La-based Singer Polina: "it Wasn’t An Ordinary Childhood"

We present you with an exclusive interview with the Russian-born and LA-born singer Polina.

Find Polina on Popnable.

Tell me a bit about the process to create “Faena.” 

Can you walk me through the day - and the place - that inspired you?

A: I was at Faena in May for a visit. I had just spent over a week at there and I remember standing on the balcony of my room on my last day there, and it was such a bittersweet feeling. Faena is so beautiful and so magical. It kind of influences your interactions with the people around you, people you might meet. For me, the two weeks there felt like a little life, and I felt like I was in some different universe. It could be someone you meet that you might not ever see again, which brings that bittersweet feeling, slightly melancholic. Also, I was so stunned by Faena’s beauty and its story. I got to meet the creator of Faena, Alan Faena. And I got to hear about how he created the first Faena in Buenos Aires and then he got to create another one in Miami. As a creative person, I was really inspired by his story and how everything there, everything you see, has so much symbology. For me, every little corner, everywhere you look there, it means something. And once you get to know Alan and hear his story, you understand that everything around you isn’t just visual, but that it all means something to him and it has its story. I remember looking at the ocean and looking at Faena and thinking, “Ahh, I have to leave tomorrow!” I literally just started singing the melody “I left my heart in Faena." The hook of the song came to me right then. And that’s how I got the initial idea.

The meaning of the Polina's song “Faena”

What does the song mean to you? What feeling does the song bring to you?

A: The song captures all the things I was feeling there, with the beauty of Miami and the beauty of Faena.

I got the initial idea there and I wrote the whole song on the plane back to Europe. I wanted to capture that feeling in a bottle, so I had to get it out.

For me, the feeling is a bit melancholic. You know something is not meant to last but you want it to, so you kind of bottle it up in a song. That’s exactly how I felt.

By the time I landed in Europe I had the whole song written.

Polina Life Facts

How was your life growing up in Russia in such an artistic family? How much of that influenced your love for music and your career?

A: It definitely wasn’t an ordinary childhood. I think that, because of my parents, I got to experience a lot of things a bit early. I was always hanging out at concerts and exhibitions. I was never really around people my age. I got exposed to a lot of interesting things growing up. Ever since I remember, I was always performing. “Let me go into the living room and dance and sing in front of the mirror,” I’d say. My parents were very smart to put me in music school early in my life, at age six. I started with classical music early on and I started writing songs, producing and singing them. Classical music gave me such a good foundation and love for music, and work ethic. In Russia it is quite strict and, in order to compete, you have to work really hard. I got that love for music and for working at my craft really early. And of course, having a mom pop star, I got to see her doing shows and videos, and being a part of that I remember thinking “I want that. This is what I want for me.” And that shaped me. If it wasn’t for their support, even when I moved to the United States, I think I wouldn’t be where I am. It’s being incredible to have that understating and love.

Are you a songwriter first or a performer first? What comes more naturally to you?

A: I think I’m both in different ways. I always loved dancing and ever since I was four, I did cameos on videos. I did some modeling when I was young. But for me I think it came more from music. I started writing songs first and I had to perform them because, at that point, in order to show them (the songs) I had to sing them. So to me, developing my voice and my sound was something I had to work at. For me it was always the songs and the music first. Even when I moved to the United States, my first steps as a songwriter were in New York after I graduated Berklee. At first, I was writing a lot and I would demo my songs and that’s really how I ended up featured in a lot of these DJ records. DJs would hear my vocals showcasing the song and would be like “wait, who is this?” Even when they would try to have someone bigger re-sing the song, they would realize that they actually loved the original vocals. It was always through songwriting and creating music, but later on I got into performing and now it’s something I live for. And also the visual aspect of creating - whether that is a cover art for a single or the video - I really love the process of the visual, the artistry of that.

Your songwriting is incredible, and your songs have been recorded by major artists like Eminem and Sean Kingston. 

What is the process of creation like for you?

