Esra Poryalı is a girl who managed to fulfill her dream to work in the music industry. Esra is dynamic and versatile and she seamlessly combines her skills in digital operations with her musical talent. Born on May 23, 1992 in the vibrant city of Istanbul, she works at Sony Music Turkey as a digital operations assistant. In addition to this, she passionately pursues her career as a singer and composer, imbuing her creative spirit into every note. She describes herself as a creative and naive soul, always striving to savor every moment of life. Her journey represents a harmonious balance between professionalism and artistic expression. Enjoy this interview!
What is a workday like for you?
I currently work at Sony Music Turkey on weekdays, remotely. Working remotely gives me an advantage in planning my day. I manage our Sony Music artists' YouTube accounts and their clips' digital transmission process. My other professional job is being a musician so on my spare time I work on my music career. We get together with my musician friends, rehearse on average twice a week and add new songs to our repertoire. I have concerts on average three days a week. In addition, I make acoustic recordings to feed my social media channels and deal with their post-production work. Finally, I hold writing sessions at regular intervals to create new compositions.
What do you like the most about your job?
My favorite thing about my job is bringing the songs I write to life together with people. It is a priceless feeling to announce the songs I have composed on my piano in my living room to people I have never met, to sing my songs to those people in unison at my concerts and to share my feelings with them.
When did your interest in the music industry start and what pushed you to choose this career path?
My interest in music started at a very young age. I would try to play the songs I heard on the radio with my tiny fingers on my father's keyboard and hum every song I heard. I decided to choose this career when I realized that singing was when I felt the best. When I enjoyed singing my own songs, I became more sure that my decision was correct.
What did you study at university?
I graduated from university with a degree in economics. Later, I went to Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece, to get a master's degree in communication. My master's thesis was titled "Digital Music Business Models". In addition to having an educational background in Economics and Management, I am a musician and songwriter. I professionally sing and write songs, which makes music an intrinsic part of my life. That's why I chose a dissertation topic that satisfied my academic and artistic interests to link my interests.
Did you have to move to another city in order to work in the music industry or do you work in your native city? If you had to move, what was it like at the beginning?
Not to work in the music industry but for my master's degree, I moved to Thessaloniki, Greece, for one and a half years. During my time there, I improved myself academically and had the opportunity to improve myself musically and culturally by participating in Greek music and entertainment culture. In Thessaloniki, I was a soloist in the university's Jazz orchestra and I sang Turkish-Greek songs in venues where Greek music was performed. When I returned to Turkey, I added Greek songs to my repertoire, which consisted of Turkish, English and Spanish songs.
Have you ever noticed inequalities in the music industry for being a woman?
I have never experienced any inequality but most of the musician friends I work with are men. However, there was never a situation where I felt like I was materially and morally unequal due to gender.
Who are your favorite artists? Do you think they inspired you to work in the music industry?
Sertab Erener, who brought Eurovision success to my country, Turkey, for the first time in its history, is an essential name that inspired me in my musical journey. Her voice, productivity, attitude and constant updating of herself have always impressed me. Secondly, I would say Buena Vista Social Club who is the most important representative of Cuban music abroad. It is the most important reason why I became interested in world music. Their music makes me feel emotions such as happiness, sadness, joy of life, admiration and fascination all at once. It inspires the music I make.
How would you describe the Turkish music industry?
The biggest feature that distinguishes the music industry in Turkey from the big music markets in the world is that Turkey is located in a culture that is a synthesis of East and West. Our music contains both Eastern and Western characteristics. The instruments, melodies and lyrics that we use use combine the different and beautiful characteristics of both sides.
Do you think that being Trukish influences or has influenced your career?
Being Turkish has advantages in terms of working in my sector. The fact that I anticipated in the last question (uniting East and West) positively affects the enrichment of the music I make. We Turks are culturally extroverted, emotional and warm-blooded people. It is delightful and satisfying for artisrs to address such an audience and convey their art.
What are your future projects?
Currently, I am working at the studio recording stages of my two upcoming songs. My lively single called Karayipler, with lyrics by my grandmother and music by me, will be released in the summer months. My slow song, Islanıyorum Yangınında, whose lyrics and music belong to me, will be released in the autumn. I am excited to be presenting my two brand-new songs to my listeners. However, my biggest dream in the future is to establish my own label where I can discover new talents.
Do you have any suggestions for your fellow Mediterraneans wanting to work in this industry?
Do not give up. Do not be affected by people's negative comments. Constantly improve and update yourselves on new trends because this sector updates very quickly.
Do you have a Turkish song to suggest?
I will suggest my own song İnci Küpe (pearl earring). It tells the sad farewell story of a woman who is both very strong and very naive and lost her pearl earring. My desire of writing this song arose from my desire to express my farewell with the most noble feelings. I can describe it as the naive rebellion of a woman who is very hurt but is not ashamed to talk about her feelings and experiences. This song earned me 3rd place among 100 compositions. I am grateful for it as it helped me achieving such success in this magical musical journey that I started at the age of 16! Greetings to those who support, believe, and inspire...
You can listen to our playlist with also Esra's suggestion hereunder: