Aprillo for The Meadow
interviewer: Sara Sharif (@sarangelic)
interviewee: Aprillo (@aprilloforever)
Maarja Merivoo-Parro is an independent musician hailing from Estonia, who has recently begun to release her own music under the name Aprillo. Despite growing up in the countryside of Estonia, Aprillo has weaved an unexpected path in her life and career.
As of late, in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, Aprillo decided to begin putting out her own music. During a quiet Spring in the Estonian countryside, she started to hear her own voice, Aprillo. That voice really wanted to sing, so she let it. In early 2021, Aprillo released her first single “Love The Door” which has amassed 7,000 streams on Spotify with little to no promotion.
Outside of music, Maarja has a passion for (and PhD in) history, having lectured internationally and published numerous books. She currently hosts a science and research program on national television called "Uudishimu tippkeskus" - "Center of Curiosity." Philanthropically, Maarja is on the board of two Nonprofits and she is also in the process of buying a small forest with the intention of ensuring it remains an oasis of biodiversity and doesn't get chopped down.
t h e i n t e r v i e w
1. Please start with a little introduction about yourself!
I’m a singer-songwriter, often high on life, I love to hang out in rural areas and think life is too short to not play the music that’s in my head.
2. What genre would you say your music belongs to?
Probably the widest umbrella term for what I do would be indie.
3. What is the story behind your musical journey?
I’ve spent a long time playing other people’s music, followed by a long time not playing music at all. The first created a foundation, the second got me yearning. Combine the two and you get what I have now - calling all the shots, paying all the bills.
4. I am in love with your first single, “Love The Door” as well as your latest “Clairvoyant”. They seem to have very different but beautiful vibes to them and I would love to know the meaning behind both of these tracks. Is there a connection between the two?
“Love the Door” deals with the intricacies of belonging. I wrote the first part of the lyrics when I was traveling in Australia feeling a million miles from home and yet very much at home. For the short three weeks I was there the country seemed beyond hospitable, it was like a parallel universe of kindness and beauty and it got me to reconsider some very basic things about my own life. The melody came when I was back home in Estonia waiting for my husband to find his way home after getting lost in the forest. The new single “Clairvoyant” is a whole other ballgame zooming in on what it’s like trying to save someone who doesn’t necessarily want to be saved.
5. Tell us what “Clairvoyant” means to you and what your aim was during the making.
With “Clairvoyant” I wanted to experiment and had a very clear vision as to how I want it to sound. After a long time playing around with the track in five different studios, I was finally happy. The denseness of the synths, the way samples are worked in, the way that it does not have a bridge and the way that the end comes when you least expect it makes the journey worthwhile for me. I’m a little rebel at heart and the fact that the quirkiness of “Clairvoyant” hasn’t stopped it from getting on radio playlists lets me know that doing weird stuff doesn’t necessarily close doors.
6. How was the process of the making of the single?
Playing on borrowed instruments always inspires me and an old synth on loan from a legendary underground band in Estonia was my ticket to “Clairvoyant”. When I took my demo to the studio to lay down the tracks properly, then the owner of the space got so inspired, he spent quite a long time coming up with his own version of the track which sounds very different apart from the vocals, which are exactly the same. His “Clairvoyant reworked” is 10 000 miles away from my vision, but I have to say it flows nicely. I will probably release it somewhere down the road.
7. What is your creative process?
Living life. I don’t go around desperately trying to write music every single second of every single day, but am actually very busy with a lot of other things going on. I dive in, learn stuff, feel stuff, experience stuff and then like magic, I write stuff. It’s a continuum.
8. Who is your musical inspiration?
I’ve worked as a DJ and my musical menu is indeed very long and wide with a rotating cast of leading ladies and men.
9. Any tips for our musicians out here?
You do you.
10. So, what should we expect next, in the near future?
My next single is very different from the music that I have already released and I hope to surprise people with it on May 28.
11. How do we gain access to your music?
It’s up and available on all major music platforms, including Spotify and YouTube.