Frizzell D’Souza Releases Self Love Debut EP ‘The Hills Know Of You’ 

Ever since she popped up on the scene in 2020, Mangaluru/Bengaluru singer-songwriter Frizzell D’Souza has made quite an impression with her delicate, acoustic-leaning music. With a bunch of singles under her belt, the musician is now out with her five-track debut EP The Hills Know Of You.  

In this interview with Rolling Stone India¸ D’Souza talks to us about the new EP, working with producer Varun Murali, her future plans and more.  

When did The Hills Know Of You begin to take shape? 

Although four out of the five songs were written in 2021 and early 2022, the EP only began taking shape in May of this year owing to my rather demanding architectural thesis [this] semester. The tracks were originally written with their own individual backstories and had no association with each other. The process of finding the right producer and visual artist seemed like the most time-consuming task, but once those hurdles were crossed, the process was relatively fun. 
 
What can you tell me about the songs on the record?  
 
My EP, The Hills Know Of You, is a piece of music surrounding the idea of a typical story of love, but is also an ode to the thousand ways this simple tale can manifest. But the ultimate recurring theme is the internal relationship you have with yourself – the way you love and are loved, the way you pick yourself up out of a broken space and learn to love yourself again. I find myself writing the most about lived experiences. Consequently, the stories and experiences written in this EP vary from extremely personal journal entries to conversations between close friends, to internal monologues that found their way into this piece of music.  
 
As all artists inherently like to do, I wanted this record to sonically reflect the emotions written about in the songs. The complications, however, arise when one takes a deeper look and realizes that sometimes, even the seemingly simple emotions are icebergs whose depths are often hidden away. “Maybe Tomorrow,” track three, is one such song that was sonically crafted in a way where the rather dark lyricism is layered beneath a foot-tapping groove, drawing parallels with a tendency to mask our emotions with sunshine disguises.  
 
Where did you record it and what was the process of putting the EP together like? 
 
The EP was recorded at The Red Music Box Studio in Bengaluru. Working with Varun Murali, the producer, was nothing short of the most fun and gratifying studio experience I’ve ever had. He approached the process with utmost care and consideration for every layer of every story behind each of the songs, which was what mattered the most to me. 
 
Putting the entire project together took a good amount of ideation and planning, and I was fortunate to work with The Urban Weaver [originally an artist collective and now my management] to bring this project to fruition.  
 
What plans do you have to promote the EP?  
 
The EP was released along with official visualizers for each of the songs with the aim of boosting the tracks. Conceptualized, shot and edited by Mangalorean photographer/videographer Prathviraj Shastry, the videos emulate the stories behind the tracks while simultaneously chronicling the EP. I’m also hoping to perform the songs to audiences and curate experience shows in different cities across the country, eventually. 
 
What’s next? 
 
I have no solid plans for the future and would love to go where the road takes me, both in the design field and the music industry. In the meantime, I’m looking to grow as a songwriter, and make music with musicians I love.  

Stream ‘The Hills Know Of You’ on Spotify below: