Lifestyle website, Influxxx recently posted a feature/interview for Ayah Marar. With a Calvin Harris featured single just released and her debut album The Real following closely behind, it only makes sense for her to be in the spotlight lately. Influxxx posted the interview with her, where Ayah speaks about her take on the EDM scene, her relationship with Calvin Harris, her music inspiration, and much more. check out that interview below, or have a look on Influxxx here.

The Real is set to drop on July 9th, but you can exclusively stream it on our website here.

What was the music scene like when you first came to the UK and what influenced you at the time?

To be honest I didn’t really know what the scene was like until I started spending time in London. I arrived and went to university in Warwick where we ran a weekly DnB night, then I started going to illegal raves in London, so that was my first exposure to the dance scene and I loved it!

What would you say was your inspiration to get into music?
I can’t even remember a definitive moment I decided to do it, at the risk of sounding cheesy there was never any other way for me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.

You are quite close with man of the moment, Calvin Harris, how did that relationship come about?
We met a long, long time ago when I worked at a record shop in Soho and he moved into my spare room. We made some tunes together in his bedroom studio and have been the closest of buddies since.

What steps do you take to say writing a single or an album? Do you just go into a studio and start writing or write as and when you feel inspired?
In the case of THE REAL, yes Will Simms and I just locked ourselves in Kilimanjaro Studios and wrote day and night, it was epic. Otherwise I have to be able to write at a moment’s notice as I do a lot of songwriting for other people, but that is more work than play.

The album was great for your fans who wanted to see you do a lot of your own music rather than more features; it was a great hit amongst us at Influxxx, what song resonated the most with yourself from the album and why?
Thank you very much, I’d have to say LETHAL DOSE, as it means a lot to me, plus it’s the latest single so, every push helps!

You’ve put in the hours and hard graft to say the least, to get where you are, what’s your opinion on music talent shows such as the X-Factor and The Voice?
Honestly I don’t give them much thought, to each their own, as long as it doesn’t give people false hope I don’t mind what they do. Things like that will exist whether we like it or not.

What’s your take on the whole electronic music scene (that includes dnb, dubstep, garage, it’s such a hard genre to define!) experiencing a boom in the last couple of years?
It has always been the same in my eyes as it’s all I’ve ever know, but I’m very proud that it’s at the forefront of the music scene at the moment and I will continue to do my best to do right by it.

Which artists have caught your ear recently and what’s the one track you’re listening to most at the moment?
I love people like Funtcase, Marger, Eptic, Document One, More Like Trees, Trol23, Joe Driscoll. I’m rinsing the Kendrick Lamar album still!

Away from music what do you do as just to chill out?
I love movies and TV shows, I’m a bit of a geek about it.

As a fashion site as well, we feel compelled to ask, how would you describe your style and what’s your favourite brands?
I’m not very bothered about all that, I like nice clothes but I go for comfort. A mix of urban and grunge with a bit of elegance thrown in, I guess …

What advice would you give to people starting out in the music industry?
Take your time, nothing is so pressing that you have to compromise for it. And things NEVER go to plan so always be ready to face the challenge.

What does the future hold for you? Are you going to work on a second album? Plans for the summer?
I will be working on a bunch of singles, and a lot of UK and European dates over the summer.