A Conversation with The Effigy’s Effy Gold

We had the privilege of engaging in a thought-provoking conversation with Effy Gold. In this interview, we learn about Effy Gold’s musical inspirations and background as well as her candid insights on critical matters such as sexism and the inner workings of the music industry. Enjoy this interview with Effy Gold!

Hello Effy! Hope are you doing well. How are you today?

Hi Reuel! I’m doing great, thanks for asking.

You know I am a big fan of your voice and music, but for our readers hearing about you for the first time, how would you introduce yourself?

The Effigy is a blend of cinematic score and gothic rock with a healthy dose of early 2000s alternative influence. When I’m sad, I don’t want a pep talk, I need someone to sit with me while I hurt, so that’s what I try to do for others with my music.

Brilliant. Have you got any plans for upcoming releases you’d like to tell us about?

I’ve got singles coming out every other month this year, and it’s some of my heaviest stuff yet so I’m super excited to share that with the world!

What bands and musicians did you grow up listening to that have affected your approach to creating your own music?

Growing up, I absolutely loved Garbage – Shirley Manson has an incredible voice with such presence and the band has this gorgeous grungy texture to their songs, that I’ve always sought that kind of grit in my own music. I really admired Ian Curtis of Joy Division and his way with lyrics – they’re incredibly introspective; depressingly so at times, but I think it’s important that we have music like that.

In order to get to know you better and from a different point of view, how about playing an imagination game? I will set a scenario in an alternate universe with new rules and see how you’d react to the different situations. In a universe where you are the queen of a country, what would be the first law you’d make?

My first law would be to abolish the monarchy – which I guess means I’d be lining up for the guillotine so maybe that’s a terrible idea!

In a universe where humans can choose either to be able to teleport from one place to another or travel back and forth in time, which superpower would you pick?

Teleport for sure! I live nearly ten thousand miles away from my family, so being able to just instantly zap there, visit family, play some shows, and then sleep in my own bed that evening. Time travel’s got nothing on that/

In a universe where you’re the Statue of Liberty, what object would you be holding instead of a torch?

Ironically, I’m scared of fire so a torch is definitely out. I think I’d be nervously holding up a match instead.

In a universe where money does not exist, but instead, people pay for things by making other people laugh, how rich would you be considered?

I don’t know if people are ever laughing with me, but even if they’re just laughing at me, I’m going to be a billionaire.

In a universe where the senses of taste and hearing are mixed up together, what food would you imagine The Effigy’s music would taste like?

I’m gonna say pho. Not just because it’s my favourite food, but… when you feel sad and it’s a rainy, gloomy day with dark clouds, there’s something about pho that feels medicinal; fills you with warmth. That’s what making my music feels like to me, and so I hope that’s what listening to my music feels like.

In a universe where a theme song plays whenever you wake up announcing the start of your day, what would your song be?

My alarm is Chopin’s Nocturnes in C#m, but that might be a bit pretentious to say, so let’s go with Circle With Me by Spiritbox.

Thank you for playing, Effy! I hope you enjoyed this! We live in an era where social media became essential for musicians to reach fans and promote their music. In your opinion, what are the cons and pros of social media having all that power in the music industry?

Moreso than ever, fans vote with their wallets. They get what they want – not what they’re told they should want. Theoretically, it completely evens the playing field meaning every musician has a shot at getting noticed by the right people. It’s unsurprising that the biggest hits of the last few years have largely been songs that first blew up on TikTok.

However, the flipside of this is only bands that can afford to be chronically online can really make the most of it; because running all these different social medias can feel like a full time job and you’ve got to constantly be on the lookout for trends on the rise. On top of that, there are numerous accounts of even household name artists having their music withheld by their label until they can manufacture a “viral moment” on social media.

This death of the monoculture also means that labels don’t want to lock themselves into a three-album deal with a band who might not stay viral or who might not keep the favour of their online following. It’s also expensive for them because it’s all about those singles now, and twelve singles cost more in videos, mixing, mastering, marketing etc. than one album does, so the deals are less favourable to artists right now.

It’s not a particularly elegant way of looking at it, but from a purely financial stance, the profits in music is being more evenly distributed without labels, and that unfortunately means that while more people are making money from their music (which can be a very expensive artform to make), fewer people are making a living, and that means only those who are independently financed in some way can really continue to make music.

Absolutely spot on! Have you ever faced any kind of sexism in your professional or personal life? How would you deal with sexist behaviour and what advice would you give young people around the world who face any kind of discrimination?

Unfortunately, the industry is still rife with sexism. One of the ones I deal with most commonly is during the mixing and production process. With a few producers who I’ll never work with again, I got significantly less respect than my male peers did; I got argued with, I got things I already know explained back to me, I even had my own ideas presented back to me as if I didn’t just say them. My biggest pet peeve is when engineers just have a ‘female voice’ preset they use and I can tell they haven’t actually listened to my voice because the EQ is cutting the wrong range and boosting non-existent frequencies, etc. I wish I had the words to give that would instantly fix it all, but all I can say is the art you create is not defined in any way by your gender, your sexuality, the colour of your skin, your disability. Your art is as valuable as anyone else’s, if not moreso. When it feels like our voice is being silenced, that is when we need to sing the loudest.

Thank you for sharing your experience and thank you for giving us this interview, Effy. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you for having me again – and thank you for listening to me waffle on about the industry. I would add that if anyone reading this right now really liked early 2000s alternative and gothic rock and is craving some more of it, then you’ll probably love what I’ve got in store for you in the coming months.

Brilliant! Can’t wait