Hailing from Vienna in Austria, Violetta Parisini, grew up listening to artistes such The Beatles, Jeff Buckley, Nina Simone and Chet Baker. All these diverse influences have distilled down into the singer-songwriter’s English and German indie pop music. Now with her new album, Alles Bleibt or Everything Remains, the 40-year-old shows a more vulnerable and mature side to her, and delves into some darker subjects than in her previous numbers. We spoke to the artiste, ahead of her now-cancelled gig in the city (due to travel restrictions caused by COVID-19).
Popular for her glassy vocals, accompanied by delicate minimalist chords, Violetta’s songs boast meaningful and emotional themes, and make for easy listening. “My songs go deep and far, and are wrapped in modern acoustic music,” she tells us, adding, “Every aspect of the music is full of detail. Listeners still find something new even after having heard the same song many times. They find their own feelings reflected in the music.” Her previous albums Giving You My Heart to Mend (2010), The Blackest Coffee (2010), and Open Secrets (2012) won her many fans and accolades.
Her latest album, with songs Frei, Deine Hände and Mehr Sein, was released last month. “The title could also be interpreted as ‘nothing gets lost’. The album is about rough patches in life and overcoming them. It also deals with love, life, freedom, and death,” says the singer who is also an accomplished piano player.
Opening up about her songwriting process, Violetta says she likes to pen down feelings that we all experience, but don’t talk about that often. “I wrote a lot of songs about dealing with overwhelming feelings. Like when your life is so full and you don’t know where to start, how to mend a broken heart, or dealing with the darkness inside us,” reveals the singer who considers Alanis Morisette, Leif Vollebekk, Fiona Apple, Laura Mvula and Lylit as her inspirations. All of her songs are very personal. Sometimes it is intense conversations with friends, and sometimes the world at large, that inspires her, “but it is always radically personal,” she adds. Her songs are the only way she expresses herself. She says her fans can identify with this, because we all share feelings that affect us deeply, even if our lives and circumstances are totally different.
Violetta performs and records with her band that consists of drummer Alex Pohn, violinist Emily Stewart, bassist Hanibal Scheutz and jazz guitarist Peter Rom.
Everything Remains is available on streaming platforms
anagha@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @anaghzzz