DYANA DAFOVA: MUSIC WILL SAVE OUR VALUES

Society | March 25, 2002, Monday // 00:00

Dyana Dafova's music is a combination of elements from different genres and has a unique sound. The songs from her latest album "Charisma" are a contemporary interpretation of the Bulgarian folklore and orthodox music. The lyrics include languages such as Sanskrit, Celtic, Latin, Italian, Japanese, North American Indian, also Bulgarian and English. They are inspired by the search of the creative person in the supernatural world. Dyana Dafova studied classic piano and singing at The Sofia Music Academy. She started her solo career in 1985. After only several months, "Happiness is Difficult to Get", "Love is Never Late" and "Different Worlds" became television and radio hits. She was awarded a special prize in the Melody of the Year competition.

Dyana Dafova met Milena Hristova, Editor of novinite.com and The News.

Excerpts:

Q: If there is one word, which characterizes your work, it seems to be unity – unity of cultures, languages, time. Would you explain this urge to encompass such a broad spectrum?

A: There is yet one more unity, which contains all the rest, unity of people. This is where this urge comes from, since we live at a time when the artificially created frontiers – political or economic – must fall. The world becomes one global place and the best way to express this is through art, and the most accessible of all arts – music. My music unites elements of genres and styles, but is built and based on the Bulgarian heritage and Bulgarian folklore intonation. In my creative work I draw on our rich traditions and see how all cultures are interrelated. The message of my music is what everybody strives after - love and harmony.

Q: This prompts my next question, concerning your concert in Kosovo in February this year. Can you describe the clash of the evil, that is the war, and the harmony of your music?

A: Harmony is badly needed exactly in places where aggression and evil reign. That is why I think Kosovo was the right place for this concert. The soldiers there are peacekeepers and the performance of Bulgarian, Balkan art, managed to convey the message of the good side of things. Emotions there also run high. The American soldiers are ordinary people, far away from their relatives and their homes and my music touched them deeply.

Q: As far as I know the organization of the concert has been a difficult task.

A: Yes, it took nearly six months to do it, because of the tight security measures. Some of the difficulties stemmed from the fact that it was the first time that a European performer was given access to a secret American base. Over the years only American stars have been sent to raise the spirits of the soldiers. That’s why this was an important breakthrough in the sense that I decided to do it alone. I am very proud of this achievement.

Q: Are your albums successful on the international markets?

A: Yes, certainly. They proved to be successful in India and the USA, where I was also awarded first prize for composition. This was the recognition I appreciate the most, because this is the biggest international competition for composition. My CDs are also sold for the first time in the American army shops. I was also awarded medals for special excellence to the US army. Normally it is soldiers, or military people who do something special to their army, that get the medals.

Q: Could you specify the role the different kinds of genres play in your music?

A: My music is a mixture of different genres – classical music, pop, jazz, orthodox, folklore and it is hard for me to put them in separate divisions. When asked about my music, I say it is my own style. Western critics define my style as world or new age, which are really pretty close to my music, because I combine modern and traditional elements. Still I don’t use folklore parts taken bodily, and that’s the most original thing in my music. I interpret the folklore in a modern way, which is accepted in the same way all over the world.

Q: You know well many diverse cultures. What differences do you find between the Bulgarians and the rest of the world?

A: Bulgarians’ most precious and may be most problematic trait is their individuality. All that I have learnt in my travels is reflected in my music. But my travels always make me sad, because it takes no great thinker to see that the Bulgarians can’t appreciate the treasure we have, nor do they have good knowledge of the traditions. When I started to work on this new kind of music, I conducted a huge research, so that I can base everything on solid facts. When I had enough information the ideas themselves came. Then everything passed through my own creative prism. This gives me the confidence in my tours around the world that what I do is really valuable.

Q: Today’s world is mainly business-like. Do you think the messages of your album Charisma, which rely on the mystic and the unexplained, can reach the public?

A: In my opinion this is the only way to approach our stressful life. Nowadays many people turn to the spiritual, and the religions, which teach that the knowledge about the world must be preceded by self-knowledge. This would save us from losing our values. What I am talking about is not mystic; it is the reality that is not visible on the surface. It is a matter of choice whether to absorb the positive or negative energy. I choose to be positive.

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