If you had the chance already to listen to your living room or in a big club sound system or enjoying Susana’s live performances at Armin’s Only unforgettable shows one thing is for sure. She is very talented and most importantly she has a very characteristically distinctive and special voice that by just listening a track that she takes part you can identify it straight away with her. This is a quality that only great classic singer’s voices succeed to contain such as Barbara Streisand or Dianna Ross. She was the first featured vocalist that manages to have a personal and complete artist album named Closer including great tracks produced by various EDM producers such as Rex Mundi, Dash Berlin, Omnia & The Blizzard, Mike Shiver, Josh Gabriel, Julian Vincent, Tenishia and Stoneface & Terminal. The lyrics, her performance and the soundtrack were so strong that many tracks from that album got full release with additional mixes. Now one year after the first release of the album it’s time for the remixes album that included brand new additional and some of the already released remixes to come out and capture the imagination of the trance lovers once again before the release of her second album that is currently in recording process and in that interview give us some hint of how will sound.
So I felt in love with her brilliant voice from Ernesto vs Bastian classic anthem Dark Side of the Moon and from there to the wonderful Shivers along with the number 1 dj of the world Armin van Buuren and to amazing and still bringing goosebumps all over my body the wonderful Nothing At All with Rex Mundi. The release of the remixes of her album sounded to me the perfect opportunity to organize a written interview with her and ask her some of the questions that I had in my mind and I always wanted to get her answers. I’m so glad she replied to them with warmth, simplicity, honesty and confidence about her voice and her plans for the near future. Despite being really busy touring the world and performing Live she manage to complete the interview and I’m happy to present it to you. It worth’s reading it from the 1st word till its last. Trust me and get Closer to Susana.
Interview is written and conducted by Dimitri Kechagias, Music Journalist and Radio/Club DJ
Dimitri: First of all I would like to say how happy I am that I have the opportunity to do this interview with you. I would love to start by asking if you can let us know where you were born and if you come from a family background that has any connection with culture, music or even electronic dance music?
Susana: Well, thank you for having me! It’s my pleasure. I was born in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands and grew up in a town just outside of the city. Strangely enough, I didn’t grow up with a lot of music. My parents have always been very supportive of my career but music was never a big part of my parents daily lives. So in that sense I guess it’s quite special that, as long as I can remember, ever since I was a little girl, I knew I could sing and wanted to become a singer. It’s an awareness that has always been there for some reason.
Dimitri: Did you have encouragement from your family to get involved with singing and songwriting or your decision took them by surprise because they dreamt for you a steadier job?
Susana: From the moment my parents realized that I had a talent for singing and a passion for music they have been very supportive. I think they believe that having a talent combined with a passion is something you shouldn’t deny. I’ve never had the feeling they wanted something different then for me to follow my heart. Apart from that, I managed to combine school and music for years so I did get an education before I decided to focus on music.
Dimitri: It would be great to recall for us the kind of the music that you were listening while you were teenager and if there is a particular song or singer that was back then your favorite and why?
Susana: I have a broad musical background but when I was a teenager I listened mainly to alternative music like rock, grunge, singer/songwriter. It was actually Alanis Morissette’s album “Jagged Little Pill” which inspired me to start writing my own lyrics when I was 13 or 14 years old.
Dimitri: Did you passed through formal training to learn how to sing and write lyrics or are you totally self taught? Do you believe that is important for a singer to learn the techniques of singing and lyrics writing?
Susana: When I was a child I used to teach myself how to sing by listening to music in my room and singing along by mimicking the singers and I sang in a children’s choir for a while. I deliberately choose a high school where they gave their students a lot of opportunities to develop their creative skills in music, theatre and art. There I got in touch with other musicians. Some of my fellow students started a band and asked me to be the lead singer. We made our own songs for which I wrote most of the lyrics and together we performed a lot locally. Besides that I started taking singing lessons with vocalcoach and opera singer Kirsten Schotteldreier who started to work with me on classical techniques of singing as well. So, even though I never got formal training at a conservatory or anything like that I did learn a lot from simply doing it and working with other musicians. During those years I gained a lot of experience and I keep learning to this day.
