Beya Likhari is a soulful songstress hailing from Baltimore. Her melodies and sentences flow cooly together in a way that stays in your headspace. We had the opportunity to chat with Beya on Wednesday morning about the Baltimore music scene, finding the perfect beat, and having bad dreams. Check her out this Saturday at AmFest!

What comes first- the lyrics or the beat?

Usually the beat comes first. Sometimes I record things acapella and find beats to match it later…but that doesn‰’t always work out. The producers that I‰’ve worked with so far, have become good friends of mine. That‰’s always important to me.

Do you have a favorite venue?

I‰’ve played a lot of shows in Baltimore and the vibe is always different. I think my favorite place would have to be Metro Gallery. It was just the right size, not huge and not super small. Intimate.

Who do you typically bounce your music ideas off of?

Myself. It‰’s weird when you write to a beat… you don‰’t always know if you‰’re going to love it or absolutely hate it. I usually make stuff and then sit on it for a while. Maybe I‰’ll send it to a friend just to see what they think.

How would you describe the Baltimore music scene?

Insanely Diverse. There is so much talent tucked away in Baltimore and it‰’s not just music… it‰’s visual art, it‰’s production, it‰’s a community and we all support each other.

My favorite track of yours is ‰Bad Dreams- Have you any ‰Bad Dreams‰’ lately?

Thank you! Haha Bad Dream was written at a weird time in my life. I heard the beat and the mood just made me think of something eerie so I decided to write a story about having a bad dream. The track is really different from what I‰’m used to writing so it was awesome to see that so many people responded so well to it.

Does your style (fashion) have anything to do with your music style?

My expression whether, musically or fashion wise is who I am. What I wear and what I write is a reflection of myself and my thought process.

Your album art for ‰Call Me‰’ is dope- who designed it?

I take my album art as seriously as I take my music. My family is really artistic and being around them just made me see things differently. Whenever I create music, I want visuals that are equally thought provoking, so I‰’ll draw out the art for my music ahead of time. Or after I create the song I write a paragraph or a little sketch of what I want the art to look like. And then I send it off to an illustrator. For Love Letters, for example, I sent my friend multiple paragraphs of what I wanted the art to look like so that the theme of the project would shine through.

Would you say your music is soulfull?

I would. I would say it‰’s thought provoking. Different.

How do you feel about Sound Cloud compared to other music services?

I think Sound Cloud is a true community. I wouldn‰’t be where I am now if it weren‰’t for Sound Cloud. I‰’ve met a lot of people through this platform.