Vragen van "Den Beir"

Christa Vi, an Australian / German Singer Songwriter living in East London, has been steadily building her synthpop sound for a number years and is due to release her debut album Makeshift Happiness this November. The record is a result of studio sessions with co-producers Andrew McDonnell (Petite Noir, SUNS) and Dan Brown (Massive Attack, Karin Park). Christa Vi’s effervescence as an artist has also allowed her to collaborate with a variety ofremix producers on singles lifted from the album, including Fybe:One (Shades Recordings), Amtrac (Toolroom, Super Music Group), Russ Chimes (Sony, Uno Mass) and Amateur Best (Double Denim, Brille).

Intriguing, wistful and melodic, Makeshift Happiness is brimming with Christa Vi͛ ’s expertly crafted pop-melodies, blending enchanting hooks with soul-bearing lyrics that touch upon the mysteries of the human condition. Born out of a complex relationship with her adopted city of London and its people, her songs have often been sparked by overhearing strangers’conversations, where anonymous but dense living gives rise to shared snippets of private emotions and insight. A casual obsession with origami inspired the concept of creating something beautiful or functional out of something ordinary- a metaphor for making the best of life’s hard knocks.

Much like the work of Shura or Jessy Lanza, Christa Vi’s electronic pop effort crosses over seamlessly into the dance world, with most recent single release “Futureproof” loaded with dancefloor ready club cuts. DJ support from the likes of Paul Oakenfold, Londo’s KissFM, Australia’s Triple J, Amazing Radio and DJ Mag radio certify Christa Vi as a respected figure in the realms of pop and electronic music, with Makeshift Happiness acting as a greater testimony to her ability and versatility as a singer and songwriter. Preoder the album here.

The lady releases her album tomorrow, we asked her some questions.

What is your all-time favorite song?

That’s such a hard question as I’m a massive music listener. It could be a different song every week. But to choose one great song I’ll say “All I Want” by Joni Mitchell. I get a weird sense of deja vu when I hear the melody, like I must have lived a past life travelling across America or something. The lyrics are such a push & pull of opposite emotions. Like wanting to love freely, do something crazy but then feeling the fear of when it goes wrong. It’s like everything wonderful is a double edged sword. It’s the perfect song about desire.

Which song is perfect for a Road Trip?

Ha ha ‘All I Want’ by Joni Mitchell I definitely want to hear on a road trip, but only in America or Australia where there are wide open spaces. When driving in Europe I love listening to Björk. I became obsessed with her album Homogenic when I was backpacking on trains through Germany, Switzerland, France and Holland. I’d listen to “Joga” on repeat.

To which song do you like to clean?

I need dance music to clean to, like a disco mix to get me moving. A track like Russ Chimes “Turn Me Out” is perfect for dusting.

What’s the perfect song to wake up with?

I’m definitely not a morning person, so I need something chilled to ease me into the sunlight. Something like Sade “No Ordinary Love” works well before coffee.

What’s your favorite artist from your home city?

My home city is Adelaide, South Australia, so I’d have to say Sia Furler who is also from there. I used to go and see her when she played her first gigs in Adelaide as I knew some of the members of her band back when she did her first album. I’m a fan from way back and it’s incredible to see her commercial success even though she doesn’t show her face. That’s an achievement in this age of over-sharing.

Which artist do you think is too underrated and which one is overrated?

Well I think Róisín Murphy is underrated, as she’s been putting out incredible music for decades now, but has always stayed pretty left-field apart from a couple of tracks with Moloko that reached the charts. Maybe it’s better that she hasn’t had full-on mainstream success otherwise we may not have had all the over-the-top costumes and experimental electronic music from her.

Overrated – hmmmm I don’t like to be mean, but maybe Justin Bieber?? I mean he’s done a couple of decent songs with Diplo and Skrillex recently (“Sorry” is my guilty pleasure I’ll admit), but lets see if his new found coolness can last…..

If you could be one artist for a day, who would that be?

Probably Adele. She seems to be pretty level headed as well as hugely successful. it would be nice to know what that feels for one day i.e. to be famous but not crazy. She doesn’t seem like she’s going to have a Britney meltdown any time soon!

What’s the best song to ask someone out?

Hmmm I can’t say I’ve ever used a song to get a date, but if I did I’d send R Kelly “Bump N’ Grind” 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAXxkNaRkp8

What’s the most beautiful lyric you’ve ever heard?

I love the lyrics of Bjork’s song ‘All is Full of Love’. They are very simple and for me they work powerfully with the music. This song gave me hope at a time when I was running out of positivity. It’s about self love as well as receiving love from another person. The video is amazing too.

At which place would you love to play a concert?

I’d love to play Glastonbury. I’ve only been once but never experienced another music festival quite like it. I hope it can keep it’s amazing energy, as there is something special with such a spectrum of different artists who have played there even when it’s cold and muddy.