Dimitri: You became famous worldwide in the EDM scene and particularly on the style that is widely termed as trance. Before getting involved with trance artists and music did you had affiliation and appreciation for that style? If yes do you have maybe a favorite trance classic that can be an instrumental or vocal track?
Susana: Even though I had quite a diverse musical background I never really explored EDM before I worked on my first Trance collaboration. That is, I wasn’t really familiar with it, besides the more mainstream artists and tracks. I do remember however that I loved “The Sound of Goodbye” (Perpetuous Dreamer featuring Elles de Graaf) and even took it with me on a holiday. Not knowing that a few years later I would work with the producers behind that track and that I would even be touring with Elles de Graaf during the first Armin Only tour! Isn’t that crazy?
Dimitri: I wonder if back then and if still you consider yourself as a party animal? Can you recall for us any unforgettable experience that you may have as simple and unknown party visitor in any major festivals and parties in Holland which is famous for organizing them in the best possible way?
Susana: Well, since I wasn’t really familiar with EDM back then I didn’t go to a lot of dance parties. Even today I’m not a frequent clubber but once I do go out to clubs those are the best nights! I also enjoy going to outdoor music festivals a lot, of which we’ve got loads in the Netherlands. I think my most special experience as a clubber is the time I went to Distant Heat Festival in Jordan. Which is an EDM festival in the desert. The location was amazing, unlike any other festival I had been, I was there with friends, dancing under a star filled sky until the sun came up, with view of the Red Sea.. unforgettable!
Dimitri: Any favorite festival or event that you like to visit just to hang out with friends and have good time?
Susana: Don’t think I really have a favorite. I’m hoping next year I will get to go to Electronic Family, which is a new, all Trance, dance festival here in the Netherlands. This summer was the first edition but I had to miss it because I was performing in Colombia.
Dimitri: Your first major success in the trance scene is the absolute trance smash by Ernesto vs Bastian – Dark Side of The Moon. Can you tell us how did you manage to hook up with this famous Dutch duo and now that many years passed of the release of the track what you remember most from the days that was really successful and licensed and played in many countries?
Susana: As I explained earlier I was in a band as a teenager. A neighbor of my family saw me perform with them at one point and was impressed by my voice. He happened to know – Raz Nitzan and Adrian Broekhuyse - two vocal EDM producers that had quite a track record already and worked with some of the best DJ’s and producers out there. The neighbor introduced me to them. I sang for them. We tried some things out in their studio. And a few weeks later they called me that they had a track they needed a vocalist for. That track became Dark Side of the Moon. It may sound strange but I wasn’t really aware of its success. Which can be easily explained by the fact that, as I said before, I wasn’t really familiar with the scene. It was actually a bit later, through working with Armin van Buuren, that I started exploring EDM more and got more and more passionate about it.
Dimitri: It would be cool to let us know from where do you get the inspiration to write your lyrics and if there are particular singers that you admire and have a major influence on the way that you sing?
Susana: Inspiration is a difficult thing to explain. I think I get the most inspiration from music itself. From the track I’m working on but also in great part from existing music. Most of the time I will start with improvising melodies, once I feel like I’ve found a good melody, I will start looking for the words to fit it. I never start writing thinking ‘this one is going to be about this or that’, the theme kind or reveals itself along the way.
Dimitri: Of course you are Dutch and you became worldwide an icon in trance by singing in English. Is it hard for you to express yourself in another language and did you wish maybe to sing in your native language or you don’t see this as an issue?
Susana: Well, even though I believe my English is pretty good I do sometimes find it difficult to be creative with it. Sometimes it feels like I keep using the same generic words. On the other hand, I’m not sure that writing in my own language would be a lot easier. I find it to be quite difficult in general to capture my emotion or message in words that both sound great and original and fit the melody… it’s a challenge!
