Real Dutch courage with her new album ‘Brave’
Susana, welcome to DMCWORLD. Your singing ‘career’ started in your bedroom like so many other artists. You were practicing your vocal skills by singing along to your father’s records – who were the artists you were bellowing out?
“Pleasure to be here! Well, at one point I discovered my dad had a Suzanne Vega album and I also remember a Chris de Burgh one. For the rest my memory is kind of blurry there! But while I was in elementary school I discovered Mariah Carey, who back then had a more soulful and gospel like sound and for example Alanis Morissette’s album Jagged Little Pill inspired me to start writing my own lyrics.”
It seems like you had your life road mapped out at an early age. You chose a school because of its creativity aspect of it, you joined a local rock band as lead singer and song writer at the age of 15 and started singing lessons too. Was anyone else in your family musical and who were your idols, who did you want to be when you grew up?
“Strangely enough I don’t come from a very musical family. A lot of artists grew up with a lot of music. I didn’t really. My parents have always been very supportive of my career but they weren’t singers nor did they play any instruments, music was never a big part of their daily lives. So I would say my passion for music is something I was born with rather than something I discovered along the way… I have known I could sing and wanted to become a singer ever since I can remember, ever since I was a little girl. Of course I have been inspired by many artists during my life, but primarily my interest to become a singer originated somewhere inside of me… It’s an awareness that has always been there for some reason and that did lead me to look for ways to incorporate music into my life. It is my daily stimulus and outlet. I couldn’t go a day without it!”
How did you get introduced to EDM? What was your first thoughts of trance music, what did you enjoy about it?
“I got involved with EDM when I was 19 and got introduced to Raz Nitzan and Adrian Broekhuyse, two EDM vocal producers, back in 2004. I had never really explored dance music before so when I was asked to deliver vocals for a trance track I primarily viewed it as a way of gaining some studio experience. Little did I know a whole new musical world would open itself up to me. It didn’t take long for me to fall for the emotional energy of trance, especially progressive trance. I was also surprised by the diversity of the EDM scene, all the different genres and sounds, how original tracks can be transformed into big room club tracks etcetera”
So the new album ‘Brave’ is coming out following up ‘Closer’. Talk us through the album, who are the collaborations and what are the stand out tracks…
“The format of Brave is the same as that of Closer; for each track I have worked with a different DJ/producer. It contains 12 new tracks! The first single – Down To Nothing with Max Graham – was released earlier this year. In April I travelled to Taiwan to shoot a music video for it which will be available through the Armada YouTube channel somewhere next week. For the second single I reunited with the amazing Rex Mundi, which resulted in the progressive track All Time Low. I am proud to say that this track is getting a lot of support from Markus Schulz! Furthermore Brave contains collabs with Shogun, Aurosonic, DNS Project, Leon Bolier, Ernesto vs Bastian and Wezz Devall, Beat Service, Alexander Popov, Daniel Kandi, Ronski Speed, Snatt & Vix, Dark Matters and Eller van Buuren. Eller and I know each other from the Armin Only tours. We did a couple of acoustic hotel room sessions, transforming trance tracks like my track Closer into acoustic versions. This inspired me to ask Eller to create guitar parts for an ambient version of a cover of Home, the trance classic of Coast2Coast. I believe this track adds a nice little extra to the album. I won’t go into detail about each track, I prefer to let the music speak for itself, but there are some real progressive tracks on there, like the ones with DNS Project, Max Graham and Rex Mundi. Whereas for example Winter Song and especially Home are more uplifting, the track with Leon Bolier has a bit of a techy vibe and Brave is the more poppy song of the album.”
How long did this new album take to create and where did you make it?
“I think it has taken about a year to complete it. Initially we planned to finish it over the summer of 2011. But eventually we decided to take more time to find the right tracks and to really give the creative process more time to develop. And I think it has worked out very well! The recording took place in the studio of Raz and Adrian, the vocal producers I mentioned before. It is located in Haarlem, a city in the Netherlands. The writing was either done together in the studio or separately at home and then fine-tuned inside of the studio.”
Of all the collabs, who really impressed you?
“I was really blown away when I first heard the All Time Low instrumental by Rex Mundi. I thought it was so cool and different. When I heard Aurosonic’s take on Shelter I immediately fell for it, it’s deep and emotional. Down to Nothing with Max Graham has turned out a great track to perform live. Another favorite of mine is Different Worlds with Beat Service, it has a groovy edge to it that gets to me every time I hear it. And there is Brave, the title track, it’s a little different, more poppy and I think a lot of people will be able to relate to the lyrics. Well, as you might notice it’s hard for me to pick favorites!”
