I am usually very strict in the “Top ten albums” series. But a quality of Josin’s music and beautiful honesty in her answers completely convinced me to respect an exception of mentioning just eight albums. She doesn’t listen to music much and she mainly relies on artists she loves mainly from childhood and teenage years. Within her favorite albums you will see mainly Björk, Radiohead but also other inspirational artists. I am also extremely glad we share with Josin many values including the positive effect of music on a mind, personal progress and the importance of following your dreams, which could mean as in our cases, leaving marketing jobs. Next to it we also spoke about the gear she relies on and a current European tour including coming to Prague this weekend where we will meet for a video interview.
Radiohead – In Rainbows (2007)
This album changed my perception of music. Arrangements, song writing, instrumentation, vocals. My absolute top album.
Björk – Homogenic (1997)
I discovered this record when I was very young and it was the first “pop” album I´ve been listening to. I remember that it took me on a journey that I still feel I am on. Björk inspired me to use my voice as an instrument that can be vulnerable and brutal. And that it´s not about singing beautifully, but with meaning.
Bon Iver – For Emma (2007)
Back to the basics. To not so much thinking, but performing honesty.
Mutemath – Mutemath (2006)
My introduction to rock music. Completely got lost in the power of a new genre. It was revealing a new world of expression for me. With this tune I really got into drums and percussion, whereas before I was more paying attention to melodies, this gave me access to an instrument that I didn´t really understand before.
Coldplay – Parachutes (2000)
Songwriting, songwriting, songwriting. How beautifully can someone out words and melodies into songs.
Sigur Rós – (all their albums)
Biggest revelation of time and space in music.
Thom Yorke – The Eraser (2006)
Stunning work – effortlessly beautiful and interesting to understand more of Yorke´s mind.
Sade – (several albums. I think it was a Best Of album) (1994)
I just found this record in my godfather´s CD collection and absolutely loved it. The warmth, the soothing, feminine approach.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Would you also like to mention some surprising pieces in your albums collection which didn’t end up in your top ten list?
Sorry I just could list 8 albums. I have to admit that I don´t listen to a lot of music. It´s a musician decease, I guess. I cannot listen to music in the background – it always takes ALL of my attention and that´s why I choose carefully what I listen to privately.
What was the first album you bought for your own money?
Oh! Haha! That brings me back to very interesting memories.J All the albums of my childhood (like the Björk album) were given to me, so I didn´t have to buy them. Maybe I bought a Destiny´s Child album in my teenage? Pretty sure.
I have to admit that I don´t listen to a lot of music. It´s a musician decease, I guess.
Technical department
As part of this interview will go to Czech gear oriented magazine Muzikus, please present to our readers pieces of gear you rely on tour? Keyboard, microphones, effects…
- I am using a KORG SP-250 as master midi. I know it´s not the classical stage piano, but as I am not using integrated sounds, but rather virtual sounds (lots of Jupiter and Prophet), the choice for that keyboard is because of the weighted keys. They are not too heavy, nor too light. Perfect for me.
- Currently on the tour I am using an Audio Technica vocal mic. But before that or when I´m abroad I usually go with a regular SM-58.
- My audio interface is very key to my live set, as I am running almost everything through it. I am using an RME Fireface – it´s old, but still reliable and has a great sound quality.
- For the first time I am triggering my vocal effects myself, sending out a sum with reverbs, echoes and delay that I control via midi controller. (Just a simple KORG Nano Control)
Could you please mention some challenges you faced on the recent tours within gear and what have you learned from those experiences for upcoming tours?
- On this tour I have had some issues with my computer and live program. On the first show I had to push doors in order to get the system running and have a soundcheck. It was a nightmare and showed me once again, that backups are important. Other than that, the only issue we have had (so far :)) was some buzzing from my Roland Juno-60. But this is something I can live with and which is ok, because this instrument is alive and invents new buzzing sounds every time I turn it on. My FOH found a lot of ways to cut the different frequencies out and could make it sound clean every night.
Björk inspired me to use my voice as an instrument that can be vulnerable and brutal. And that it´s not about singing beautifully, but with meaning.
Could you please give us an idea about your vocal background and education? You have truly amazingly beautiful voice.
Thank you. I don´t have a trained voice – so no singing lessons or technique, just basically singing my whole life. And finding my own voice has been the most challenging process. It´s not over yet, but at least I feel comfortable now. I remember that when I was young I did the mistake that I wanted to sound like someone else. Forced the voice to do things that didn´t match the physics. Artist like Thom Yorke and Björk have a big influence on me in terms of encouraging me to not having to sound perfect. But honest. I found out that I actually have a head voice and stopped trying to sound like a multiple range R&B singer.
I understood your main music inspiration are Björk and Radiohead. Seriously, I respect these artists, but I am a fan of only few individual songs. Let say Army Of Me and Daydreaming. If there are few more artists, we have in common, in this list, https://rocknrolljournalist.com/2019/01/the-best-of-2018.html may I ask you, based on this list, to recommend me sth more from Björk or Radiohead? Thank you.
You should listen to Björk – Yoga and Radiohead – Weird Fishes. And give it time to grow on you. Do it. 🙂
I would like to congratulate you on the release of your debut album. Honestly, I am truly impressed. I discovered you as I went through the list of events of Czech promoter D Smack U and your case was very unique. I can imagine you are building your position step by step and some countries show bigger feedback than others. Could you please give us an idea about the diversity of your role in the countries you are planning to visit?
Yes of course. It´s diverse and varies. But that´s fine. I chose to sing in English, I chose to do more alternative/underground music and it´s clear that this is the harder way to be present on the “market”. I just do what I love and feel is the right thing, trying not to care about numbers. This is my first headline tour and we are having evenings that are sold out (like Berlin and London), and other cities where only a few people show up. That´s ok and sometimes the best nights are those where you connect so intimately with a small audience.
Psychological department
During this interview at 2:10 I had a feeling you wanted to say, there is something more you regret. I guess with awareness, one is making a great progress. I was enjoying your music while reading some psychology articles and interviews. Guest said: “In order to learn, we need to experience insecurity.” Could you please share what other regret you have about your life choices? (I won’t publish this answer, if you want to keep it private.)
It´s ok, you can publish it. 🙂 Regrets… Not so many luckily. I regret that I didn´t follow my call to do music full time earlier. But – who knows what it would have become otherwise. Maybe it would’ve been too early, not mature enough to really express what I want to say. All I know is that my music today is 100% true and honest. And maybe all those circumstances, “lost years”, lead to your happiness today. So in the end the only regret one should have is not accepting yourself, your failures and be grateful for this life given to us. It could be over every second and then all the regrets don´t even matter anymore.
To be honest, I discovered your music when I was going through a rough brake-up and a challenging career change. Your music was and still is very helpful in this sense to relax my mind, next to a meditation. I could see from YouTube comments, it is helpful to many of your fans. What do you feel, when someone writes, let say that they are going through a painful divorce and thanks to your music they see at least some light at the end of the tunnel? (Comment from Lodest at Once Apart video). Have a great show in Brno btw! 😉
This makes all the pain that comes with making music worth every single second. You know when you start doing music, you just do it because there´s something in you that urges you to do so. You don´t really think about how it can affect other people. But when you finally realize that it echoes in somebody else it becomes something so much greater than just writing songs. That is – more and more – what I want this whole thing to become. An emotional conversation. So thankful for your words and letting me know.
I understood you are also working as a marketing manager. How do you manage to combine marketing and music? Do you have an intention to fully concentrate on writing music and music production, and to push marketing aside?
I quit the job. J Thank you so much for your interesting questions and research! And the session for the blind. Love things like that. Keep up the good work! See you on Prague <3)