A: Sometimes I get the melody in head, sometimes it's the lyrics and I go to the piano and I just play around with it. Sometimes I hear a track, especially when I used to work a lot in the dance music/EDM world. Usually, if I like the track, I react to it right away and I actually get the majority of the song in the first to listen in my head. With Sean Kingston, that’s exactly how it happened. I literally heard 16 bars of a track made by the amazing Stargate (produced for Beyoncé, Rihanna, Katy Perry) and I said “Oh my God, I love this track! I have to write for it, leave it with me!” And the next day I showed them the hook for "Party All Night (Sleep All Day).” 

With Eminem’s “Legacy" it was quite different. It was probably one of the worst days of my life, actually. I had a fight with my then-boyfriend and I had a writing session scheduled. I came into the studio in tears and I had never seen the other writer before. I almost canceled it. I ended up opening up to him and we wrote “Legacy” that day. I played it for Eminem’s Interscope and the rest is history. I feel like anything - life, art, films, things, people, places - inspires me.

I think that when you experience something, and it puts you in this very emotional state that is vulnerable and fragile, that’s when you open up inside, and that’s when you’re very honest. And I think that honesty is what drives people’s reactions to a song. 

 What were some of your favorite artists to work with in the past?

A: I think that every single artist I’ve worked with obviously had an impact, they’ve all been a step into a new world. My first big feature was with Kaskade, which was when people in the EDM world started noticing my sound and my voice. Then I ended up meeting Steve Aoki and we did “Come With Me” together. He was really one of the first people to take me under his wing. Steve took me on tour and made sure I got credit for my participation in the song. We had a fun time doing shows together. And his shows are crazy! He actually was the one who taught me how to play poker in the casinos in Atlantic City after our shows. My first poker game was with Steve and I didn’t know what I was doing at all, so he helped me and I actually won! 

You’ve performed at some major international stages like Ultra and Tomorrowland. 

Polina's Career

What has been your favorite live moment in your career so far?

A: I got to play Ultra’s main stage with Steve Aoki and that was amazing. That was probably the biggest show I ever played for close to 100,000 people. When you look out and it’s a sea of people as far as you can see, that is such a high, I feel like there’s nothing like it. I went from being a studio vocalist to suddenly playing Roseland with Steve, or Ultra, or EDC. From basically playing tiny songwriter rooms in NYC to playing huge festivals, and I did not expect that. It took me a while to get my confidence up to perform at large shows. I still am (working on it), as an artist you are always evolving.

You’ve toured with Felix Jaehn and Steve Aoki. What are some memorable moments from those tours?

A: When “Book of Love” broke with Felix Jaehn and I was in Germany touring with him, it was amazing! I remember we were in the last show of the tour and the song became #1 there. It was amazing to be in a country where my song was currently at #1 with the whole crowd singing the lyrics with me. To hear a song you created come out of the radio somewhere, it’s such a crazy feeling, because you know how you wrote in a small room or a studio and then the song hits you out of nowhere. It never gets old. It’s kind of magic.

Who is your dream artist to collaborate with and why?

A: Growing up I listened to a lot of music that my mom had, anything from Michael Jackson to Sting and Sade and George Michael. I was really influenced by Sade growing up, and a lot of people compare my vocals to hers. I think she’s so timeless. Out of the current ones: I really love Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith. I think they’re both phenomenal. It’s just such amazing pop and it’s so hard to do and they just nail it all the time. I think doing a duet with one of them would be amazing. Or both!

Let’s pretend the pandemic is officially over and you get to tour anywhere in the world :)

What would your dream tour route be? Which countries would you like to go?

A: I think because my latest single is called “Faena” and the original Faena is actually in Argentina and I’ve never been there, I would love to go to Argentina and Buenos Aires and see it, feel it, have a dance. Latin America, Asia. But also, Europe and the UK. And I’ve lived in America for half of my life too. I think I would like to go everywhere. A world tour! Go global!

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