How would you say this album differs from ‘Closer’ – how has your attitude to making an album changed since then?
“Even though I am still very proud of Closer and of the collabs on there I do feel like Brave is a stronger album, mainly because I feel like it demonstrates better what the Susana sound is. I think with Closer, which was released two years ago, I was still searching for my sound. And that’s not the only way in which I have grown since the release of Closer. For Brave I got more in the front seat and took more control over the creative process and the decision making. That’s also part of the reason why I named the album after the song Brave. I wrote Brave about how it takes courage sometimes to open up, show your vulnerable side and give in to love. But for me the word Brave also refers to having the courage to step out of your comfort zone to aim at making your dreams come true. It’s not an easy thing to do, I have experienced a few bumps in the road during the process as well. But in the end I really believe fortune favors the brave and I couldn’t be more proud of the album!”
When was the last time you went out and lost the plot on a sweaty dance floor?
“That was two weeks ago actually, the first weekend of May. After performing at the Ultra Music Festival in Buenos Aires I busted some moves backstage haha. It’s a great way to release all the tension and adrenaline of a live performance. I have experienced some of the happiest moments of my life dancing at EDM parties till I didn’t feel my feet anymore.”
Who are your favourite DJs?
“I’m not a frequent clubber but I love to attend EDM festivals and I always enjoy sets by Markus Schulz, Armin van Buuren, Cosmic Gate, Above & Beyond, Arty, Jaytech, Andy Moor, Lange, Gareth Emery and Julian Vincent just to name a few. I prefer progressive, deep, somewhat techy, rough sets with a decent dose of touching vocal parts. I’m not a big fan of sets that are mainly uplifting. I like my EDM edgy!”
What is your idea of a perfect Sunday?
“Cycling to the gym in the morning for a workout and spending the rest of the day with friends or family and of course my daily portion of music. And I like to bake cookies every once in a while. I love the way baking sweet stuff makes the house smell!”
You have a very powerful, emotional and quite unique voice – how would you describe it?
“I think you just described it very well! My sound can best be described as a little edgy and dark, but the past few years I have also been exploring the gentler side of my voice and the higher regions, which can be heard in my vocals for Home. If there is one thing I have learned about the human voice it’s that it has many dimensions. And I am still not done exploring them!”
What is the bravest thing you have ever done?
“Probably travelling to Latin America by myself when I was 19. I just got out of high school. And it was just me and a backpack. I ended up staying there for 5 months, learning Spanish, working with disabled children and travelling. I really had to get out of my comfort zone, which was scary at times, but it had always been a dream of mine to explore the world a little and making that dream come true felt very empowering. I ended up having the best time and it still one of my most valuable experiences.”
You have performed around the world thanks to some of your collabs. with the likes of Armin Van Buuren and Rex Mundi – where around the world has stood out for you?
“I have developed a thing for the Middle East. My performances have taken me to Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt and those countries, especially its people and their hospitality, have captured my heart. I also always enjoy performing in counties like Russia, Poland and Ukraine, the crowds there are extremely energetic. When I performed Closer during the Armin Only show in Poland in 2011 I was overwhelmed by the response of the crowd. I couldn’t help but smile throughout the whole song. Those are the on stage moments I will never forget.”
What is the best and worst thing about living in Amsterdam?
“I was born in Amsterdam and grew up in the surroundings of it, I even studied there for a year, but I don’t live there. I live in Leiden. A smaller city. Which is the hometown of Armin van Buuren as well. Actually when we recorded Desiderium 207 – the intro track for his latest artist album Mirage – I rode to his studio on my bicycle. But I’d say the best thing about Amsterdam is that it’s a multicultural, vibrant, artistic city. Never a dull moment! Worst thing about Amsterdam I would say is that it’s always very crowded.”
What is the plan for the live shows to promote the album this summer – where are you heading?
“My booking agent JAM DJ Management is currently in the process of planning a couple of shows. Ukraine has been confirmed for July, Prague is coming up, possibly some more gigs in the Middle East and hopefully some more in Latin America and the US as well. To stay up to date on my tour schedule people can follow me on Twitter and Facebook.”
What 1 thing would you like to change about yourself?
“I can overthink things a bit too much…it would be good for me to be able to let go of stuff a little more easily. I can be quite hard on myself. It would help if I could live a little bit more in the moment instead of always thinking about the next step. On the other hand, that part of me might just be what has brought me to where I am now in my career and that is something I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. But it would be nice to find a bit more of a balance in that.”
What artists are on your iPod today?
“I think it contains a couple of thousand tracks at the moment! But this week I was listening to the Group Therapy album by Above & Beyond, Florence + The Machine, the greatest hits of Bjork and Lana Del Rey.”
