The Faith of An Indie Artist
Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, Darla Baltazar is an established independent singer, songwriter, and producer. In this interview, learn more about her and why her faith in God is at the core of every beat made and lyric she writes.
WG: What inspired you to begin producing, and making beats/music?
DB: When I was in college, I heard Christian R&B Lo-Fi by Jonathan Ogden and I was surprised that that sound even existed. Since I had been recording lots of covers at that point, I decided to look into music production to learn how to make more Christian music in my favorite styles.
WG: What is your process for creating a song?
DB: Ideas and inspiration can come from all sorts of places, but when I do get an idea, I usually record them in my voice memos and share them on my computer. Some days, I find myself playing around with music production and writing lyrics over them. On other days, I start with some words and a melody and try to capture some sounds to go with that. I usually produce and write at the same time, and finishing a song can range from one day to even one year! So I periodically review old demos to see which ones are still workable.
WG: As a Lo-Fi fanatic, I am curious to know what attracts you to it, as I am drawn to it’s slower beat patterns and calm chords?
DB: Good question. As much as Lo-Fi music in general is great, I think I’m more drawn to the kinds that feature jazz-inspired elements like certain chord progressions and samples. I think those things give it a nostalgic feel and thereby gives me a sense of calm and safety.
WB: What is it that you hope to accomplish through your music?
DB: I use a lot of my songs to process my emotions, fears, and worries. As I write them, I also turn to Scripture to renew my mind and keep my eyes on God. My hope is that my music will help people to easily remember words in Scripture during crucial times, encourage them to wage war against sin and idolatry, and cling to Jesus in every situation they go through.
WB: As concerts are happening again and the world has opened back up, what has God been showing you?
DB: With the world “opening back up” after the pandemic, God has been warning me of how easy it is for people to just go through the motions again. I want to stay intentional with everything I do and the projects I work on, keeping God at the center rather than just being a busybody.
WG: Which music or artists have inspired you over the years, and more specifically, who has inspired you in creating Lo-Fi praise and worship tracks?
DB: As mentioned earlier, I first heard about Lo-Fi through Jonathan Ogden and continued to discover more artists like Montell Fish, Isla Vista Worship, and sxxnt. Prior to that, I had been listening to popular Christian music, such as Hillsong United. But when I heard Christian indie music, I began to discover a new kind of worship genre that felt more personal. As an introspective person, I knew that writing congregational church music wasn’t for me, but I still wanted to write songs for and about God. So when I found the music of those specific artists, their sound encouraged me to write songs for Him without being pressured by what was “acceptable” at the time as Christian music.
On another note, I really wanted to collaborate with Jonathan Ogden, and I actually did! I am still in awe of our “Be Like You” track.
WG: What are the challenges and joys of being an independent artist?
DB: It’s certainly challenging financially to be an independent artist, especially at the start. But it’s a great opportunity to learn contentment! It’s also difficult if you’re used to being told what to do, because a lot of doing music independently is figuring it out as you go, and making meaningful connections along the way.
One of the things I love about being an indie artist is that I am usually just treated as a normal human and not a “celebrity.” I get to spend time doing the things I love with people I love. It also teaches me to be diligent in doing my work since I can’t afford to be lazy. Most of all, I am completely free in my artistic and creative decisions and don’t get filtered by the standards of people with who I potentially won’t have the same vision. This is something very important to me because I take my mission to share Christ and encourage the body very seriously.
WG: What are the challenges and joys of collaborating with other music creatives?
DB: The joys of collaborating are definitely incomparable! You have the chance to work with people whose strength is your weakness. You achieve unique ideas that you couldn’t have been able to come up with on your own. The teamwork also makes reaching the finish line more joyful since you get to celebrate it together!
The challenges of collaborating mostly come when you are not used to working with other people or if you don’t agree on certain ideas right away with your collaborator. Sometimes some people also have financial conflicts. Nevertheless, I believe that the key to collaboration is clear and constant communication—with each other, and with God, through prayer!
WG: Can you recommend other female producers? As I compile weekly playlists for Wit + Grace, I’ve realized how few I have been able to find with published work.
DB: Xael, Sarah Nathalie, Christian Singleton and Damares Gomez.
WG: Amazing. Many thanks!
WG: What are you currently working on?
DB: These days I'm busy working on my debut album. It's gonna be called "Soul Talk"! Though it's a very long and complicated process to put together an album, it has been very rewarding. Working with several people has been such a joy, and God has been providing faithfully throughout the whole process. Besides finishing the project of course, my greater goal is that God would truly be glorified not just in the output, but throughout the process. I'm excited for "Soul Talk" to be a part of people's soundtrack in their journey with God. And hopefully down the line, we'd be able to put together some intimate gigs where I could share more stories with the Christian community!
WG: Please be sure to add NYC to your list!
WG: What do you think is a current issue that needs to be addressed in our country?
DB: I’m not from the U.S., but it seems like people are growing more accustomed to a “lawless” society, thinking that they have the right to do and be anything they want. It’s not exactly the same case as here in the Philippines, but I think the younger generation is beginning to accept this norm. Families led by God-fearing parents raising up their children in the ways of the Lord are more crucial than ever.
