Athena Andreadis
"Clearly a fine songwriter … one of the discoveries of the year." The Guardian
"She deserves mainstream exposure." The Observer
When I'm writing music I can almost smell the earth and the sea of
Greece
My mother had the most incredible voice so I learned orally from her. She
used to sing me to sleep with lullabies and she had a huge repertoire of
traditional songs - songs of the immigrants who ended up on the mainland after
the catastrophe of Asia Minor and the exchange of population from the Turkish
Ottoman Empire. Those songs were full of the pain of the displaced Greek and I
connected with that.
Music is so important to me that I've got to play it for myself, even when
I'm
alone, so if I'm happy, sad or inspired, I'll go to my room and sing
and
play
the piano.
A favourite song:
'Smyrneiko Minore' is a song that I've loved for years. It's was originally
sung by the renowned traditional singer, Marika Papiga. I've featured my own
arrangement on our album. It's an amanes or lament from Smyrneiko, popular among
those Greeks who had to migrate to the mainland of the former Ottoman Empire. It
combines the emigrants' pain and nostalgia as well as evoking a spiritual
feeling. It's based on the drone like much of Greek music and it's modal so when
the drone changes, you go to another scale.
I listened to the original recording as well as newer versions and decided
to make my version different. I start the song with a drone from the cello,
lyra
and bass while I sample my voice doing a harmonic acting also as a
drone. Then I
come in singing the melody. After the first verse, the
percussion joins and the
scale changes. You can almost hear the tears of the
dislocated people.
them for a small group, as well as writing my own compositions with Greek
elements. I had the idea of bringing together musicians from different
cultures
to explore and experiment with the music. Four of the musicians,
the lyra
player, the classical guitarist, the cellist and I, the singer, are
from Greece,
the percussionist (daf player) is from Persia, the jazz
guitarist from Norway
and the double-bass player from England.
"Athena Andreadis blends her love of the traditional songs and poetry of her native Greece with elements of jazz, contemporary and classical music. Her exceptional voice is as suited to the ancient Greek laments as it is to her own original material, which she sings in both Greek and English. The huge word-of-mouth response to Athena's live appearances suggests there are many who crave the quiet place provided by this kind of music" (Daily Telegraph).
B R E A T H E W I T H M E (2007)
1/ to be with you
2/ recently scarred *
3/ inside out *
4/ green eyes
5/ pretty things
6/ shades of grey
7/ all i see is you
8/ wooden horse
9/ running to you
10/ eden (garden state)
11/ let me in *
12/ breathe again
* hear these tracks on Athena's MySpace
"On her recent UK tour, Athena sang in both Greek and English, but her full-length debut makes an unashamed play for the Anglo-speaking market, displaying a striking turn of phrase for someone not writing in their first language ("I am not your vision, your drug, your high/I am not a shelter to keep you dry"). More Jane Siberry or Laurie Anderson than Dido or KT Tunstall, these dozen compositions sparkingly span the boundaries of folk, pop, jazz and world music, enhanced by a voice of great emotional resonance and exquisite co-production by Joe Boyd". (UNCUT)
Available through Amazon and i-Tunes
SNAPSHOT (CD EP, 2006)
1 / green eyes
2 / circles
3 / thalassa melania
4 / eden (garden state)
5 / stis pikrodafnis ton antho
E A R L I E R D E M O S (2002)
1 / smyrneiko minore*
2 / ela pare me**
3 / djivaeri*
Roots magazine has described Athena as “on the verge of greatness” Take the chance to see her in a small and intimate venue before she starts filling stadiums. (pembrokeshiretv.com)
OFFICIAL SITE
http://www.athenaandreadis.com/main.html
INTERVIEWS
