Get To Know Adem Dalipi

Adem Dalipi recently released his EP After The Party. Check it out and get to know a bit about Adem.

Photo Credit: Yash Musabji

Do you associate a certain color, smell, or even taste/flavor with certain songs?

I wouldn’t say with songs but when I’m performing and get in the zone I do tend to associate colors with my improv solos and whatnot!

What is your favorite key/mode to write in?

I would have to say my favorite key to write in would be A, I wrote Sixth St. in that key and its just two chords but that space allowed me to write a pretty fun song.

If you could design the perfect concert line-up, what would it be? You can choose to include yourself or not.

I would say the perfect concert lineup would start with Mac Ayres, go into Bruno Major, and end with John Mayer. I couldn’t include myself just cuz I would love to watch all of them hahaha!

What is your favorite gig you’ve played so far?

I’d say my favorite gig was performing out at the Launch Music Conference! Had some awesome people in the audience watching and was a really fun set with the band!

What is your songwriting style?

I would say the way I write songs is starting with the chord progression, that way I can associate a mood to the progression which helps me with writing lyrics!

Do you have any odd stories about how a song came about?

There’s this unreleased song I have that started while I was in LA recording my new EP. I woke up randomly at 3am with a bunch of lyrics ready to be written down. When I got back from the trip I put this really cool chord progression to it since it was just lyrics

How/when did you get your start playing music?

My start in music is actually thanks to my 3rd grade music teacher, no one in my family ever did music and I always had this strong interest when I was a kid, which my music teacher saw and encouraged my parents to get me an instrument, which started it all.

Why do you think a specific genre of music speaks to someone over others?

I feel that it all ties back to your personal experiences in life and the music you grew up listening to. While I was growing up I was exposed to a lot of different genres listening to pop radio, along with alternative rock, blues, etc from my dad.

What role does music play in your life?

Music has been about half of my life since I started at 9. It’s such a great thing to have where I can write my feelings out into a song and then share amazing experiences performing my music with an audience.

What is your favorite book/show/movie lately?

I’ve been on a Better Call Saul binge lately, I usually like to put it on in the background while I work on homework.

Do you have any rituals that you do before/during recording?

I do like to light some incense in my basement when Im recording demos, but other than that I really just jump into the recording process

What makes lyrics good?

I feel the story behind the lyrics is what makes them good. And of course if you come up with a cool line to replace a common phrase

How do you know when a song is finished? Is it ever?

You can always tweak a song for all your life, but once I’ve recorded all the ideas I think of first hand is usually when I feel the song is done

How do you cope with the crazy schedules of touring and recording?

I think the best thing to do is write down what you have to do. It kind of works out for me that when Im performing I’ve already written songs and when I have some down time from shows is when I usually write.

What sacrifices have you made to follow your dreams?

I would say a big part was not having a great social life with friends, with being gone for weeks on American idol my sophomore year and then going into covid semesters, it didn’t really help much for staying in touch with friends.

What do you love/hate most about your life as a musician?

I would have to say I love the performance aspects of my musicianship, there really is no other feeling comparable to performing live. But I don’t really have much to hate about the musician life in all honesty.

What do you do outside music that contributes to your music?

I am majoring in electrical Engineering which I hopefully want to tie back into music production.

What message do you want your fans to take away from your music?

I think the best message to take from my music is to just be yourself and enjoy your time while you got it.

If you were a musical instrument, what would it be?

I would have to say my good ol guitar, that was the first thing I ever wanted to learn in music!

Is there an artist you’ve wanted to see in concert, but never have had the chance?

I would love to see Mac Demarco live, I feel like his shows would be a lot of fun!

What is an object from a movie or tv show you wish existed in real life?

I would honestly wish teleportation existed, It would save me soooo much time that I spend driving all over the place hahah

The music industry evolves so quickly. What do you think is the best way for people to find new music?

It really does, I would say that Spotify has a great way of recommending similar artists that are up and coming once you find a new band. What I usually do is find a new band, and shuffle their music until some other artists songs come on.

Where do you find meaning in your life?

I think setting goals for my future is where I find meaning. Life is long, and sometimes you can get caught up in the moment feeling like you have nothing going for it, but setting goals and finding things I love doing like music helps push through those moments and makes me want to better myself.

You’re a new addition to the crayon box. What color are you?

I got to go with turquoise, its a cool color in my books

If life was a video game, what kinds of cheat codes would you want to exist?

I’d have to say the ability to upgrade faster, would love to be able to get where I want to be in the snap of a finger hahah!