Lush with smokey beats and sensual vocals, “Boozy Wtrmln” is an atmospheric record that wraps the listener in chill vibes from beginning to end.
OAKLAND, CA – Up-and-coming pop vocalist Ephi found a whole new confidence while recording her latest EP “Boozy Wtrmln,” now available on all streaming platforms.
Lush with smokey beats and sensual vocals, “Boozy Wtrmln” is an atmospheric record that wraps the listener in chill vibes from beginning to end.
Ephi – born Josephine Fernandez – says she picked the name of the album after seeing it on a cigar wrapper.
“The name ‘Boozy Watermelon’ just fit the vibe of the sound perfectly. It feels a little boozy or buzzed, but also sweet and slow,” she says. “It’s dreamy and sensual. Something to put on to calm the mind.”
Finding that calmness has become key for Ephi, especially over the last year. Last spring, she was diagnosed as an adult with autism. It was a late explanation for a host of insecurities she’d experienced her whole life.
“It’s a strange experience to find out you’ve been neurodivergent your whole life,” Ephi says. “It became a turning point in my career, because now I’m not scared of my vision, I’m not scared of what I wanted. I became more confident. I realized there was a reason why I would have a theory in my mind and I would go everywhere with it.”
Ephi says her neurodivergent status is the source of the unique power of her music.
“I don’t see it as an obstacle or a disability. I see it as a tool that I can utilize now,” she says. “I want other neurodivergents to feel that way too. I know what it’s like to grow up feeling weird and like you don’t belong because you don’t function the same way.”
In crafting “Boozy Wtrmln,” Ephi took a new approach. While she was driven by a desire for precision on her debut effort “Junebug,” this album is more free-flowing and improvised.
“On ‘Junebug,’ I worked with a lot of beats that were meant to be rapped on. It’s mathematical somehow, where I count the syllables to find the words to match my feelings to the sound. To me it’s like singing in poetry,” she says.
“But with ‘Boozy Wtrmln,’ I took my time. I didn’t rush it, there was no math involved. I was in the moment. You’ll hear me improvising the vocals and freestyling. I just freestyled most of it.”
That newfound confidence comes through like a flood on the steamy video for lead single “VM,” which features Ephi performing the song alone on the floor of her apartment in varying states of undress. For Ephi, the sex appeal is just a byproduct of her growth as a musician and a woman.
“I know I’m a performer, and I appear to be this sexual person, but I don’t try to be sexy,” Ephi says. “I’m inviting people into my world. It took me a long time to be vulnerable with the world because I wasn’t being vulnerable with myself. Now that I’m comfortable with myself, I own it.”
Make sure to stay connected to Ephi on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
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