INTERVIEW

WE MET TRAP'S SALEKA SHYAMALAN

August 9, 2024

Looking for a new reason to head to the movies? Meet Trap, the latest release by legendary filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. The film follows Cooper (Josh Harnett) and his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) as they head to Lady Raven's (Saleka Shyamalan) concert – think an Eras-tour-level production. Soon, we find out that the FBI has set a trap to catch a notorious serial killer, and with the location on lockdown, will they escape? Of course, we had to get all the tea from Saleka on her character, the soundtrack AND working with her dad on set. Scroll for the scoop.

Saleka Shyamalan in a standout dress | ASOS Style Feed

Hey Saleka! What inspiration did you draw to play Lady Raven?
Adele's performances and how she captivates an entire stadium with very stripped-down ballads. We also looked at Rosalía because she blends flamenco music and pop music. Oh, and Rihanna was another one – her stage presence, choreography and costumes.

How do you relate to your character?
The music is very much me, so all the songs feel connected. There’s a lot of things in there that I feel close to, but just understanding what an artist can mean to people from the point of view of a fan – I feel like I can relate to that culture.

You've written an album with 14 original songs to go alongside the film. Can you tell us about the process of writing the soundtrack?
It was very intense – I wrote all the songs to go with the script that my dad wrote. I had one song that I was starting and my dad said, ‘Oh, I really like that one’ – so that became one of the songs. The rest I wrote once the script was done – I was very inspired because there was so much within the script and story to draw from. It had to function as pop music, but also as a score to follow the narrative that Cooper's going through.

Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan) putting on an iconic performance in Trap.

What's the most meaningful track on the soundtrack?
There's two ballads in the movie that are very emotionally important moments for Lady Raven. One in the beginning sets up her ethos and what she stands for, which puts her in juxtaposition to Cooper, who has a completely different mindset. Then there's a ballad at the end that's about her finding her strength and bravery – this is a personal and vulnerable song. In my mind, I'm imagining she never plays this one live, and this is one that's very special to her.

What's the best concert you went to when you were young?
Beyoncé was the first concert that I went to when I was 10 – I was shaking and I knew every word. Also Adele, I saw her early in her career, and that was a surreal experience.

During the film, you put on a whole concert that felt like an IRL tour! Can you tell us more about that?
We basically prepped an entire tour. We did costumes that were specifically curated for the songs that I was singing. There was a set design for every single song as well as choreography. We had a lot of rehearsals and the choreography was a special process to understand what's the essence or meaning of the song.

Great dancing too!
That was my deep insecurity. I'm not a dancer, so it took me extra rehearsals. I was catching up to all of them, then putting on the performance and making it work.

Favorite costume you wore as Lady Raven?
I loved all the costumes! There's an outfit in the opening of the concert, the first song where it's like this hooded outfit – a big jacket and big boots. I love having baggy things to play with, and we incorporated the jacket and taking the hood off into the choreography. I thought that was really fun and dramatic.

M. Night Shyamalan & Saleka Shyamalan | ASOS Style Feed

Saleka Shyamalan on set with her dad, M. Night Shyamalan.

What kind of outfits do you like to wear when you're performing?
It's changed over the years – every tour is different and even the setup of the band is different. So, if it's just a guitarist and we're doing an acoustic set, I'll be more formal and standing or sitting at the mic. I did a tour opening for Giveon, and that was more like R&B, so I was moving around the stage and I wore sneakers, jackets and big pants. Each tour is different and I like to have fun with it – it makes those performances feel different.

We're dying to know, what's it like working with your dad?
It was really amazing, surprisingly. I was nervous going into it, because you never know what it'll be like when you get into that intense space, but it was so smooth. I felt very vulnerable and scared on set because it was all new, so having him there and feeling that protection was important to me. He was giving me the perfect reinforcement right when I needed it. I felt like I wanted him to be proud of me, so there was an added level of anxiety too.

Oh, we can imagine. What's the first outfit you slip into after a long day on set?
Sweatpants, definitely.

What's next in the world of music for you?
I'll be writing music forever. Whilst I was writing this album, there were a few songs that I really loved that didn't feel right for the character or movie. I've set those songs aside for the next album and I can't wait to get into it.

Trap is in theaters now.