Tatiana Kochkareva first appeared on our radar back in December with the release of one of the best songs of the holiday season, "Christmas At Home." Today, she's spending Seven Questions In Heaven with us.Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
If you listen to only one song from my album, you will probably get the wrong idea of my music. If I have to put it into words, I can say that it's based on the song first of all and what feeling/idea went behind the song when I wrote it. Real life and humans are what inspire my writing. Because the life circumstances and our mood/state of mind are very changeable, the music becomes somewhat eclectic and each song is different from another. However, the instrumentation, voice, musicians involved in producing/recording/playing pull it all together. Classic rock and art rock is what inspired me in the process of creating this album. That gives the listener a broad spectrum in terms of categorizing it.
Who are your musical influences and idols?
Pink Floyd, Queen, Nina Simone, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead.
What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
That would be Fiona Apple's "When The Pawn..."
I love your voice and think it's one of the most unique I've ever heard. When and how did you first discover that you had such a distinctive voice?
Thank you. I remember one time I went to an audition that was held at a famous Russian music school and I performed a song in a very low key (which I didn't think was low). And the head of the vocal department pulled me aside and said that I should be her student and she also said that low voices like mine were very rare. There was also another occasion which I find a bit funny. My mom and I somehow ended up going to a laryngologist for the first time. She just looked at my vocal chords without even hearing me sing and she said that I had a rare voice.
What can listeners expect from your upcoming album, Infinity?
Those listeners who have heard my music before will probably hear a certain departure from what I used to sound like. I pre-produced the songs on my computer at home before I sent them to my really good friend Jeff Berner who played/recorded/produced this record with me. Then he and I sat down and talked about each song and how we wanted it to sound. He put in a great deal of his artistic vision into the record. Together we gathered different musicians from contrasting backgrounds (jazz, rock, pop) and had them contribute musically to the record while simultaneously fitting the vision that Jeff and I have created.
You can expect a lot of distortion on pretty much every instrument we used, guitars, some electronic elements, but mostly my commitment to writing music that is heartfelt.
You're originally from Moscow. Is it difficult to carve out a career as a musician in Russia?
If you have an artistic vision that doesn't necessarily go with what is popular in Russia, it can be very hard. There are new independent artists making it happen though. So anything is possible, but it is very hard. It isn't easy to be a musician anywhere. If you know of a place where it is easy, let me know! I'll certainly pay them a visit.
You released what I felt was one of the best songs of the past holiday season, "Christmas At Home," and also covered "Jingle Bells" on a 2006 compilation album. What draws you to Christmas music?
Thank you! Christmas music is fun. The previous sentence could be a sarcastic statement as well. "Jingle Bells" was a pretty straightforward jazz interpretation though musically it was different (different meter, etc.) and it was just a pleasant experience to be a part of. "Christmas At Home" was my reaction to the happy and jolly way of writing Christmas music. First of all, not being sarcastic, there is a lot of beautiful Christmas music out there, and it is a great occasion to contribute to the list. However, you could also completely turn it all around and make it bitter. That, I think, is what makes it interesting.
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