Part 2
We have a speaking voice and a singing voice. Do these feel like they are natural extensions of each other, ends on a spectrum or different in kind?
As children, we first learn a language by imitating sounds - this is basically music; then we teach children to compose these sounds into words. Later we tell them to break those words into syllables - that’s rhythm.
If you listen to people speaking in different languages, you’ll hear changing pitches, melodies and rhythms characteristic for those languages. A song sang in American English accent sounds different in British English.
Language affects the melody of a song, but those were the sounds that created the language first.
From whispers to screams, from different colours to dynamics, what are the potentials and limits of your voice? How much of your vocal performance can and do, you want to control?
I love learning new singing styles, techniques even in different languages. If I want to learn something I've never done before - I'll give it a go; even if I'm not great at it, it's still fun to try.
I must feel comfortable with it, something I know will suit my voice and my music style; I know my limitations and there’s no need of straining myself to achieve something I don't like. I recently joined a Georgian choir; there are sounds you produce deep down in your throat - I love them! There is lots of yodelling too - so much fun! In many traditional songs from Croatia, singers imitate animal noises.
In the highlands of the Carpathian mountains people sing from the highest possible notes - these were their old ways to communicate in between the hills. I love to weave these beautiful gems in my performances.
When you're writing song lyrics, do you sense or see a connection between your voice and the text? Does it need to feel and sound “good” or “right” to sing certain words? What's your perspective in this regard of singing someone else's songs versus your own?
Songwriting is a huge skill, you have to be as much of a poet as you are a musician. I absolutely love Tom Waits, for me he’s one of the greatest musician-poets. His music is like a theatre performance - you could see actors dancing and singing around the stage; it’s so wholesome.
I write about my life, dreams, thoughts about the world and how it affects my state of mind, my feelings, but I try to do it indirectly, through poetry. I like borrowing certain phrases from my favourite writers: Haruki Murakami, Olga Tokarczuk, Paulo Coelho for example.
It’s hard to stop the everyday rush to make art; responsibilities and stress often kill the motivation. It’s important for me to always keep a notebook or an audio recorder while I’m travelling - sitting on buses or trains, looking out the windows often bring very interesting thoughts and melodies to my head; doing house chores also help in a similar way. Those thoughts often appear with melodic phrases embedded in them - it’s like words don’t exist without music.
I have hundreds of very short audio recordings and when I work on putting them together, I make sure they sit right with my voice first and yes, I have my “favourite vowels”. Only afterwards I think about the rhythm and the musical arrangement that evolves from it.
Strain is a particularly serious issue for many vocalists. How do you take care of your voice? Are the recipes or techniques to get a damaged voice back in shape?
A proper warm up is a must for every self-respecting singer. I like to start with a bit of a whole-body yoga and breathing exercises; cat purring and lip-smacking. I then go through a standard vocal warm up.
A healthy diet and hydration is key to a healthy voice; there are obvious things such as avoiding alcohol, caffeine, smoking and dairy on performing days. Breathing in steam should be a daily habit, however it’s hard to find time, therefore I only do it when having a sore throat.
Things I can’t survive the winter without are salt water gargles; honey, ginger and lemon tea. I recently discovered Icelandic Moss and Lungwort Tea - I was told they work magic.
How has technology, such as autotune or effect processing, impacted singing? Has it been a concrete influence on your own approach?
When you hear famous pop singers on the radio, you think - “blimey, their voice is absolutely impeccable!”; I used to feel discouraged about the imperfections of my own voice. Well, I shouldn’t have to because what we very often hear is that the singer has only recorded a few parts and the producer has played the rest on a midi keyboard.
The pop music world really frustrates me, because it has created that image of the only acceptable thing out there; most people do not get exposed to any other styles of music and it really saddens me. It’s like it’s not real music anymore, it’s just one producer behind the desk.
For recording engineers, the human voice remains a tricky element to capture. What, from your perspective, makes voices sound great on record and in a live setting?
I had the privilege of having my upcoming debut album, Oy Vesna Krasna recorded by a good friend, who was honest with me if something didn’t sound right; but also spent so much of his own time re-recording some things I didn’t like over and over again; we were both learning.
In the end, it all came to practice, being well prepared beforehand so not to waste anymore of everybody’s time. It’s just the same as preparation time before live performances - I practice and rehearse with the band for weeks before live performances.
Motherese may have been the origin of music, and singing is possibly the earliest form of musical expression, and culture in general. How connected is the human voice to your own sense of wellbeing, your creativity, and society as a whole?
They are inseparable! Singing and dancing should be prescribed by doctors! People used to sing every day, for example during work, especially in the countryside to make themselves feel better despite the hardships of life.
Praying through singing was also crucial during funerals - in Poland when a person died, people could come to their house and sing with the family of the deceased for 3 days until the funeral. When my grandmother passed away I was devastated, but it was that communal singing that really helped me to get through.
I once attended a singing workshop where one participant admitted that despite trying the common types of help, singing was the best kind of therapy for her after loosing a husband. I am not saying this will work for everyone, this was her opinion.
Personally, I have made the most meaningful friendships thanks to music; singing with others makes me the happiest and I just wish there were more opportunities for everyone to sing in their communities. I also wish people weren’t afraid to sing at home or with their families; it’s not about the quality of the voice - singing together creates stronger bonds.
I've been fascinated by pure vocal recordings for a long time. Do you have some recommendations in this direction?
I previously mentioned a group Drevo - their album Songs from Ukraine is my absolute favourite, with my favourite song “Letila Zozulya”.
Also listen to a group called Werchowyna. They're from Poland, although they record folk songs from various Eastern European countries.
A similar group is called Kitka - their repertoire of different cultures is even broader.
Bulgarian Voices Angelite are an absolute must!
Try any traditional Georgian choir, I love Rustavi Folk Choir and Didgori, but there are so many amazing groups it’s hard to choose from!
Thankfully, traditional Georgian singing is so well-to-do because it was recognized by UNESCO as a Human masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage and was inscribed on its Representative List for Safeguarding. Also Albanian Iso-Polyphony has similar entitlements and it’s just otherworldly!
Moreover would like to highly recommend a record label “In-Crudo” whose countless recordings from the heart of Polish countryside have helped save many forgotten tunes and songs from extinction. You can buy their digital albums online; my favourite one is Upon the Heavenly Hill - the Music of Roztocze Region.