WG: So this was an interesting find that made me happy. What inspired you to create a devotional for the YouVersion Bible app?
DB: The devotional I had the chance to write for the YouVersion app was centered around the song “Search Me." It was an unusual project for me because it was my first time working on something that I had to submit by a deadline. My struggle with fear of man and perfectionism was tested during that season, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to share what God taught me about searching my heart.
WG: So good. I plan to start it soon.
WG: Tell me, who cheers for you the loudest in your community?
DB: My closest friends who supported me in my decision to pursue music, and who continue to affirm the fruitfulness of what I do for the Lord!
WG: Last question. What is your idea of a good day?
DB: A good day is one where I am constantly at God’s disposal!
Darla’s Favorites and Musings
My Netflix guilty pleasure is “Friends.”
My top 3 bucket list items:
Travel abroad with some close friends
Publish a book
Go skiing
My cereal of choice is granola with soy milk.
I have an 11-year-old Chinese Sharpei and his name is Draco!
“Totally Spies” was my favorite cartoon when I was a child.
Tori Kelly is currently my FAVORITE singer.
The last movie I watched was “2 Hearts,” starring Jacob Elordi. I don’t usually watch movies, but I was pleasantly surprised by the story. I liked how wholesome it was and that faith also played a crucial role in giving such a sad storyline a hopeful ending. I guess if there’s something not to like, it’s that God should have been acknowledged more and more accurately (but maybe that’s just the God-lover in me ).
The last book I read was Practicing Affirmation: God-Centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God by Sam Crabtree.
My favorite restaurant? In terms of a Filipino spot, I really like Max’s. It’s a great choice for when I want go-to home-cooked Filipino dishes along with their signature fried chicken!
The Power of Lofi Music in Your Daily Routine
All my life, I have enjoyed the words and the beats of songs. The harmony of choruses and the brilliance of metaphors in my favorite tunes. But let me tell you something, as I have gotten older I prefer a good instrumental. Give me a solid track with genius musicians doing their thing. Somehow, in space, I discovered lofi. Instrumental lofi to exact. It has become a portal to effectively zone out and be productive in my work-from-home life. It has made my apartment a place of rest and solitude.
Lofi is a short term for “low fidelity,” and is defined as “a low-quality recording with audible imperfections, such as background noise or performance mistakes, recorded with inexpensive equipment—the opposite of high fidelity or hi-fi production.” I love the imperfections. One of my highlights is hearing birds singing or cups of coffee being poured to introduce the song. The texture of the music in a lofi track reminds me of the sound quality of a cassette tape, so of course, the nostalgia kicks in with each listen. Heck, I still have a WHOLE collection of cassette tapes from my younger years (I was indeed a teen of the 90s). For this reason alone I have come to prefer lofi as one of my consistent, daily soundtracks.
So let’s talk about the health benefits of lofi, because they are an added bonus to the smooth, easy beats. This genre of music “helps the front lobe in our brain to focus – those flaws or low hums can also put the brain in the mindset to focus.” In this article referenced, it makes the point that lofi has been a hit with students for awhile now specifically during studying. The fact that mosts lofi tracks do not have words, means there are no distractions. This makes so much sense to me, as I routinely I am able to focus during my own work time.
“Lo-fi study music also helps increase brain activity, essentially because of the Attention Drainage Effect Theory which affirms that lo-fi sounds drain distractions by allowing the brain to subconsciously and selectively focus on a task while music is playing in the background.” - JapanNamkama.co.uk
Lofi also helps me relax. I immediately feel calmer mentally and physically when I pull out my playlists. The music’s “soft chill beats actually lull your brain to slow down and tune out stress.” (JapanNamkama.co.uk) The orchestrations of sound make my home a happy place. I mean, all music does that, but there is something about that lofi feel when I want music with no distractions.
A couple lofi tracks I really enjoy are “No Good Thing-Instrumental” by Darla Baltazar. She is born and based in the Phillipines and continually adds to her melodic catalogue of tunes. This track was originally done with words, so imagine my joy when I found the instrumental.
Another artist I extremely enjoy is Rottendam native Glimlip. I think I learned of him early on in my lofi journey. Talk about ease, his work finds me where I am. Green Heart is one my favorites.
Sarah, the illstrumentalist’s music has become one of my recent quality findings. Born in Raleigh, NC and now based in Los Angeles, Sarah is a producer and content creator who I was happy to stumble upon in my Spotify searches. Monarch Butterflies has the perfect lofi vibes for with a solid of a two-step beat.
I’ve curated a playlist of lofi music for your enjoyment. You can listen to it here. I hope it adds a bit of joy and calm to your day and helps you to focus. I hope it makes the to-do lists a little sunnier. The benefits of lofi music runs deep, but it’s my hope that you experience it for yourself and add it to your day-to-day routine.
Kendolyn Walker is a creative based in Harlem who serves as producer and founder of The City Love Collective: City Love on the Radio, City Love NYC and the City Love Picnic.