Dimitri: The major driving force in your career is Armin van Buuren and Armada Music that believed in your talent. I would love to know your honest and truthful opinion about Armin van Buuren as a friend that I guess you consider him to be and about his constant goal and Armada’s music goal to discover new talents and help them to grow and flourish?
Susana: It’s true that working with Armin van Buuren has meant a great deal to my career, especially the success of Shivers and touring with him and the Armin Only Show. Armin is a very down to earth yet passionate person. I think it’s these characteristics, combined with his talent, that have made him such a successful DJ and producer and loved by many. It’s always a pleasure to work with him. And I believe that him bringing live artists on stage with the Armin Only format has contributed a lot to the growing popularity of vocalists in this scene which is mainly dominated by male DJs and producers. I think that Armada supporting my artist album can also be seen in light of this development. And I’m already noticing it’s paving the way for other vocalists to release albums. I think we are proving that vocalists can be their own artist within this scene and that we are more than just a “featured” voice on a track.
Dimitri: In my opinion your album Closer is very important as it proved that session vocalists are great artists and can have their own personal album. Who had the idea to record this album and is there any particular concept that binds all the tracks together rather than being variety of tracks that Susana sings on them?
Susana: Thank you for saying that! It means a lot to me because I feel vocalists deserve more credit than they are generally receiving in this business. Although, fortunately, I do feel like things are slowly but surely changing. The stage for vocalists has been growing over the past few years and continues to do so. As well as their fan bases! The idea for my album grew between myself and producers Raz and Adrian, who I mentioned before. It was actually partly because of the Armin Only tour in 2008, where I proved myself as a strong live performer and noticed this growing popularity of vocalists, for example on MySpace and Facebook, that it started dawning on us that this could be a successful format.
Dimitri: Have you actually met the producers that have produced the tracks of the album? Is it possible to describe to us the process that you follow to record them, i.e. you first record the vocals and the producers had to place his music underneath or the producers send you some instrumentals and you choose one and you wrote lyrics and sing upon them or if it is totally different explain to us?
Susana: During the recording process I didn’t meet any of the producers in person. Because of the internet you don’t have to be in the same room together anymore which makes it easier to work with talents from all over the world. Of course I already knew Armin and I had met Josh Gabriel at Armin’s wedding. I knew Julian Vincent already because I met him at a party in the Netherlands and became friends. As for the creative process, every track kind of originated in a different way. Either I got send an instrumental by producers looking to work with a vocalist and I brought them on board for the album or we would for example approach certain producers to write especially for the album. On one occasion we decided not to use a certain instrumental we wrote vocals for but loved the vocals so much we send them over to different producers to see if they could place a great track underneath it. So, there’s not really one way of working. After the album was finished I did meet a few of the producers – like Omnia (when we did the Armin Only show in Kiev), Bart Claessen (at the Armin Only Mirage show in Utrecht and Jorn van Deynhoven (at ASOT 500 event in Holland) – which have all been fun encounters!
Dimitri: I would love to ask you if it is possible to give us a short comment about each track of the album and recall us maybe a serious or funny incident that may happen while you were writing the lyrics or singing for it and about your collaboration with each producer too.
Susana feat. Omnia & The Blizzard – Closer: Wrote it about what music means to me and am touched every time I notice the crowd singing along to every word when I perform it during the Armin Only Mirage tour.
Susana feat. Mike Shiver–Give Me Faith: Funny thing, at the beginning I kept thinking it was Mike Shivers ;) (instead of Shiver, without –s)
Susana feat. Rex Mundi–Nothing At All: Touched me deeply the first time I heard the instrumental! It was send to me by Markus Schulz because he felt it was made for my voice. And that was exactly what I felt as well, that it was meant for me.. how cliché that may sound.. It’s the track that made me realize my passion for EDM a few years back. It was then that I became determined to build a career as a Trance vocalist and to focus on that.
Susana feat. Josh Gabriel–Frozen: One of my favorite tracks of the album because of it’s moody, deep sound. Wrote it about how being cheated on made me freeze up and resulted in me not being able to open up for love for a long time..
Susana feat. Dark Matters –Sleepless Ocean: Beautiful down tempo track, written by Raz and Adrian. Beautiful lyrics that I thought were so perfect I didn’t want to change them.
Susana feat. Dash Berlin–Wired: I was – and still am - a fan of Dash Berlin’s track Till the Sky Falls Down so I was really excited to be working with them on this track.
Susana feat. Tenishia–The Other Side: Performed this track last Christmas with the Tenishia boys in Malta. Had a great time. So much fun!
Susana feat. Stoneface & Terminal–Sunrise: “simply” a song about loving someone… “I’m a heartbeat away from your side”
Susana feat. Dark Matters –Unwind Me: Probably the most personal lyrics I have ever written. They relate to my personality.
Susana feat. Jorn van Deynhoven–Never Mine: I met Jorn past april at the ASOT 500 event. Such a nice guy! And wonderful to work with.
Susana feat. Bart Claessen–If I Could: Pure break up song. Breaking up with someone because you aren’t able to open up to them…
Susana feat. A Force–Running On Your Love: Love the power in this track. Great production by Israeli producer A Force.
Susana feat. Julian Vincent–Fall In Deep: Actually recorded a few years before the album was released. It’s deep and dark and progressive. And that’s why I like it so much. Also check out the Alexander Popov remix. Love that one! Will be performing it at Julian Vincent’s birthday party which is coming up end of this month.
Susana feat. Espen Gulbrandsen–Connection: “I want you, and I want to feel the connection” Nuff said! ;)
Susana feat. Armin van Buuren–If You Should Go: Great memories performing this one during the Armin Only Imagine Tour back in 2008.
Dimitri: Furthermore the album is one year old and you had the chance to perform the tracks live. Can you tell us which track or tracks gets the best reactions from the crowd and request for it to sing it?
Susana: Judging from the crowds responses I think the most popular songs are Closer – which I’m performing at the Armin Only Mirage show -, the Nic Chagall remix of Frozen (my track with Josh Gabriel) and the Alexander Popov remix of Fall in Deep, my track with Julian Vincent.
Dimitri: Have you ever got a really emotional comment from any of your fans about how strong they feel about a particular track and that even maybe have changed their life or helped them to pass a difficult situation?
Susana: Fans share with me often what a certain track or lyric means to them. Through Facebook and Twitter but also when I meet them in person at gigs. And I’m so thankful for that! It means a lot to know you’ve made a difference, no matter how small, with something you’ve created.. Always manages to bring a smile to my face. Because music is a huge daily stimulus for me as well, it’s not only my outlet but also my support, so to know that people are benefitting in that same way from my songs is incredible and a great motivator, especially in times when I feel the pressure of this business and am confronted with some of the downsides of it. In those instances support from my fans is what makes me realize it’s worth it to struggle sometimes.
Dimitri: Please choose for us from all your live performances the one that you will always think with the best memories and why?
Susana: I really can’t pick just one. When I close my eyes and think about it so many incredible stage moments fly by! As well as the faces of all the wonderful people I have met on the road. I am really fortunate to be able to combine two things I love - music and travelling – and meeting so many nice people from all over the world, exploring other cultures. Even though music is difficult to make a living of, I would say I am a rich person just because of the experiences I’ve had!
Dimitri: Of course currently the remixes versions of your album is out and I wonder if can choose your favorite ones that you like to listen and you felt positively surprised when you received it?
