Akira Galaxy on shaping her dream-pop ahead of Thursday’s Encore at Uptown Theater show

Akira Galaxy. // photo courtesy the artist

Earlier this year, celestial dream-pop artist Akira Galaxy released her debut EP What’s Inside You. It’s a glimmering collection of songs perfectly suited to the hazy heat of late night summer dance parties, complemented perfectly by the glittering video for the single “Silver Shoes,” directed by David Black.

It’s an auspicious start for a new musician, and Akira Galaxy looks to go even further as she heads out on the road with Winnetka Bowling League this summer. That tour stops at the Encore at Uptown Theater on Thursday, July 11, and we spoke with Akira Galaxy to discuss the journey which has brought her to this point.

The Pitch: I really love this EP, and based on what I’ve read so far, it sounds as though you’ve really taken your time. Before you put this together, what were some of the things you had in mind that made you want to wait?

Akira Galaxy: I think a lot of it was just figuring out my sound and knowing 100% this is something that I feel like embodies me in this specific moment, and it’s something that I’m craving to hear in the world. Leading up to those songs, I hadn’t fully gotten there. I think it was just a matter of timing and things coming together in a right way, and just putting in the hours and being in Seattle, my hometown. It just felt like the right moment. Because of the material I was creating, it was finally something that I could really stand by.

I know that you fronted bands and stuff like that in high school. What did those high school bands teach you that you applied to making music on your own and this EP, as well?

I think just the dynamic with other people—really opening up yourself for change and not being too rigid in your ideas. I think having collaborators in general are a really important, whether that be a producer or someone that you’re writing with. All these songs on the EP, I wrote myself, but I had a lot of people I was collaborating with on sounds to get to the specific vision, letting people take the reigns sometimes and seeing through other people’s ideas, but also finding people that you can trust in to do so.

Are there any ideas that were offered in the creative process that stand out to you as ones where you were like, “I hadn’t necessarily thought of this, but yeah, let’s go there”?

Kind of the opposite. I mean, that definitely happened in “Wanna Be A Star.” We used pans or pots for some of the drum parts and certain things that were just more experimental. I mean, even for “Virtual Eyes,” I think I envisioned recording the vocals on a really professional mic and we ended up using just the scratch vocals from my Scarlet 2i2 little interface that I got when I was 16 years old.

I think that was something where I was like, “Oh, okay. I wasn’t expecting it to end up this way,” but sometimes you just can’t beat the emotional vortex you were in in the moment that you were creating that song. I think I can go either way, but I find experimentation to be really important, especially now that I’m kind of in a cycle of creating the next project right now.

I mean, even the other day, the person I’m working with unplugged the guitar and it made this kind of distorted sound and it was like, “Oh, man, that’s really cool. Let’s put that in the intro.” I find that really important in collaboration with other people and to be able to do weird stuff, like the Beastie Boys using the McDonald’s straw.

I mean, stuff like that is what I live for in music. It’s like that moment that things just align right, a weird thing happens, and it’s really specific to that experience with that other person. I find that when things are too rigid, it can take away from the magic, the rawness, and the beauty of a song.

What I appreciate about you as an artist is the fact that you’re working in different creative modes. In addition to being a musician, I know you do some modeling work. I have to imagine that helps in terms of presenting these songs visually.

Yeah, for sure. I’m happy to have that in my pocket 100% and also just knowing where I look good and what positioning. It makes things a lot easier. I’m even about to start taking some improv classes, some acting classes. I feel like taking classes in the acting realm are really important just to incorporate into your daily life just to get more comfortable with interviews or being on stage, having these different personas, and being able to act really quickly and move in a certain way. I think it’s just really important to fuel that that creativity.

That leads into what I was going to ask next, which is what are the challenges for you in taking these songs and bringing them into live performances?

I think letting go of perfection a bit because we’re obviously our own worst critics. I’ve probably played like 30, maybe 40, shows by now and it’s just naturally gotten to a place where I feel way more comfortable. But the first few shows, little things would go wrong and I’d take it, put it in my pocket, and then it would never happen again. My tuner pedal would be on for the intro of the song and my guitar would be muted and I’m looking at the sound guy. Or just figuring out how to navigate the mic cable. I just started using in ears and that’s an adjustment.

I just feel like every single show, there’s little things that you can take away from it. It might not be a major thing, like leaving the tuner pedal on, but I think just trusting the process is really important. I was doing South by Southwest and it was like, “Okay, we’re waking up at 6 a.m. to go do an 8 a.m. radio show live that’s videoed, and then you’re going to do an interview, then you’re going to do another radio show, then you’re going to do another interview, then you’re going to do another interview, and then we’re going to go to this party.”

You can’t even fathom what’s going on or even take a second to overthink anything because it’s just happening and you’re like, “Okay, let’s go. We’re doing that.” I think I had some really big takeaways from that experience which is like, “Okay, you just need to let it happen, not think about it at all, and just let it be what it is,” and honestly, when that happens, a lot more spontaneity and random improv moments can happen. You can have a lot more engagement with the fans and have it be this thing where you’re in the vortex of the moment, rather than, “What am I going to say in between this song? How am I going to step in this moment?” I just think that letting go of that shit and really just letting it be is a big takeaway I’ve had.

You mentioned earlier that you’re already working on your next project. What does that look like or is it too early to tell?

I think it is a little early to tell, but I’m pretty excited. I’m shaping a lot of it around the live performance. I really want some more up-tempo songs where I can just move around. I’m just ready to move and be able to really feel it with the audience and have their bodies in it with me. Don’t get me wrong, I love slow songs, but I’ve found that I feel way more comfortable performing up-tempo songs and I think that’s what the audience reacts best to, as well. But I just love it. I just fucking love it and so I think, a few more of those on the new record.

You know, it’s funny. I’ve been experimenting with different BPMs and trying like 190 BPMs, then slowing it down to halftime, like 89 BPMs, and then you speed up the drums and it sounds way faster. It’s fun to get experimental with that stuff. I’ve been working with a friend of mine and I just feel this is one of the first times where I’ve been able to work with someone and it’s felt so free, so experimental, and spur-of-the-moment, and there’s just random little moments that we catch and we add to the song. I think it’s going to be really cool.

So yeah, we have a good chunk of songs, but I think I’ve never recorded songs with someone so consecutively and written them during the same period. I’m really excited to have a journey of the record that all sounds really cohesive with that moment in time and tells a story. That’s something I’m really excited about.

You’re getting ready to go out on the road with Winnetka Bowling League. What do you have planned and what can folks expect from your set on this tour?

We’ve got some new songs. A good chunk of new songs. It’s the longest set on a tour that I’ve played thus far and it’s the biggest band I’ve had on a tour as well. I’m going to have a lot more freedom to move around and engage with the audience, which I’m really excited about.

Akira Galaxy opens for Winnetka Bowling League at the Encore at Uptown Theater on Thursday, July 11. Details on that show here.