Interviews

Name: Sallay-Matu Garnett
Degree: BSc (Pharm) 2010

Sallay-Matu is a musician who goes by the stage name Loah

Your music has been described as 'ArtSoul', can you tell us a bit about it?
Artsoul is a name I appropriated to describe the sound I'm striving to create. Culturally (and genetically!) I am cut from many cloths and this is evident in my music. I am just as happy singing Appalachian folk as I am singing old school funk and soul or Afrobeat. Last year for example I wrote words for a Polish Baroque lute piece for my voice and had it arranged for string orchestra by fellow Trinity scientist-muso alumnus Brian Denvir, so I got to perform it that way with Téada Orchestra. I follow my curiosities musically with no thoughts for the outcome, just on instinct, which often means singing in more than one language.

That said, I do ultimately believe in cohesiveness and I am inching towards a soundscape that I can call mine. It's very much in development and perhaps always will be but I feel I am getting closer. The 'art' describes simply the act of taking any source of inspiration, be it of sound, of culture, of emotion, of politics or of language and giving it back as something sonic and hopefully beautiful. It leaves the influences open. The 'soul' - well, at the end of the day it is soul music - I mean every word I sing and I find it very healing. It comes from a very truthful place. 

Why did you study Pharmacy? Does this interest influence your music in any way?
I studied pharmacy because I always wanted to be a health scientist of some description and that seemed like a good place to start. Healing arts, scientific and otherwise, have always enthralled me. It seemed prudent to start with the Western scientific method. I find the level at which we have come to understand chemistry and biology mindblowing and phenomenal, yet still so much eludes us in many areas, particularly the energetic fields around the human body. I want to see people brought into balance, myself included. While studying, I felt pharmacy and music were separate but I am more and more seeing that one is as much a part of me as the other. They are wildly different disciplines but certain approaches do cross over. For one, they both require precision. Music can appear wild but any artist will tell you that the intention behind any performance is precise. I spend ages on tiny passages of songs. Above all I think it is the persistence to really know your subject that transfers most obviously and applies in any field. You can't call yourself a pharmacist if you haven't read the books and got up to date with the research and done the training but most of all know how to communicate all of this knowledge to Joe Bloggs who walks into your shop, in a way that you can actually help him, as you are meant to.

The same goes for music. You have to respect the genius that has come before you to understand your context - listen to the records of the greats and figure yourself out, do your 10,000 hours of playing. Again though, Joe Bloggs needs to connect with your tune without the life story of how and why you wrote it. The product has to stand on its own. I love the contrast too. I find comfort in the evidence-based correctness of the scientific approach to healing. I also find inner comfort in knowing that when you're writing a song, there's no wrong or right way to do it, just your own way. And that this art can make people feel something that is enjoyable. It's soul healing! I think we all need a bit of both approaches.

What has been your biggest challenge?
Deciding to take music seriously. Not doing music at all for a while took its toll on my mental health. Still, it took years and much encouragement to accept that I wanted to do it and that it was possible for me. It's the best decision I've ever made. I'm managed by Ensemble Music - a new project set up to manage alternative artists in Ireland (I met them at Trinity and we worked on orchestra projects together!) so they make it a lot easier for me to focus on getting the music part done.  

When were you happiest?
For me it's ongoing in moments. Getting to watch new babies in my family grow and become cute little munchkins has expanded my capacity for happiness in a way I didn't think possible. A two year old relation saying they love you and singing a song with you has to be up there with winning that 6th Grammy, hitting the Everest summit... or seeing Ireland win the World Cup. I think it's enhanced my enjoyment of music too, if possible.
 
What was the best advice you ever received?
There are three choice cuts. The first is from my singing coach, the great soprano Judith Mok who told me to choose three people whose opinion you deeply respect and trust, and in matters of art seek their counsel above all others. Most people love to consume the finished artistic product and comment wildly on it which is wonderful and why we do it, but few people actually know what to say about art in development. It's a very vulnerable stage and the wrong words from an unwitting person can destroy a new idea, or indeed a burgeoning artist! There's usually a threshold of safety and once you're over that, your skin is thicker and you can take any criticism or congratulations gracefully! The second is from my Mum whose mantra is 'meet life halfway'. I hear her saying it in my head all the time. I invariably find it to be true. When you take a step towards your desires and dreams, life takes steps towards you too. And lastly from my father - meditate, meditate, meditate. I have a daily meditation practice which is the blessing of a lifetime for me. I would need to do another entire interview to extol its virtues.

What are your plans for the future?
Writing more artsoul, an album preluded by an EP, gigs and travel. I would love to spend more time in Sierra Leone when things are in a better place.
 
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I used to think flying but imagine flying alone in adverse weather conditions? Awful. It probably sounds corny but I do really wish I could have a healing, peace-bringing presence in the world. I think that's a superpower and some people, both living and dead, had it or have it and are kind enough to share it with us and inspire us to treat each other and most of all ourselves, with compassion. That said, teleportation and/or telekinesis would be pretty handy. Save a lot on petrol/carrying things!