Interviews

A Quick Chat With Marena Whitcher

• 25th Mar 2015

We ranted and raved about the ethereal and challenging first single from Marena Whitcher’s Shady Midnight Orchestra recently (see here) and since then we’ve been lucky enough to grab a few words with this Swiss newcomer. Prepare to enter the bizarre world of Ms. Whitcher…

When I first started playing music…

I was just a freshly born child! I debuted with an ear-splitting scream when I was asked to leave my mother’s womb. That was the beginning of a lifelong search for my voice. My dad, a semiprofessional guitar player, got me singing before I could talk. He was homesick and wanted his kids to help him sing his favorite Beatles and American folk songs. Growing up in Switzerland I also sang all of the usual Swiss folk songs from school. At four, before I knew what was happening, I was sent for piano and dance lessons. My dad was determined to give me every advantage if I should later on decide to pursue a musical career.

My piano teacher was my role model, so for a while I wanted to be a classical pianist. In high school I was “discovered” by a musical composer who was writing original pieces and who used my voice to create a particular role who could hit some really high notes right on. That’s when I discovered that my voice was a special gift. After school, I played keyboard and sang in a bomb-cellar singer-songwriter teeny band. When I was 18 it was time to get serious, so I followed in my father’s footsteps and attended the Berkelee College of Music 5-week summer performance program on a scholarship. That experience confirmed my resolve to become a professional musician. I got my BA from Zürich University of the Arts in jazz voice and piano, and then went on to Bern where I am currently enrolled in the Masters program in performance and composition. In Bern I met some people from Berlin who decided I should be the first female jazz/pop composer to receive the Berlin Academy of Arts Art Prize. Whaaaat??

If I had to choose a new name for the band it would be *insert name* because…

If I were to come up with a new name it would definitely be a shorter one, haha. Almost all online portals have a limited amount of letters and just the other day an organizer called me and said the graphic designer couldn’t find a nice way of getting my whole name into the programme. Ahh!

I knew I was on to something when…

I started getting more compliments and encouraging feedback from my audiences. It’s always easier to believe others than yourself, right? I am very happy about the good resonance. At times it still feels weird that people would believe in all of the strange ideas that come from somewhere in my head! On my 25th birthday (which was just last week) I found myself listening to a speech from the mayor of Berlin to congratulate promising artists, including me.

My biggest non-musical influences is…

I’m a browser, a scavenger, and a surfer. I look for impressions and influences wherever I can find them: museums, plays, the vast library of pictures, paintings, photographs, poems, videos. The people in my life, with their stories and ideas. Funny, thought-provoking and awkward moments of daily life.

I’m most proud of…

The artwork of my album. I’m really into collages and I knew that I wanted one for my cover. I asked a friend if she knew any cool graphic artists. I told her about my project, the vibe, the visual mood, but I didn’t say anything about collages. When she sent me a link a couple of days later of Julia Geiser I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was EXACTLY what I had imagined! And it was a collage! I loved every single piece she made. Which is pretty hard cause I’m a rather annoying and picky control freak when it comes to my work/art. You should definitely check her out: julia-geiser.ch

My ideal support slot would be…

Bjork. I wonder if her fans would also connect with my music. I sure hope so! Bjork was my constant companion throughout my teen years, and I still love her. She’s a unique piece of art in every way, a Gesamtkunstwerk: her costumes, creativity, musicality, playfulness, strength, bizarreness and overall authenticity.

Something I haven’t achieved yet which I’d like to is…

Play in Asia! I’ve been to a lot of countries and continents but never to Asia. Everyone describes Asian audiences as having a very different character. I’d be curious to see how they’d react to my music.

My favourite places to hang out are…

I love visiting my relatives in California. The warm sun, the fresh fruit, the redwood trees, very soothing. In the end, hanging out anywhere with good company is still number one for me. Cheesy but true.

I can’t stop listening to…

This keeps changing. I go through phases in which I listen to one album at a time 20 times in a row. The last ones were albums by OY, Grimsvötn, Hildegard lernt fliegen and Wildbirds&Peacedrums. Further, Radiohead, Bjork, Debussy and The Beatles will always be with me I guess..

I’m not ashamed to admit that…

I have light blue walls and golden mirrors, a white, wrought iron bed and red roses hanging from my ceiling. My girly room!

If I could wave a magic wand and make anything in the world happen it would be..

A coconut tree just outside my window. I love fresh coconut!