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Practise consistently: When asked about the secret to fast rap, Calliope emphasises the importance of daily practise. She recommends choosing a favourite fast rap song and practising it every day, using resources like YouTube videos that offer different speeds to follow along.
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Emulate to develop style: Calliope encourages aspiring rappers to start by imitating their favourite rappers. She believes this helps in understanding flow and delivery, eventually leading to the development of one’s own style.
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Prioritise emotion in singing: Calliope highlights the significance of emotion over technical perfection when singing. She believes conveying the feeling and meaning of the lyrics is paramount. For cover songs, she suggests interpreting the song through personal emotions to create a unique rendition.
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Songwriting starts with a theme and key phrases: When asked about her songwriting process, Calliope reveals that she begins by choosing a theme and then identifies two key rhyming phrases. The remaining lyrics are then built around these core elements. She exemplifies this with her collaborative song "Attitude".
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Lyrics should be relatable and heartfelt: Calliope advises using simple language for wider appeal in songwriting. However, she stresses the importance of writing lyrics that are honest and reflect personal feelings.
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Minimise potential for stumbling: Calliope suggests considering the flow and pronunciation of words when writing lyrics to minimise the chances of stumbling during performance.
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Strengthening beat sense takes time and volume: Calliope acknowledges that developing a strong internal beat can be challenging, even for experienced rappers. She advocates for practising with the volume of the click track turned up high.
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Be mindful of language differences: Calliope points out the rhythmic differences between Japanese and English rap, emphasizing the absence of rolling “r” sounds in Japanese. She also highlights a significant structural difference: Japanese lyrics can pause mid-sentence and continue on the next line, which is not possible in English. This impacts the flow and the amount of content that can be packed into each line
