It’s all good until it isn’t.
It’s one of life’s truest cliches. Life has a tendency of changing on a dime, sometimes for better, or worse, and at the outset, it’s not always clear. On her most recent single, HĒIR, who you may also know as Patricia Manfield, vividly outlines a time when the title rang true. Pulling from the personal experience of a close friend, she paints a gripping and morose nightclub setting, one where you’re on the dancefloor, waiting for your partner to arrive, when you mistakenly find out they’re seeing someone else. Set up pristinely by a beat change, it’s a dark pop masterpiece, taking you through the motions of distress. And at 2:05, it’s merely an introduction of what the Russian-born Italian artist has planned for the balance of 2021.
Words by Andy Gorel
Photos by Clara Casas
“I think if a song is special to you, it should be treated as such. We shouldn’t be too precious with what we release cause we lose the point of what we do.”
You were born near Moscow Russia, and spent your early years there. Do you remember what your early years were like there?
What I remember is growing up with my grandparents in the countryside while my parents were on tour. I had the most amazing childhood in the nature, I wouldn’t exchange that for anything else.
You grew up studying the arts and got your start in entertainment modeling – what is it like taking on an artist project in music coming from that world?
I’ve always done and written music ever since I was a kid but I never thought it could be a career, while modeling started as a side thing when I was going to university. I decided to really take on music when I started sharing covers and mash ups online. The incredible feedback really pushed me to do it. I think what was challenging when taking the project on was finding my sound and building it.
Does it feel differently portraying your image publicly as an artist as compared to as a model?
They are very different things. Because I could be a thousand things as a model but then as an artist I needed to decide what my image would be.
You write a lot of your songs alone – how do you feel about your process when working alone compared to sessioning with other writers?
I’ve never written with anybody yet. I like writing more than singing. I start writing my songs singing gibberish and putting down melodies and I take it from there. I’m excited to be working with writers in the future, it’ll definitely be a new thing for me.
You signed with Sony Music before the release of your debut EP – how has that catalyzed your vision?
The team gave me creative freedom which is incredible for me and they support the bigger picture, I am very lucky. Also it is definitely a goal of mine to make my town Napoli proud.
Your new single “it’s all good until it isn’t” is the beginning of a new era. How do you see it in relation to Daddy Issues?
The single is an “intro” which typically artists have as a first song on their album. These intros are usually so beautiful and as an artist I always fall in love with an intro and think “damn should I turn it into a song-song or should I just leave it as a “vibe” “. I decided to have an actual release for it. I think if a song is special to you, it should be treated as such. We shouldn’t be too precious with what we release cause we lose the point of what we do. There’s a lot of great production and writing on it I’m proud of it.
What should fans expect from you for the rest of the year?
Maaaaybe an EP and definitely can’t wait to do live shows.
