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Artist Interviews
Q&A: Barbara Panther
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 26 May 2011
Having fled Rwanda as a refugee, electro-pop experimentalist Barbara Panther grew up in Brussels and now lives in Berlin. Drawing inspiration from all facets of her heritage, her eponymous debut LP occupies the little-trod musical ground that lies somewhere around Bjork’s totem of innovation, whilst still sounding entirely original.
Produced by Matthew Herbert, who in the past has collaborated with the aforementioned Bjork, Roisen Murphy and REM, the album was released earlier this month by way of City Slang. With but a sole live date booked at Festival De La Cite in Lausanne, we asked Barbara our quick fire Same Six Questions.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
I’ve always liked to sing, I started singing in a choir when I was four and did so for quite some time. I took classical guitar lessons at the Academy. When I was twelve I was given percussion lessons from a Hungarian street musician. I’ve been doing a lot of travelling and lived in many different places and I always carry a diary with me, so I’ve been writing all those impressions down and later turned them into songs and music.
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
It’s a reflection of discoveries I made over the years about human nature, the universe, the past and the future which resounds in my lyrics. It is a collection of songs written over a period of time, so musically it isn’t a conceptual record. Each song has its own character. My idea was to work with both electronic and natural sounds.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
A track mostly finds its way to reach me but it depends on the moment. It can start with a melody or a rhythm or a lyric, each track has its own way to take shape.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
I really try to rely on my own imagination and visions, but I do deeply respect people that are original, edgy, fearless and honest whether it’s Diamanda Galas, Pina Bausch, Philip Glass, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Banksy or Harmony Korine.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
When you think differently about music, you grow!
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
I can’t wait to tour this album as soon as possible and for the future, I can’t wait to write the next album!
MORE>> www.myspace.com/barbarapanther