Susana: I actually listened to all the remixes again this week and I think every producer that worked on a remix has done a great job. And I’m not just saying that to be polite! I am really proud of the remix album. It’s so nice to hear your songs be transformed like that. I personally really like the Alexander Popov remix of “Fall in Deep” with Julian Vincent and the Nitrous Oxide remix of “Sleepless Ocean”. Nitrous Oxide because he managed to produce a completely different but cool and fresh take on the original while retaining the emotion of the vocals. The Alexander Popov remix because it sounds really powerful and yet emotional, like in the break with the piano. It was actually supported by Armin van Buuren on his weekly radio show A State of Trance, which of course made me feel proud! And another one I really felt when I was listening again this week was the Dan Stone remix of If I Could, my track with Bart Claessen.
Dimitri: There are rumors that your second album will come out in the autumn and it would be great if you can reveal to us any of the producers that you have collaborated with for this album and if you aspire to do something different and offer us another new different side of “Susana” that maybe we don’t know that exists?
Susana: I can’t really give away anything about this new album! Other than that I am really excited about it and that we’ve got some great producers on board for it already. I am hoping it will be released in autumn but it may turn out to be a bit later. We are currently working really hard on it!
Dimitri: Do you enjoy using the internet and particularly social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Do you see them as vital and really important for your communication with your fans and getting constant feedback about your work?
Susana: Yes, I think they are important means of promotion and communication in this day and age. Not only to communicate with fans but also to network with people in the scene and stay updated on what’s and who’s new. Fortunately I enjoy using them, which makes it a lot easier!
Dimitri: Another really vital tool in the EDM scene is of course YouTube and music videos. Do you consider YouTube as really important too and which music video from your tracks you remember the most and you enjoyed shooting it?
Susana: YouTube is an amazing promotional tool. I also spent hours browsing it myself looking for cool videos and nice music. One of my favorite video’s I shot was the one for Nothing at All. Nothing at All has such a special meaning to me! When I first heard the instrumental I had this overwhelming feeling. It may sound strange but I really felt that track was meant for me. So being able to also shoot a video for it was special in itself. We shot the video in Taiwan, which was an amazing location, it was also my first video so that made it extra special. And my mother was there with me to support me. I will never forget how pleasurable it was to work with Ciro Ayala, the producer and director of the video, and his crew. Lovely memories!
Susana continues: There is however a downside to YouTube: the comments which can be really harsh at times. I’ve really had to grow a thick skin. I mean, criticism is part of the job, and if it’s constructive it can benefit your career, but on YouTube it can get to a whole different level where it’s just meant to tear you down. Luckily at one point I realized that when people try to take you down or make fun of you it says more about them and their personality then it does about you.
Dimitri: Are there any special techniques or training tips that you go through before a performance and you maybe would like to share with us as tips in order our readers to keep their voice in good healthy state?
Susana: I am still taking vocaltraining sessions with my vocalcoach on a regular basis. I think you could compare it with an athlete training to keep his body and muscles in shape and healthy and to keep developing their skills. I train my voice for the same reasons. Before a performance I will loosen up my body with some physical exercises and I’ve got vocal exercises recorded that I use to warm up my voice before heading to the venue. On planes I usually wear a scarf and suck on a certain type of throat pastilles to protect myself against the air conditioning which dries out your throat and vocalchords. For the same reason I switch off the air conditioning in my hotelroom, unless its freaking hot of course!
Dimitri: There are many new vocalists around that aspire to follow your successful path. It is a classic question for any interview but I would like to ask you to offer us any kind of advice for them on how to achieve their goal and manage to get the attention of the music industry and particularly EDM labels like Armada.
Susana: Of course you need to have talent, but it’s not a guarantee for a successful career. I won’t pretend you don’t need to have a little bit of luck either. But once an opportunity comes along it all comes down to how you embrace this opportunity. It’s hard work! And I think one of the pitfalls is to think you’ve made it and can rest on your success, that’s usually where things go wrong. Stay passionate but grounded. Enjoy what you do but keep working hard and developing yourself. Treat others like you’d wish to be treated and trust your gut instinct! Because even though this is an amazing scene in which you will find a lot of creative and amazing people, there are always people that won’t hesitate to take advantage of someone’s drive to make it in this business, especially when they’re new, young and eager.
Dimitri: Lastly can you choose for our readers from a personal track the lyrics that means something special to you and you would like to dedicate it to them and remember the most out of this long but I hope interesting interview.
Susana: “When I’m in here I feel I’m closer, nothing left but bliss inside my heart, all I ever was, all I’ll ever be, when you’re here I feel I’m closer”
I’d like to dedicate this line from Closer to your readers. I wrote Closer about what music means to me. About how I feel it’s emotional energy has the ability to release certain underlying emotions and bring you closer to yourself. I believe this is why people are touched by music and what binds people that love EDM together.
And thank you for supporting vocalists!
Many thanks to Susana for answering to my long but I hope interesting interview for her to reply
Many thanks to Marije de Konink from Armada Music for her support to organize this interview. She is so helpful and really supportive for all press maters.
Susana Closer The Remixes Tracklist:
1.Susana feat. Omnia & The Blizzard – Closer (Beat Service Remix) (09:00)
2.Susana & Mike Shiver – Give Me Faith (Matias Lehtola Remix) (08:29)
3.Rex Mundi feat. Susana – Nothing At All (Beat Service Juicy Remix) (09:36)
4.Susana & Josh Gabriel – Frozen (Nic Chagall Remix) (08:19)
5.Susana feat. Dark Matters – Sleepless Ocean (Nitrous Oxide Remix) (07:17)
6.Dash Berlin feat. Susana – Wired (Dash Berlin 4AM Mix) (08:23)
7.Susana feat. Tenishia – The Other Side (M6 Remix) (06:43)
8.Susana feat. Stoneface & Terminal – Sunrise (Estiva Remix) (08:36)
9.Susana feat. Dark Matters – Unwind Me (Jason van Wyk Remix) (08:27)1.Susana feat. Omnia & The Blizzard – Closer (Beat Service Remix) (09:00)
2.Susana & Mike Shiver – Give Me Faith (Matias Lehtola Remix) (08:29)
3.Rex Mundi feat. Susana – Nothing At All (Beat Service Juicy Remix) (09:36)
4.Susana & Josh Gabriel – Frozen (Nic Chagall Remix) (08:19)
5.Susana feat. Dark Matters – Sleepless Ocean (Nitrous Oxide Remix) (07:17)
6.Dash Berlin feat. Susana – Wired (Dash Berlin 4AM Mix) (08:23)
7.Susana feat. Tenishia – The Other Side (M6 Remix) (06:43)
8.Susana feat. Stoneface & Terminal – Sunrise (Estiva Remix) (08:36)
10.Susana feat. Jorn van Deynhoven – Never Mine (Sean Bayer Remix) (08:06)
11.Susana & Bart Claessen – If I Could (Dan Stone Remix) (07:38)
12.Susana feat. A Force – Running On Your Love (Space RockerZ Mission Control Mix) (07:00)
13.Susana feat. Julian Vincent – Fall In Deep (Alexander Popov Remix) (07:49)
14.Susana feat. Espen Gulbrandsen – Connection (Myon and Shane 54 Monsterless Mix) (07:38)
15.Armin van Buuren feat. Susana – If You should Go (John O’Callaghan Vocal Mix) (07:59)
16.Susana feat. Jorn van Deynhoven – Never Mine [Bonus Track] (Juventa Remix) (07:15)
17.Susana feat. A Force – Running On Your Love [Bonus Track] (Space RockerZ Point Of No Return Mix) (08:20)
18.Susana feat. A Force – Running On Your Love [Bonus Track] (Sam Stroke & Isaac Fisherman Remix) (08:00)
19.Armin van Buuren feat. Susana – If You Should Go [Bonus Track] (Aly & Fila Remix) (09:06)
Additional info: http://www.armadamusic.com/artist/susana/
You can buy amongst others from: http://www.armadadownloads.com/
The interview is now published on the www.1mix.co.uk web site too
Link:
http://www.1mix.co.uk/news/597--interview-with-the-awesome-singer-susana
