9+1 Q&A with Marva Von Theo

What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.

I have always been an introverted person who found pleasure in spending hours alone, crafting things, painting and practicing music. I felt the urge to express myself in many different ways, so, writing music sort of came naturally at some point of my life. I used to favor jazz music but as soon as I put my first notes on the paper, I realized that I could finally just be…me!

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

Our new song “Embrace this Madness”, the first single from our upcoming second album, is what we call a sci-fi ballad! We have created a futuristic soundscape with various dreamy, synth textures that add a cinematic feel on the whole composition. Τhe lyrics describe a rather surreal story that highlights the impermanent nature of happiness, the awareness that our dreams may eventually come true but are not meant to last for long.

Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?

What I find very interesting in my collaboration with Theo is that we have totally different influences and we go through a really creative procedure searching for the “right” balance in every song. While I tend to search for inspiration mostly in modern artists, such as James Blake, Anohni, Bjork, Bonobo and other artists of electronica, Theo’s strokes in our music have definitely the colors of Cure but also of some Early and Baroque Music Composers, such as Dowland and Purcell. Non-music-wise, I would say that strong and unexpected life experiences often feed our music with uncontrollable emotion.

In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?

Our intention when writing music is not to differ from other bands but to express ourselves. Taking that into consideration, I think that our music actually reflects our personalities. We can be darksome and introspective at times but we can’t resist to a strong beating bass drum under a shiny disco ball…

Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…

Album: James Blake – Overgrown | Trentemøller – Obverse | The Cure – Disintegration

Movies: Blade Runner 2049 – D. Villeneuve | Lost Highway – D. Lynch | Great Expectations – A. Cuarón

Books: The Unconsoled (1995) K. Ishiguro | The Castle –F. Kafka | E.E. Cummings Poems

Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?

I definitely prefer performing live! Ι love the energy of the live, the lights, all those strong emotions that overwhelm me when sharing my music with the audience.

Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?

We were performing at an open theatre where, occasionally, my dog made her appearance from the backstage to check if everything was ok, stealing my thunder!

Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?

My favorite track will be included in our second album and is called “Older”. The fact is that I was going through a really difficult period in my life and wrote the most pessimistic lyrics I have ever written. Just think that the chorus of the song says “I don’t grow older but sadder”. The melodic line came out very unconventional because of this fragile state of mine… Still, I think I reached the bottom of my melancholy with this song and then I could not but emerge out of my darkness.

Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?

We are opening the concert of Hooverphonic at Fuzz Club in Athens on Saturday 14/12 and we can’t be more excited as we are going to perform our music in front of an audience of more than 1000 people! We are also planning the release of our second Album “Afterglow” in 2020 and making many plans related to this release.

Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…

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Photo credits: Periklis Liakakis

Curated by: Christos Doukakis

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