Saturday Spotlight: Irina Liakh, Founder of Surfing Sound Waves
Irina Liakh is the founder and curator of Surfing Sound Waves, a platform for online music discovery. Surfing Sound Waves brings extensive coverage for both indie and pop music, giving voice to the best emerging artists and celebrating established musicians across all genres.
She has always been in and around the music industry in different capacities (mostly management and PR) and her audience has been continually growing. She loves helping people find their next favorite artist and is passionate about discovering up-and-coming, unsigned acts.
Tap in below to learn more about Irina's journey to becoming a well-respected influencer and music journalist, Surfing Sound Waves' selection process and how she orders her day for success. Now and only on Hype Off Life!
For those unfamiliar, tell us a little more about yourself.
I am a music journalist and blogger, I founded surfingsoundwaves.com and I curate all the music on it. I’m from Ukraine and moved to Los Angeles almost 10 years ago, been living in Venice Beach and pursuing my dreams ever since.
Name one thing about yourself you wish people knew?
Even though I may seem quite extroverted, and I do spend a lot of time around people, I am an absolute introvert! I love spending as much time alone as possible, reading books at home, binging shows, and going on solo trips. It’s my way of recharging my batteries and getting into a happy state of mind. So when I’m not very easy to get a hold of, that’s exactly why.
When did you know you wanted to work in the entertainment industry?
I’ve loved music and everything about the entertainment industry since I was a kid. When I went to school to study PR and journalism, I didn't know where exactly where I fit, obviously at 17 things can seem quite confusing, and this direction seemed so broad that I didn’t know where I was going to apply myself. All I knew was that I wanted to write and be creative.
During my first year of school I won this competition in a magazine where I had to write a piece about freedom, and as a prize I got to sit down with a popular music artist and ask some questions (I won't call that an interview, as I was freaked out, trying to come up with some smart questions and not lose my sh*t in the process haha), and then it was published as a big spread and a photoshoot.
After that, I did several internships on TV and in magazines and even tried to apply my skills in politics, and I realized that entertainment was something I'm still very drawn to. I ended up meeting an amazingly talented singer while I was bartending in an Irish pub after classes, her was voice was insane and I offered her to work with her on any PR efforts, bookings, and stuff like that. After that, I knew I wanted to be in music in absolutely any capacity- shows, tours, working on music videos sets, writing for magazines about music, this work makes me so happy!
"I truly want everyone to be inspired by some great art and amazing stories, I want people to learn from these artists, who went through a lot and are willing to share their experiences"
What sparked your transition from PR and management to running your music discovery platform, Surfing Sound Waves?
When I moved to the US, I had to start everything from scratch! I interned at a PR agency in West LA for a bit, which was absolute hell. I worked random gigs, from those related to the industry, like casting for music video productions, doing PR for music artists, being a PA on set of Victorious on Nickelodeon, to random survival jobs.
And at some point, I wasn’t doing anything I was happy about, just surviving in the City of Angels and paying my bills somehow. I was trying to get a job at the record labels and was knocking on every door with zero luck. My life wasn’t going in the direction I wanted it to go and everything seemed to be burning down.
So I thought that I needed some kind of creative outlet to keep me inspired and get me out of the total sadness. So, I talked to a friend who was a photographer and told her that I wanted to launch this art website where I would feature various artists and talk to them about their stories.
I launched the website and after a year I decided to start focusing more on my passion, music. So, I rebranded it and changed the name for it to become a music-focused platform. It's been five years and it's something that brings me so much happiness every single day!
How do you select which artists to feature?
Absolutely intuitively, I just feature those whose music I love. That’s why I'm never giving any feedback in terms of why certain songs are rejected. I am a listener, not a professional musician, and my choices are very subjective and based on my taste. I know the songs I haven't picked up will absolutely have a chance to be somewhere else.
From writing posts to pushing them, going to events, editing photos and keeping up snappy with a flooded inbox, running your own platform is a whole lot of work, but rewarding nonetheless. Describe a typical workday and how you take time out to unwind.
I normally spend time in the morning and the evening to check the submission form on the website (it works pretty much as FastPass in Disneyland for people to get ahead of the line and get me to listen to their music submissions), then I check my email to read some submissions and press releases from labels. I used to check them all but currently, I don't spend much time on those since there are always way too many to physically handle at any given point. I prefer just spending time browsing SoundCloud and listening to random tracks and searching for music on Instagram in posts and stories.
"I am a listener, not a professional musician, and my choices are very subjective and based on my taste"
Who are some artists you’ve featured in the past that have gone on to do amazing things?
There are quite a few artists I featured back when they were dropping their first singles on SoundCloud: Khalid, Billie Eilish, 6lack, Ibeyi, Leon Bridges, Benjamin Clementine, Post Malone, Lauv, so excited to see where they are now!
Which artists do you feel have the most potential currently?
Harrison Storm, Sofi De La Torre, Dermott Kennedy, Shy Martin, Andreas Moss. They are currently doing amazing things. Can’t wait to see what’s to come for them!
As a music influencer and media personality, what do you feel is your greatest responsibility to your audience?
I believe it’s keeping the integrity of the process and sharing music and stories I believe in. I truly want everyone to be inspired by some great art and amazing stories, I want people to learn from these artists, who went through a lot and are willing to share their experiences. And if it inspires even one person or helps someone to go through the dark times, I’ll be more than happy.
Anything else we should know before you go?
Yes! I’ll be featuring a couple of interviews with AMAZING artists this month, so stay tuned!
Stay Connected
Instagram: @irinaliakh
Twitter: @IrinaLiakh
Facebook: @surfingsoundwaves
SurfingSoundWaves.com
