Asukal is the bubbly PC pop project of Brooklyn based artist artist, writer, producer Raquel. With nods from Vogue, Paper and more Asukal already has some skin in the game but threw her hand up to produce and write with other artists for two consecutive weeks in LA as part of the Future Classic x Dropbox residency program.
She sat down with us to discuss how Asukal was started, her ever evolving sound and inspirations as of late.
How’d you get into music? When do you start writing, producing, singing. Did one of them start first?
Asukal:“I started writing in like 6 or 7th grade when my parents were still forcing me to take piano lessons. I didn’t want to take them because no one cool was taking them and everybody was doing like guitar and I was the only loser playing classical music…not that it’s lame but yeah[laughs] So my parents suggested I write my own music so I started writing really cheesy songs about 7th grade breakups, you know how it goes.”
Moon Bounce and Asukal in the FC Studio
[Photo: John Liwag]
Were you writing on piano or thinking melodies first?
Asukal:“I feel like I’ve always been good at melodies, like really catchy quick melodies and then I learned how to produce from every ex boyfriend from high school on—taking all their equipment all their plugins and then just running[laughs].”
So you had a bit of music theory from piano, did that help you understand production because Ableton’s not the easiest thing to open and be like‘I get it’
Asukal:“I don’t know why I always felt like Ableton was easier for me. I’ve used logic and all the other ones, I started with one called Reason. I think someone just showed me Ableton Live first a long time ago and then it just became kind of the only thing I use.”
When did all of that writing transition into becoming more of a fully formed artist project with visuals and a name?
Asukal:“It took me a lot of time to find my sound. In college I was making like a lot of Florence and the Machine esque music and I realized that wasn’t really me. I’ve always liked weird sounds and weird production and I started to find websites like freesounds.org and I’d look for little sounds that I’d twist and warp and make my own. With the name—I was like‘Oh I’m bubbly and sweet’ and I wanted a Tagalog word so that’s why I picked Asukal which means sugar.
[Photo: John Liwag]
That’s cool - do you speak fluent Tagalog?
Asukal:“Hahaha I’m okay… I can understand it better than I can speak it. It’s also really sad because my dad is not even Filipino, he’s white, but he’s learned Tagalog and he’s really good at it. I’m the one person in the family who can’t really speak it as well. I lived in Manilla but I went to an international school my whole life so it was very Americanized and I was in a bubble.”
Ok so you’ve been in LA for 2 weeks nearly. What have you noticed about working with others producers for the first time?
Asukal:“I’m realizing that I love producing. The one with Nina(Ninajirachi) was fun because we had our laptops up side by side and we were producing together and it was really fun. The 2 songs that I’ve written with Conor are amazing, I feel like our ideas bounce off of each other so well and we’re always on the same page…”
[Photo: John Liwag]
[Photo: John Liwag]
Any tips or tricks you’ve picked up?
Asukal:“I don’t know tips or tricks wise... I’m still learning and evolving as a producer. I think I’ve learned the most from working with Conor actually. For me, whenever I listen to music I listen to the production and if the productions bad I don’t like the song. I don’t really listen to lyrics very much, I’m listening to the vibe, the chords and how catchy the melodies are but he’s just made me realize I need to work on lyrics more.”
Asukal & Conor after a session
[Photo: John Liwag]
Do you feel like it’s a cultural fit too and you guys are just similar human beings and connect in that way?
Asukal“I don’t know! Same personalities almost? We also both like writing about deep stuff that matters to us, you would think because of my production style that I would just write about dumb, vapid like…pop, going-out things but I don’t know. Personally, I like that production style with lyrics that are emotional.”
Have you worked with other writers in the past? Like a third in the room that’s not producing and just helping on melody stuff?
Asukal:“Not for my own stuff. Everything I’ve put out is just me. I’ve been in sessions with other people, other writers for other stuff but yeah not for myself.”
Conor, Dwight, Asukal, and CZ in FC Studio
[Photo: John Liwag]
Yeah it’s a skill and it’s not for everyone. It’s interesting, I’ve noticed with people that do this a lot they actually come in with an agenda and ground rules and they put down markers of what they’re looking to cover. How have you generally been kicking off sessions and started things?
Asukal:“Talking about their life or lives and yeah most of the sessions we’ve just talked a lot and then we’re like‘Oh we should probably make a song’. You have to break down those barriers you can’t just come in and be like‘Hello! what are we making?” So kind of playing music back and forth asking questions like: What do you feel like making? What have you been working on? Do you want to continue something you’re working on? Do you have any existing beats you wanted to write on? I’ve toplined stuff before but I like coming in fresh and starting new because it doesn’t feel like my own if I’m just writing over something someone else has already made.”
What’s your favorite thing that you’ve written so far while you’re here?
Asukal is the bubbly PC pop project of Brooklyn based artist artist, writer, producer Raquel. With nods from Vogue, Paper and more Asukal already has some skin in the game but threw her hand up to produce and write with other artists for two consecutive weeks in LA as part of the Future Classic x Dropbox residency program.
She sat down with us to discuss how Asukal was started, her ever evolving sound and inspirations as of late.