Interview with
Marcela Bovío
She's the singer of Stream Of Passion, but also of Elfonía (a progressive rockband from Mexico).
How would you describe the music of Stream Of Passion?
‘Dark, mysterious, emotional and intense.’
‘Dark, mysterious, emotional and intense.’
Can you tell something about the foundation of Stream Of Passion?
‘Arjen Lucassen and I met through Ayreon, his rock opera project. He has many guest singers on every Ayreon album, and on his last effort ‘The Human Equation’ he wanted to give an unknown singer the chance to sing one of the roles. So he posted an add on his website, inviting singers from all over the world to send their material to him. I sent him a CD by Elfonía (my band here in Mexico) and after a couple of weeks I got an e-mail from him, telling me that he really liked my voice and that he wanted me to try out some of the new tracks.
Eventually I ended up going to his studio over there in The Netherlands. We really had a great time recording together, we shared a lot of musical ideas. So the idea of doing something together again was there from that moment. A few months after ‘The Human Equation’ was released Arjen sent me a proposal to form this new project. We started working on the songs, and he started looking for musicians to complete the band’s formation.
Arjen is a wonderful person to work with. Not only is he extremely talented an experienced, he’s also open to discovering new things and experimenting with different ideas. Plus he’s a perfectionist like myself, I really appreciate that.’
Isn’t it difficult to play in a band with people who live in another country? How does the band practise it's songs?
‘It’s a bit complicated: we haven’t been all together in a room playing at the same time yet! Luckily, the rhythm section of the band is all Dutch, and they’ve been rehearsing together for a while. They send us their rehearsal recordings and we work on our arrangements over here. Next week we’re all getting together for the first time and do some serious rehearsing before the shows start. We’re confident that we’ll work it out, as everyone’s very clear on what the rest will do.’
‘Arjen Lucassen and I met through Ayreon, his rock opera project. He has many guest singers on every Ayreon album, and on his last effort ‘The Human Equation’ he wanted to give an unknown singer the chance to sing one of the roles. So he posted an add on his website, inviting singers from all over the world to send their material to him. I sent him a CD by Elfonía (my band here in Mexico) and after a couple of weeks I got an e-mail from him, telling me that he really liked my voice and that he wanted me to try out some of the new tracks.
Eventually I ended up going to his studio over there in The Netherlands. We really had a great time recording together, we shared a lot of musical ideas. So the idea of doing something together again was there from that moment. A few months after ‘The Human Equation’ was released Arjen sent me a proposal to form this new project. We started working on the songs, and he started looking for musicians to complete the band’s formation.
Arjen is a wonderful person to work with. Not only is he extremely talented an experienced, he’s also open to discovering new things and experimenting with different ideas. Plus he’s a perfectionist like myself, I really appreciate that.’
Isn’t it difficult to play in a band with people who live in another country? How does the band practise it's songs?
‘It’s a bit complicated: we haven’t been all together in a room playing at the same time yet! Luckily, the rhythm section of the band is all Dutch, and they’ve been rehearsing together for a while. They send us their rehearsal recordings and we work on our arrangements over here. Next week we’re all getting together for the first time and do some serious rehearsing before the shows start. We’re confident that we’ll work it out, as everyone’s very clear on what the rest will do.’
Where are the lyrics of the Stream Of Passion-album ‘Embrace The Storm’ about?
‘They all deal with everyday human emotions. My inspiration came from the things I was living at that time: there’s a bit about love, fears, longing.’
‘They all deal with everyday human emotions. My inspiration came from the things I was living at that time: there’s a bit about love, fears, longing.’
Why is the title of the album the same as a track on the album?
‘Well, we came up with the track names first, and later on we decided that ‘Embrace The Storm’ was actually a good name for the album as well. We think it really sums up what the whole CD is about; there’s this whole ‘darkness and light’ thing to it, even though there’s a lot of melancholy to the songs there are also a few moments of hope.’
‘Well, we came up with the track names first, and later on we decided that ‘Embrace The Storm’ was actually a good name for the album as well. We think it really sums up what the whole CD is about; there’s this whole ‘darkness and light’ thing to it, even though there’s a lot of melancholy to the songs there are also a few moments of hope.’
What’s your favourite Stream Of Passion-track?
‘Currently my favourite Stream Of Passion track is ‘Wherever you are’: it really takes me back to the moment when I was working on the album melodies. I’m really looking forward to performing this song live, it’s very emotional.’
‘Currently my favourite Stream Of Passion track is ‘Wherever you are’: it really takes me back to the moment when I was working on the album melodies. I’m really looking forward to performing this song live, it’s very emotional.’
What are the differences between the music of Stream Of Passion and the music of Elfonía?
‘The music of Stream Of Passion is more straight-forward, more about raw emotions and feelings. Elfonía’s music is a bit more experimental, it has more progressive rock and jazz influences.’
