We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Delilah Brao. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Delilah below.

Hi Delilah, thanks for joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I’m the youngest of five children and one thing my parents did right was identify and promote their kids’ individual interests and talents. As it turned out, we all ended up in very different career fields. I have a sister who is a doctor and a brother who is a Marine, for example. My mother isn’t particularly musical, but when I was little, we would write songs together. In our very first co-write (inside of our 12 passenger van en route to a soccer game), Mom and I wrote a song called “Where Do Jelly Beans Come From?” One Christmas, I got a voice recorder that printed to cassette so I could record my songs. Of course, as the youngest of five, I was sometimes lost in the chaos, but my passion for music was always supported.

Delilah, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I grew up on the North Shore of Massachusetts. I graduated from Berklee College of Music and got my degree in Music Production and Engineering. I moved to Los Angeles during my senior year when everything was remote and have been here ever since. During that time, I started writing my EP, “Since You’re In New York,” which is coming out this spring. The first single, “Over The Phone,” is out October 20th and you can see the music video on November 3rd.

“Since You’re In New York” is about my first heartbreak, an experience most of us have at some point, and that you definitely remember, so hopefully, listeners will find it relatable. If you want a sad song, it’s on the EP; if you want a mad song or an introspective one, that’s there, too. I think the feelings people have when they’re getting over a breakup are pretty common. I tend to write really specific details and images into my lyrics though, so it puts my own spin on those feelings.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I love reading memoirs. I love hearing other people’s perspectives. I love imagining myself living in their world and walking in their shoes. I also love how so many memoirs are segmented into tons of small stories. You don’t know why you’re reading that particular story until the theme starts to come together. From Jeannette McCurdy’s “I’m Glad My Mom Died” to Tara Westover’s “Educated,” people have so much to teach you when you know their story. An album is kind of like a memoir. It’s little stories and details that contribute to an overall understanding of the artist as a whole.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

In elementary school, you learn all these rules about writing-perfect grammar, no sentence fragments, don’t end with a preposition, etc. None of that translates to songwriting. Songwriting is about making connections between words and rhythms and melodies to conjure up thoughts and feelings in the listener, usually without saying them directly because when you do that it can come off cringe. Songs are often more implicit. Grammar kind of goes out the window.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://delilahbrao.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delilahbrao/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delilahbrao/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/heyoitsbrao
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiK1upHNiNAknsnjniVY5BA
• TikTok: @delilahbrao or https://www.tiktok.com/@delilahbrao?lang=en

Image Credits
Kaitlyn Ivory Whitney Otte