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DIALOG WITH ANNA ANDREU Y MARINA ARRUFAT
ANNA AND MARINA IN CONCERT | PHOTO BY JUANJO CAUSELL
Welcome to our interview with Anna Andreu and Marina Arrufat, two talented women who have combined their musical talents to create a unique and inspiring project. Anna is a singer with a warm, moving voice, and Marina is a versatile and passionate instrumentalist. Together they produce exquisite, touching melodies.
In our conversation, Anna and Marina tell us about their shared musical project, what inspires them, and their on-stage experiences. Find out how music has played a powerful role in their lives and how they have managed to combine their different styles to create something truly special.
ANNA AN MARINA IN CONCERT | PHOTO BY CESC MAYMÓ
ANNA AN MARINA IN CONCERT | PHOTO BY CESC MAYMÓ
Both of you arrived off the back of other projects and in different stages of life. What inspired you to join forces in pursuit of a shared project?
Anna: Both of us were at a significant crossroads; I had left my job to focus on the songs that would feature on my first album, and Marina had been forced to take a break from playing the violin due to a shoulder injury. She mentioned that she was interested in taking up the drums again, an instrument she played as a teenager and had previously enjoyed a lot... so I went to a rehearsal studio with her to keep her company while she played.
Marina: That day in the studio, Anna started to play some of the songs she was working on. Since I had previously heard her humming them, I intuitively played along. We realized that the songs flowed more and the lyrics lost some of their seriousness, they became softer.
MARINA AND ANNA TALK ABOUT THEIR 2 RECORDS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH MUSIC
You have the opportunity to live out your calling. I suppose this helps when you walk on stage and see tons of people swaying to your lyrics and melodies; it must ease the vertigo of it all. Are you happy with what you have achieved with these two albums?
Anna: Yes, we are very pleased. People who listen to our music are very forthcoming with their affection and often tell us how our songs have formed a part of important moments in their lives, which is something that gives me more vertigo than giving concerts actually.
Marina: As a couple, it offers us the opportunity to experience beautiful, moving moments. Obviously we also share moments of being nervous or feeling uncertain, but the positive parts more than make up for the latter. I’m a classical violinist and I also collaborate with other projects and training sessions. Anna focuses on writing and composing the songs and is more attentive to the decision-making aspect of the project, so it’s a good balance.
You define your music as ‘cambra pop.’ You invented this term yourself, but how would you define yourselves? What are your influences?
Anna: It’s an idea that occurred to us a few years ago, and is a simple way of saying that we try to play together and emotionally influence each other on stage, looking after each other when we are playing. When I first saw Marina play with her string octet, I became aware of the difference between playing at the same time and playing together; I saw how they breathed, how they indicated leads with a gesture, it really impacted me. So, despite the distance, that is what we try to apply to our own project.
What inspires you when writing and composing your songs?
Anna: this is the area I focus on for months at a time until I finally show Marina what I’ve been working on and we start building out everything else that isn’t vocals and guitar. I don’t typically have a clear idea when composing, it’s more like an image in my mind. The idea takes shape as I simultaneously make progress on the lyrics and melody, and they mutually influence each other. It’s kind of like unearthing something that already exists. I have to remove the earth and sand from around it, only then I can start polishing it.
What is it like being a woman in the music industry? And as a couple? Have you ever felt you were at any disadvantage?
Anna: I try not to frame it as working in the music “industry.” I’m not a romantic person, and denying that I do doesn't make sense, but it’s kind of a downer for me to frame it exactly like that. My record label and manager work in the music industry; I try to create songs and, separately, provide my own ideas on how to make sure the project is both profitable and viable.
As in any other facet of life, we have experienced unpleasant moments, both because we are women and because we are a couple.
Marina: The fact that we are a couple has also brought about positive things. We are a really good team and are very good at reading each other if there happens to be a problem or if one of us isn’t entirely comfortable with something. Honestly I can’t imagine spending so many hours with anyone else other than Anna :) What I do think is that it would have been nice to have more examples of lesbian women on stage, particularly when we were younger.