For our 9th Clapper Sounds Interview, we are highlighting a Clapper band with a real harpist: INIT!

INIT is a two-person band that mixes the melodic sounds of a harp and the rock-and-roll sounds of the electric guitar. This eclectic mix works magically in their favor to give us a new sound we’ve never heard before. A great concept behind INIT is that they usually collaborate with other artists to create different sounds and vocals. Their goal is to let anybody be “in it” (Pun intended). Also, INIT just released their new single “What We Got” streaming now on all platforms.

Clapper Sounds is meant to be an intimate musical experience, and we want that mission to translate into our written interviews too. As you read about @INIT, play their music in the background with our Spotify Playlist, and really get to know this artist’s unique sound.

Don’t miss Clapper Sounds Live Sessions, every Monday at 6pm CT!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/7MeWBFonTfJ8xlgpDHlZRP?si=NGWJ4ys0SJKEAWUGrXBYzw&nd=1

Let’s start from the beginning. What is your first memory of being involved with music? How did you start your artist journey?

Janonsz: We met at school. We were both studying music and a professor started a school band. You could sign up for a course. It was the first time I saw a harp in a rock band and it worked out really well. One year we decided to form our own band. First, we wanted to make a clothing label, but after a few months we realized we had no talent for that. We decided to stick to music instead.

How would you describe your musical style? Who are your biggest inspirations? 

Noemi: That’s difficult. We don’t fit in a specific style. Everybody says we are not pop, and not indie either.

Janonsz: In General, we’re pop/rock but we are something in between. That’s how we came up with INIT. We are between all the different styles and we like to experiment with different musical sounds. Me, growing up my biggest inspirations were rock bands and artists like ACDC, Led Zeppelin, etc.

Noemi: For me, it’s Imagine Dragons, I really love that band and Ed Sheeran.

What is your songwriting process like?

Janonsz: How it works is that one of us will have an idea and will show it to the other person.

Noemi: Then if the other one likes it, we work on it. Every time he works on a song I listen and then I go to the harp and play spontaneously.

Janonsz: We make so many different songs. Maybe in two days we no longer like it, so that’s why we have so many song snippets on Clapper. We make up to 5 songs in a week and then we pick the best one.

What are your thoughts on content creation as an artist? How do you feel about artists having to balance their social media presence and still be committed to their art?

Noemi: I think is a great opportunity to be heard, seen, and valued, like Clapper says.

Janonsz: Yes, in our last band we made a lot of social media content, but we had problems with it. On TikTok, trends were not as authentic and didn’t go with our brand. We started again on Clapper.

Noemi: And we loved it! We want to improve ourselves and we want to keep learning.

Janonsz: Every time we do a snippet of our music on Clapper we learn new things. We find new techniques or new effects. Some big artists say they don’t have time to write their own songs because they have to be handling social media, but for us is all about learning.

Do you have any side hustles other than music?

Janonsz: We are big into sports.

Noemi: When I was a child I was in circus class. I did acrobatics and balanced on a tightrope.

Janonsz: We also love hiking. We often go to the Swiss Alps. During COVID, the whole country of Switzerland was hiking.

Deciding to be an artist can have its ups and downs. What advice would you give to that young artist who is just getting into music and their dream is to be a musician?

Janonsz: For me, it would be yourself and don’t listen to all the people that think they know better than you. If you fail is good, as long as you learn.

Noemi: You have to celebrate your failures. Just have fun doing what you love. For me, the harp is happiness. I couldn’t live without the harp.

Make sure to check our recorded live session on our account Clapper Sounds and in our reels on Instagram. Enjoy the Clapper Sounds live session of the week!