Feature: Silver Magpie Decodes “Dickens”
Photo Credit: Isabel Taracena (ig: @isa.taracena)
What was the creative process like for this particular single?
It's a funny story. This song is a product of many things happening at the same time. Part of the lyrics were written during the pandemic; "Looking outside from the window" is directly connected to the quarantine and the search for truth amidst all the misinformation. During this time, I was also reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, which evoked a nostalgic feeling about living a life that craves hope in its darkest hour and struggles with dichotomy. With all these inspirations, I later decided that Dickens was the perfect name for the song.
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for "Dickens?"
Songwriting has always been particularly important to me. I always strive to make my lyrics compelling, but now I'm also trying to make them less obvious and allow more room for interpretation, so whoever listens can own the song in ways I had not foreseen. The lyrics of this song are mostly political in nature, but they also contain some of my personal struggles hidden beneath the surface. From this approach, I came up with my favorite lyric in my career so far: "Our unborn child isn't the one who's gonna save the world." Without giving too much away, I'll say this line is about all those things that could have made the world better, but we chose to let them pass.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for this song?
It's a particularly different song in terms of production, composition, and singing compared to my previous work, so it was challenging from the start. Some sections had to be discarded, like a piano solo at the end with an eerie vibe, which we removed to reduce the length of the song. It was very hard to narrow down the right combination of sounds to convey contained anger without sounding too aggressive. Full disclosure, I had a lot of help from my sound engineer, Sergio Zamorano, who truly became a producer for this single and has been instrumental in shaping the overall sound of Silver Magpie.
Can you share a bit about your musical background and the journey that led you to where you are today?
I cannot remember a moment in my life when music was not an important part of my daily existence. From my family, I learned to appreciate a vast array of styles and genres, which deeply interested me in the art of making music. I started writing songs from a very young age but never had formal training. I had some guitar lessons, but that was it (and, to be honest, I wasn't very good at it). I convinced my parents to buy me a keyboard and started learning just by listening and doing some basic research.
I tried to form bands with friends but never truly managed to make it happen. Finally, a few years ago, I decided to give it a shot by myself. I had a lot of songs written already, so I set up my little home studio and started recording. I eventually released my first single in 2020 and haven't stopped since then. I did take some time between this latest single and my previous releases to redefine my sound, songwriting, and even marketing strategies. It has all been very gratifying and I'm just happy to share my work, hoping anyone can feel they are less alone when hearing my songs.
Are there any upcoming projects or releases that you're particularly excited about?
Yes, actually, this is just the first single of an upcoming EP, and I'm about to shoot the video for the next one. I'm very proud of this song and the ones that are coming soon after. Stay tuned!
