Tell us about your background, your upbringing, and your introduction into the world of music.
Growing up, I was always on the go. I love nature, being in nature and climbing trees. With my music history, I’ve listened to and loved pretty much every genre, which I believe puts me in a very different, strong position as I can pull inspirations from band music to D&B to electronic etc, not just sounds necessarily from the dance world. I started off listening to pop, then to indie band music, to heavier screamo and metal. My first taste of electronic music (and the pivotal movement) was Skrillex’s ‘scary monsters and nice sprites’. Skrillex was an icon for me growing up and definitely still is, in the way that he has shaped my career and love for electronic music. From Skrillex, I dipped into the world of dubstep, there I sidestepped into liquid D&B and jungle. Then to garage, bass house/house & tech, bass music and back into house/dance and here we are. But, being a resident I’ve played more genres from R&B, rap, alternative, pop, punk, nu disco, 80’s and more. Some have more influence than others, but I see my mind as a catalogue and can draw sounds from everything when it strikes.
What would you say to your self about being a woman in music… what to expect, the difficulties, the excitements?
I mean, being a woman in music shouldn’t be any different from being a man in music, although it still is. Thankfully, times are changing. What I am seeing makes me excited, we are seeing more females on line ups & getting the recognition they deserve and balancing the scales (long overdue). The difficulties as you probably know are prejudice, sexism and disregarding someone’s ability based on their gender.
Another exciting thing is being able to help other females get the recognition they deserve, inspire young females and help change and pave the way for them.
Your tracks like ‘Get Up Off the Floor’ and ‘Diamonds’, have been streamed millions of times, but how do you approach productions?
I approach production differently depending on the song, but both of those songs were deliberately written differently then flipped into dance tracks. I like to focus on a few key instruments as I think space is important to the energy of my music. I use a mixture of hardware and software synths, but it’s definitely more fun to have real instruments in front of you. I always try to find a unique instrument for each track, I think that’s important to my sound and identity.
Which artists are currently exciting you?
A lot! This is hard. Bit of a cop out, I couldn’t name all 😂
What can we look forward to hearing from you in the next few months/year from your creativity?
I’ve got some really cool stuff incoming, music that pushes boundaries and feels really fresh. Some hard hitters, some dance floor fillers, you’ll have to wait and see.
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ABOUT FORTELLA
As a promising rising star, female DJ and producer FORTELLA brings vibrant emotions and deep excitement to the dance floor. In an industry mostly dominated by men, she brings to the EDM scene the spirit of a generation more connected to their highs than lows, playing out tunes that move parallel with the adrenaline of a fast-paced life.
Reaching more than 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify only a few months after her single debut ‘Get Up Of The Floor’, FORTELLA is captivating the attention of electronic music with tracks that keep repeating in your head. This multi-talented young artist is full of surprises and energy combining a background of martial arts, performing as a stuntwoman in film productions, a scuba diving license and a big sense of spirituality. She brings into the industry a daring, empowered and resonating presence.
Raised in the UK, FORTELLA found herself at some point living above a nightclub in London, where she found the initial inspiration and first steps to become a DJ. After experiencing live performances of British DJ and producer Hannah Wants, among other artists, she decided to step forward. As she describes, there was something in the crowd, the beats, the lights, the sweat and the energy that triggered her purpose: she was meant to make people dance, and that has turned out to be her current mission and passion.
Just before her first single, the young female DJ also released her first official remix and summer hit ‘Still (I Got Summer On My Mind) [FORTELLA Remix]’ by Swedish duo JJ. With more than 10 million streams on Spotify in the first few months, this indie-pop sound with smooth electronic and strong hip-hop influences has been in the loop of different clubs of the techno scene, putting her name into the EDM scene as a promising artist.
FORTELLA was named after the Norwegian expression ‘å fortelle’, meaning ‘to tell’, which symbolizes in a way her constant journey. Producing live sets on her houseboat in the surroundings of London, the female DJ is able to translate her personal memories and struggles into tunes and beats with a twist of power and optimism to keep carrying on and dance away the negative.
Challenging the given stereotypes of gender and roles, FORTELLA is definitely an artist to keep an eye on. Her confident and energetic personality mixed with an effortless cool style has taken her under the wing of Virgin Records, also sharing turntables at the Universal Inside 2022 with big players in the industry such as Afrojack or Felix Jaehn. Currently producing new tracks, you cannot wait to hear what is coming next.