Arquivo de Tags: anna-anna

BRMusicExchange interviews: Anna-Anna

03 August, 2012 | Artists

Manuela Leal is a Brazilian artist who ended up doing the reverse path if compared to most national musicians. Having spent most of her years in America, where she majored in Fine Arts, she then returned to her hometown, Rio de Janeiro, when she began writing and recording songs from her first EP “Last night I lit the moon.” Under the name of Anna-Anna, the “one-woman-band”, as she describes the project herself,  she now focuses on her music, an electronic experimental project, based on sci-fi, pop, soundtracks, sad songs and french tunes.

Through Encounters, a project promoted by the BM&A that promotes new Brazilian artists to international audiences, Anna-Anna has found her place in major international publications such as the websites of The Guardian, NPR.org and ID magazine. As a result of this exposure, she has performed at The Great Escape and Liverpool Sound City, major international music festivals.

BRMusicExchange spoke to Manuela Leal to get to know more about her projects and career:

You majored in Fine Arts? When and how did you start to work with music?

Yes, I majored in Fine Arts and then did a Masters in the same specialty. I studied music as a child and teenager here in Rio. Much later I decided to start making music, writing songs. I had lived my entire adult life in the United States and returned to Rio in 2010 to concentrate on making music. I started from scratch.

What exactly is Anna, Anna?

Anna, Anna is my “alter ego”. It is a character who has the power to travel through time and space. It is a music project, which also covers the visual arts. I just made a video that incorporates the practices of image that I did before I started making music. I managed to do a project of “total art”, where video, painting and music are united aesthetically. (See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFjzYuRvkwc).

Your name was mentioned by broadcasters and foreign journalists as Max Reinhardt and Ruth Barnes. You think you have more space in the international market than in Brazil? Your compositions in English were made to reach an international audience right?

What happened was that I ended up having a review in The Guardian in England and it really opened some doors. They have a fairly open dissemination of new artists out there. Max Reihardt has a radio program of experimental music and world music on BBC3, I discovered that he had played some songs, very cool, I don’t know how he found them. With Ruth it was different, I had sent her some links for her to put on her blog and we kept in touch until I went to England in May – and now we met at The Great Escape. About me singing in English, well, the music had to reflect my personal experience in some way, I spent most of my life away, it is inevitable. As I was starting from scratch, as I said, it was easier to write lyrics in English, after so many years with the language in my everyday life.

You met the British journalist Joe Muggs on BM&A’s Encounters, which was held in Rio de Janeiro in 2011, right? How was this meeting? He included his music in a podcast, too. Were you surprised?

Joe Muggs is a very nice person. I already knew the things he wrote before I knew he would come to participate in this project – he has some very interesting ideas about the culture of electronic music. I didn’t know he was such a nice person, I had no expectations. In the conversation I had with him through the Encounters project, I learned a lot, he gave me strength to continue. It is very nice to find people who are already embedded in the context of the current music scene and give you support. When you are in Brazil, things seem so distant, but is actually closer than it looks, the Internet brings people together and somehow disarms barriers. Regarding the podcast I was surprised because I never expected a response. I kept contact with him and sent him the new songs, and he included a new song in the podcast.

You played at The Great Escape and Liverpool Sound City. Are there more international shows planned for this year?

I’m considering going to New York later this year to do some shows but nothing is certain.

For further information on Anna-Anna: http://anna-anna.tv/


The Great Escape 2012

09 May, 2012 | Exchange, Music Market

Taking place in Brighton from the 10th to 12th of May, The Great Escape kicks starts the festival season, introducing 15,000 music lovers to the key artists and sounds of the year. With over 300 bands playing in 30 venues over 3 days, The Great Escape is the key date in the music calendar. In addition to pre-publicised performances, impromptu street gigs spring up all over town. The Alternative Escape, numerous club nights, label parties, industry showcases, unique collaborations and outdoor gigs all add to the festivities.
In the 2012 edition TGE, Brazilian artist Anna-Anna will be playing live, presenting tracks from her most recent project.

Convention

The Great Escape Convention takes place under one roof in The Brighton Dome. The program runs daily between 10am and 5pm and consists of panels and debates for experienced music industry delegates, new music entrepreneur presentations, high end key note interviews, short Q&A sessions, case studies and educational workshops for new entrants to the industry. This runs alongside the festival and is attended by over 3000 delegates annually from across the globe. Targeted networking sessions, parties and sponsored lunches are run every day giving delegates plenty of opportunities to form new business relationships and to catch up with established partners.

This year, Brazilian music will be represented by a Keynote about our national music market and the recent opportunities. Named “PRS for Music presents ‘See you at the Copacabana!’ with Will Page”, the talk approaches an overall about the Brazilian current economic status, and how that influences all kinds of businesses, including music. As the official description says, “In March 2012 Brazil became the world’s sixth largest economy, pushing the UK into seventh place – and as hosts of the World Cup in 2014 and Olympics in 2016, the country’s profile is only going to grow.

As London passes the Olympic torch to Rio, a ‘UK Season In Brazil’ will seek to raise the profile of British culture and business there, and strengthen political relations between the two nations. How can the British music industry benefit from this, and is Brazil an opportunity or threat to artists and rights owners? PRS for Music’s Chief Economist Will Page will throw the spotlight on music in Brazil, presenting and discussing the numbers, successes and misconceptions”.

Source: The Great Escape Official Website


Liverpool Sound City 2012

07 May, 2012 | BM&A Actions, Music Market

The city of Liverpool, England, will be home of one of the most expected international music, media and technology events of the month of May. The festival+expo+conference Liverpool Sound City will take place on the British city from the 17th to the 19th of May 2012.

The annual event is “focused on the zeitgeist and looking forward, intent on bringing the best new music, film, art and more from all over the world to Liverpool. While the primary convention focus is on bringing together a vast array of creative and digital industries business professionals, artists, music, film and art fans to enjoy today’s best new music and chart the future course of the music, digital and creative industries”. Considered an international event,  Sound City features speakers and delegates from 23 countries. Those represented include: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the USA.

Expo

“Taking inspiration from the golden age of Expos, where the new, the innovative and the exciting were brought together under one roof to delight and amaze, Sound City Expo brings the newest and most forward-thinking exhibitors to the Echo Arena in Liverpool – providing access for both consumers and music/digital professionals to the people, tools and services they will need as we move ever onwards in the digital age. As a reaction to the traditional, staid music trade-shows that have proliferated the calendar, Sound City Expo will focus on the current and future intersection of music, art, business and technology – giving a real insight into what is possible in the modern age. SCE will be fully integrated into both the convention and festival offerings of Liverpool Sound City,  manifest in live demos, masterclasses, discussions and more – all of the same high standard as LSC itself and featuring many performers and speakers”.

Brazilian participation

As part of BrasilMusicExchange’s effort, during the 2012 edition of Liverpool Sound City the country and it’s interests will be represented both during the conference and the music festival.  BMA’s project will be participating through one of the heads of BME, Irish producer based in Sao Paulo David McLoughlin, who will be talking about the Brazilian music market, opportunities and further information about the country’ dynamic during a scheduled Roundtable. Musically speaking, Brazil will also be on stage during the festival. National groups such as Anna-Anna (Rio de Janeiro) and Some Community (São Paulo) have confirmed there shows and are officially included on the program.

Source: Liverpool Sound City Official website