Is Elfonía getting more 'famous' because of Stream Of Passion?
‘Yeah, definitely. We’re still an unknown band, but we’re receiving a lot more attention nowadays. It’s great that - even though the music is quite different from Stream Of Passion - a lot of people have discovered it and enjoyed it.’
Where are the lyrics of the new Elfonía-album ‘This Sonic Landscape’ about?
‘It’s sort of a concept album: throughout the songs the lyrics describe the progress on how we, human, deal with our problems. How we loose our balance because of those difficulties, how we deal with them and eventually overcome them, seeking to be one step closer to our ideal.’
Why is the title of the album in English, while most of the lyrics are in Spanish?
‘We just loved that phrase! We thought it really describes what the music is about.’
‘Yeah, definitely. We’re still an unknown band, but we’re receiving a lot more attention nowadays. It’s great that - even though the music is quite different from Stream Of Passion - a lot of people have discovered it and enjoyed it.’
Where are the lyrics of the new Elfonía-album ‘This Sonic Landscape’ about?
‘It’s sort of a concept album: throughout the songs the lyrics describe the progress on how we, human, deal with our problems. How we loose our balance because of those difficulties, how we deal with them and eventually overcome them, seeking to be one step closer to our ideal.’
Why is the title of the album in English, while most of the lyrics are in Spanish?
‘We just loved that phrase! We thought it really describes what the music is about.’
What's your favourite Elfonía-track at the moment?
‘’Gigantes 3’ is my favourite Elfonía-track at the moment: I really like this song’s melody and the atmosphere it creates.’
‘’Gigantes 3’ is my favourite Elfonía-track at the moment: I really like this song’s melody and the atmosphere it creates.’
When did you thought: ‘I want to sing in a band!’?
‘Gosh, I don’t remember. Ever since I can recall I knew I wanted to sing: the idea of being on stage was always exciting to me.
I guess I always wanted to do this, but never actually did anything until a couple of friends invited me to perform in a band when I was a teenager. We only did cover songs and stuff, but from that moment on I haven’t been able to live without performing.’
Did you follow sining lessons?
‘I took basic music lessons when I was around 5 or 6 years old. Then when I was around 18 or something I began taking classical singing lessons. They were really helpful, they gave me the technique I needed to be more confident and to discover the true potential of my voice.’
‘I took basic music lessons when I was around 5 or 6 years old. Then when I was around 18 or something I began taking classical singing lessons. They were really helpful, they gave me the technique I needed to be more confident and to discover the true potential of my voice.’
Are you nervous before you are going to perform? Do you have a ritual?
‘Before a show I like to vocalise and then sit down and hang out alone for a little while, to concentrate and get mentally ready. I always get nervous, hehe. But I think it’s good, it makes me alert and helps me focus.’
What are the differences between the audiences in several country’s?
‘So far I’ve only experienced what the Mexican audiences are like. From what I’ve heard we are exceptionally wild! People in Mexico will sing, shout, dance and jump all through the show: it’s wonderful.
I’m really looking forward to experiencing what the European audiences are like. I’ve heard they’re more perceptive and more concentrated on the band’s performance, which is absolutely great. I can’t wait to be there and feel that connection with them.’
‘So far I’ve only experienced what the Mexican audiences are like. From what I’ve heard we are exceptionally wild! People in Mexico will sing, shout, dance and jump all through the show: it’s wonderful.
I’m really looking forward to experiencing what the European audiences are like. I’ve heard they’re more perceptive and more concentrated on the band’s performance, which is absolutely great. I can’t wait to be there and feel that connection with them.’
What do you want to make clear with your music? Is there a message?
‘There isn’t really a message. I just hope the emotions I’m trying to portray are clear enough for listeners to understand them and hopefully even be able to connect with them.’
What’s your biggest blooper on stage?
'I’m as clumsy as hell, so in several occasions I’ve stumbled with cables and different things. Luckily I’ve never actually fell… that would be definitely something, hehe!’
Do you think it’s hard to be a woman in the ‘men-metalworld’?
‘Well I think I’ve been lucky but I’ve never felt discriminated or secluded in any way. Plus in the band’s I’ve been I’ve always been surrounded by friends: I’ve always felt very comfortable.’
‘Well I think I’ve been lucky but I’ve never felt discriminated or secluded in any way. Plus in the band’s I’ve been I’ve always been surrounded by friends: I’ve always felt very comfortable.’
What are your plans for the next months? There will be a Stream Of Passion-tour through Holland, isn’t it?
‘Yeah! I’m going to live in Holland for a couple of weeks. I’m hoping to have the chance to see a bit more of Holland: I really love what I’ve seen so far. After coming back home from the Stream Of Passion tour, I’ll do some more dates with Elfonía here in Mexico. Afterwards we’ll probably start writing new music.’
Comments powered by CComment