Interview was published in Popaganda.gr on 26.11.2014
Before Michelle Gurevich decides to re-build herself, she was wide-known as Chinawoman. Her alter ego came to life by (a nice) accident and when she decided to abandon it, never went back. On the other hand, music-related went way further than the previous monitor. With the sixth album being released, she creates backgrounds for broken hearts and winter afternoons. The sound remains quite significant -that's not necessarily a bad thing only for one reason: good music should offer comfort and consolation- and Gurevich preaches on that.
Your last performance in Greece, except from being sold out, had extraordinary reviews. What’s the feeling of playing again here but in a bigger venue?
I’m honoured that there is a growing appreciation for my music in Greece, enough to be invited to a larger venue. Of course there’s always something special about small venues, though I’d like to think that I’ve gotten better at capturing something intimate even within a bigger space.
You have Russian heritage but you were born in Canada. What role played in your sound? Are you influenced in some way?
I was born and raised in Canada, but grew up listening to my parents’ collection of Soviet records. Maybe you are familiar with the phenomenon of Greeks who were born and raised in North America: they are very nationalistic, proud of being Greek and have Greek flags on their cars. In the same way, me being the child of immigrants, and having a strong Russian influence yet being sufficiently removed, I was able to develop a true love and indulge my influences from Soviet music without being self-conscious.
This cultural variety helped you choosing Berlin as a city to move in?
Berlin is multicultural in a similar way to Toronto. That is, they are both international cities and a meeting ground for immigrants. A typical “Canadian” is just as easily from India, Asia, or the Caribbean, and there’s a similar thing going on in Berlin at the moment. This is one of the reasons why Berlin immediately felt familiar to me.
Your three studio albums are all self-released. Why? It’s a way to do what you want to do without limiting yourself?
Basically I haven’t yet found a compelling enough reason to do it otherwise. Simply having my music be “on a label” to feel better about myself is not good enough. It must make sense both creatively and economically, and so far things have continued to grow and improve with my independent setup.
I can say that your sound is romantically dark. I would like to see what you want to express through these elements.
Neither all-light nor all-dark ever feels quite accurate, and anybody who swings to either extreme I usually regard with some suspicion. When you combine melancholy with romance, you get a balance of dark and light which to me most closely resembles truth.
Same applies for the lyrics also ?
I’d like to think that there is no actual bitterness there, though I can see how some songs could give that initial impression. I believe that my lyrics follow in the East European tradition of fatalism combined with celebration, so for every moment of suffering there is also a wink and a touch of humor.
Tell me some words about your latest album. I believe that you experiment a bit more, including more electronic details.
The latest album has more variety in terms of dynamics. “Good Times Don’t Carry Over” is definitely one of my most electronic and produced tracks to date, likely influenced from my exposure to the Berlin techno scene. “Woman is Still a Woman”, and “Nothing to Talk About” are also more playful and upbeat than usual. I wouldn’t say that I’m looking to go further in any of these particular directions, but I think it’s nice to give colour and breadth to the overall picture. “What Was Said” pushes the boundaries of melodrama and intimacy, and is one of my personal favourites. “Vacation from Love” and “To Be With Others” are amongst the strongest and signature tracks of the album - dark, minimal and with lyrics that cut through.
As we talking about it, for which movie you would create its soundtrack?
I love Fellini best but I don’t think that my music would be appropriate for his films. Probably I’d be better suited to the irony and absurdity of David Lynch, and the sentimentality and nostalgia of Claude Lelouche.
Is it true that your name came up from a spur-of-the-moment joke? What’s the story?
The first time I opened Garageband application on my Mac laptop, it prompted me for a name, and Chinawoman was the first thing which came to mind. It is a strange name which can be interpreted in various ways, and it continues to be a mystery even to myself.
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