've done it. If there's one thing that stops me from getting stuff done, it's probably that I love sleep. And that's not good for being an indie artist.

Who was your first celebrity crush?

OK, this is something that nobody knows. Way back when, when I was a young teenager, I used to think Pete Rock was cute. More recently, though -- T.I. T.I. is definitely my celebrity crush.

Do you have a musical guilty pleasure?

I listen to my own music more than anybody else's, which is kind of self-absorbed, but really I'm just nervous to listen to other people's stuff because I'm nervous they're going to ask me for my opinion.

The Beatles or the Stones?

My brother really raised me on Led Zeppelin, Hendrix and AC/DC. Out of the Beatles and Stones, definitely [the] Stones, but more so the other stuff that I listed.

What's the craziest experience you've ever had on tour?

I was on the Warped Tour in 2005, for all sixty days across the country. I was on what we called the "land yacht" -- it was an RV. I was on it with five or six other boys. I was the only girl. There was one dude on the RV that was actually clinically insane -- like, he got sent away to an insane asylum halfway through the tour. I had some pretty scary experiences [with him]. He got locked up in one state and we had to bail him out, and he thought there was a bomb in the bathroom in another state. Then one day I woke up in the morning, and there was a Barbie doll hanging by a noose right above my head!

Do you have a central message to your music?

I never thought that I did, other than just accurately and honestly conveying real life through stories of my own. But I think when other people come and talk to me about my music, the one thread that they all mention across the board is it's uplifting. I would never self-describe my music as that, but other people have, so I guess there's something to that. It's cool, it's humbling, and it gives me a sense of responsibility, too.

Matthew Pruitt is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.