Name: Margarita Monet (Edge Of Paradise)
Age: 26
Style Of Music: Hard Rock/Metal
LINKS:
Website: http://edgeofparadiseband.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/edgeofparadiseband
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EdgeofParadise1
Vevo: https://www.youtube.com/user/EdgeOfParadiseVEVO
Bio: Margarita is a singer / songwriter and a pianist. Growing up in Moscow, she started music lessons very young and toured Europe as a pianist. Moving to Houston, she attended High School For The Performing and Visual Arts, for musical theater, later on, moving to NY to attend NYU’s Tisch School Of The Arts. Margarita moved to LA in 2010 where she met guitarist Dave Bates, who was in search of a singer to fill Robin McCauley’s shoes. Soon their music partnership solidified and the band took up the name, Edge Of Paradise.
1. What made you want to be a musician for a living?
I grew up in Moscow and was surrounded by music and art! Every week my mom would take me to see a concert or we would go to a theater, ballet, opera… There was something on every block! I loved it, so I started playing piano at 4, taking singing lessons as well as theater and dance, I was emerged in this world since a young age and I never imagined myself doing anything else! Being a musician and having my own band, I get to create music as well as a visual world! Sharing that with others is very fulfilling! Music, really is, a universal language!
2. It’s common for musicians to be out of work for long periods of time. How can you supplement this time without work? How can you transition out of this period as quickly as possible?
It’s definitely not an easy path. But I’m a big believer that if you work hard and you’re great at what you do, then everything else will fall into place. When we started the band, we used to teach all day long, to get the budget to record the CD, so when you’re in between gigs, try to find time to focus on your own music, or perfecting your skill, because the better you are and the better your content is, that will impact, how busy you’ll be as a musician!
3. As an independent artist, what have you done to successfully create music that competes with major label big budget artists? What would you have done differently? What advice would you give to other independent artists when budgeting funds?
Creating music is not easy and you can’t do it by yourself in your room, and compete with major label acts! What we have done, is focus on writing the best possible songs. We approached people that produce major label acts that we like, and if they like your music, you have a good chance that they will work with you and your budget! We were really lucky to have worked with amazing people! Looking back i wish our first songs were better, but that’s all part of the journey, you have to let your music evolve. The advise i would give, is to write the best songs you can, put your heart and soul into it, surround yourself with people who know what they’re doing and invest in the quality of the recording!
4. How important is the choice studio/engineer when it comes to recording the music that means the most to you?
It’s very important! You have to feel comfortable in the studio so you can focus on the performance! And working with great engineers can make the biggest difference! That’s why we love recording at Clear Lake! Top of the line gear, amazing staff of engineers who are great people, awesome environment, perfect for creating that next hit 😉
5. How important is image? How has social media played a role in your image and your career? What advice would you give to other independent artists?
We live in a digital world where everything is over saturated! It’s also very visual, so sometimes people get interested by the imagery first, rather then the music. And social media is a double edged sword in that respect. You have the tools to reach people, but you really have to have the best content that will interest people, both visually and conically. These days you really have to create a world that people will want to be a part of, but in some ways it’s good, because it’ll push you creatively, just be ready to work really hard, and do it because you love it!
6. How do you go about making connections? What is the importance of the connections you make? How do you utilize them?
Connections are important, you have to be active in your scene, be good to people! But the most important thing is to focus on creating great content because that’s the biggest thing that will help you further your career!