What is coming next studio wise for you?
“Actually the next studio session I’ve got planned is not to record vocals. It’s to record the first episode of the V2V radio show! V2V is a project initiated by my agent JAM DJ Management in collaboration with Audrey Gallagher, Betsie Larkin and myself. V2V is aimed at promoting and consolidating the currently growing market for vocalists in EDM through live PA shows, global radio syndication, podcasts, online media, merchandising etc. We will have a monthly radio show on Afterhours.fm which will be hosted in turns by Audrey, Betsie and me. I will kick off with the first episode in June. For those interested here is a link to the V2V website where we will publish more detailed information soon http://www.v2vonline.com/. I am very excited about this project. It’s obvious that the EDM scene has long been the main territory of – mainly male – DJs and producers. I’ve been around in this scene for a while now and I have witnessed and experienced how, over the years, vocalists have been gaining more and more popularity and respect as EDM artists. I think that for example initiatives like the Armin Only Tour have contributed to this development by bringing live artists on stage and showing the impact this has on crowds around the world. Also the rise of social media have made it easier for vocalists to profile themselves and connect with these same crowds. They have started to grow their own fan bases and the scene is picking up on this. And of course vocalists are consolidating this development by setting the right standards for themselves and branding themselves as solo artists. A lot of good things are happening for vocals in EDM but it’s still a work in progress. So I am excited to, hopefully, contribute to these developments through initiatives like V2V.”
Dead or alive – what 6 singers do you invite to dinner and what DJ is playing the after party?
“Tough one! I’d say Tori Amos, because she was one of my main inspirations as a teenager and I think her personality is a little out there. John Mayer because his voice always makes me melt, he is extremely cute and I think he has a good sense of humor. Rihanna because she never bores me with her music and she is drop dead gorgeous. Beyonce because she is one of the best live performers on the planet and I believe I could therefore learn a thing or two from her. Norwegian singer/songwriter Ane Brun, I admire how she knows to write beautiful songs that really showcase her vocal abilities, a skill I would love to master myself. And last but not least Curt Cobain, because, and this might surprise some people, grunge has actually been one of my main musical influences as a teenager. His voice still gets to me when I hear it. Not sure how all these artists would get along with each other though! Haha. And I think I’d invite Morgan Page to play at the after party, just because I like his sound a lot but I’ve never seen him play live before.”
Not many people know this, but Susana is really good at…
“Making pasta with homemade pesto sauce. I live with one of my best friends and that dish is the one she requests most. I also speak Spanish quite well. Although the past few years I haven’t been using it as much as before. So it has become a bit rusty now unfortunately!”
And finally, what one piece of advice can you give to aspiring singers/songwriters wanting to make it into your crazy industry…?
“First of all I believe different roads can lead to a successful vocalist career, so it’s not that easy to advice aspiring vocalist on how to go about it. But what I know for sure is that talent alone is not enough, you have to be prepared to seize opportunities, work hard and also create opportunities where you can. This might mean you have to get out of your comfort zone a lot, which can be tough, and it’s ok to struggle a little with that, I went through that myself, but do it and you will see that fortune does actually favor the brave! Another important thing is to treat people the way you’d like people to treat you. Be genuine. Embrace creativity. But also educate yourself in the business side of things. Take responsibility for your own business, don’t expect that other people will naturally have your best interest at heart. It just doesn’t work that way most of the time. And don’t rest on your success. Always keep developing yourself as a singer, songwriter, performer, artist, representative of your own brand or business etc. Cause really, to be a successful artist nowadays means to be all of that. And last but not least: never forget that you’re in it for the music and make sure to keep enjoying what you do!”
‘Brave’ Tracklist:
01. All Time Low (& Rex Mundi)
02. Down To Nothing (& Max Graham)
03. Brave (& Ernesto vs Bastian with Wezz Devall)
04. A Different World (& Beat Service)
05. Shelter (& Aurosonic)
06. Chasing Dreams (& Leon Bolier)
07. Not Looking Back (& DNS Project)
08. Only You (& Shogun)
09. Lean On Me (& Alexander Popov)
10. Home (& Dark Matters) (Daniel Kandi Remix)
11. Winter Song (& Ronski Speed)
12. Blinded By The Lie (& Snatt & Vix)
13. Home (& Dark Matters with Eller van Buuren)
Album trailer: http://youtu.be/STI9oxgvGcA
Pre-order on iTunes: http://bit.ly/KPZOZM
Listening copy: http://www.armadamusic.nl/officedownload/MK_Susana_Brave.zip
http://www.facebook.com/susanavocalist
http://www.youtube.com/user/susana
https://twitter.com/SusanaVocalist
http://www.susanavocalist.com/
