Category: News

Singer and pianist Katrina Gupalo has just released a new album of music by Latvia’s legendary composer Imants Kalnins “7 skumjas zvaigznes” (7 Sad Stars). It offers 15 popular songs, including three songs featuring English-language lyrics by Ojars Eriks Kalnins. Along with the album, Gupalo is also releasing a new video filmed in the United States based on the single “Take It or Leave It”.

“This album is very unique because it’s a concentration of energy and love that expresses itself through its musical and visual presentation. Presently all live concerts are cancelled for the time being and in order to produce this album, I sold my childhood home in Dikli, Latvia. And I don’t regret it for a moment because I am convinced this music will bring joy, inspiration, and love during this difficult pandemic period,” Katrina Gupalo revealed. “We created the album together with people who are very close and loved by me. For example, the cover illustration was done by my mother Vera Pauksa. The music video was created by my best friend, choreographer Gabija Birina, despite the fact that we live on different continents. Ojars Eriks Kalnins adds a totally new dimension to the album since he not only introduced me to Imants Kalnins’ songs in English, but managed to produce a new lyric for one song with great inspiration and lightning speed (“Butterfly’s Satiny Scent”). I am so grateful to everyone on my very talented team who helped bring this little wonder to life in such a short time!”

The album features a new single and music video based on the song “Take It or Leave It”, which was written 15 years ago but now appears in a totally new musical arrangement. The music video was filmed in Naples Roller Hockey, Veterans Community Park, Florida, USA. It is the joint effort of choreographer and dancer Gabija Birina and dancer Daniel White and tells a tale of unsettled human nature and the complex choices we must make in our lives. In their expressive performance, the dancers reveal a story about love and intimate relations, which are woven through by tenderness, hatred, pain and hope. The video was created by artists Akorede Amole (USA) and Vadim Glushkov (Latvia.)

“It’s been extremely gratifying to work with such a gifted artist as Katrina. She has breathed new life into Imants Kalnins’ legendary songs. She not only speaks to a new generation of fans, but is bringing Imants’ music to a broader international audience. “Take It or Leave It” is song about life choices we all face in a time of change. We may look to others for help, but ultimately we must each decide for ourselves,” said lyricist Ojars Eriks Kalnins.

Katrina Gupalo’s album “7 skumjas zvaigznes” was recorded live, with voice and piano as they would be heard in concert, without any post-production technical corrections.

The album includes both popular and lesser known – or even forgotten – Imants Kalnins’ compositions. For example, “Let’s Sing of the Rivers” is here with its original English lyrics, although most Latvians will recognize it from its popular Latvian-language translation “Ar straumēm uz jūru”.

Katrina Gupalo performs all the compositions with her own voice and piano arrangements, but with great respect for the composers’ original versions. The album was recorded with Super HD quality and was produced by Aleksandr Volk using his unique “Wolk Recording Technologies” microphones, which are sensitive enough to pick up the most subtle electro-magnetic vibrations. The recordings were made on a Yamaha C6 concert piano at the Music and drama space “OratoriO” and piano salon @152 in Riga. The album design was rendered by Anastasija Prola and Ilya Kolesnik, printed by “Skaistāk” and includes photos by Aleksandra Volk.

The 22-year-old singer/songwriter has returned with his single ‘RUNNING’ to give his listeners a better insight on what story the upcoming debut album ‘PENUMBRA’ is based on. Patriks describes his new song: This song portraits the process after a breakup when you realize that the closest person you have is inevitably becoming a stranger, so there is nothing else to do except run away from all the pain and emotions. Patriks identifies with such genres as: R&B/Soul, Alternative Pop, Singer/Songwriter, Bedroom Pop, Neo Soul and others.

The annual Christmas project “Snowman Express” featuring singers Ralfs Eilands and Kristīne Prauliņa will not take place this year, but Very Cool People have decided not to leave the audience without their beloved “Snowman Express” and offer a new Christmas single – “The Little Drummer Boy”.

The song, recorded in both Latvian and English, is based on the story of a little poor drummer, whose only gift for Christmas is a drum solo, which the group’s “little drummer”, Andris Buikis, delivers to all listeners at the end of the song. Elvijs Grafcovs together with Māris Jēkabsons has created new arrangements for the old holiday song, dressing “The Little Drummer Boy” in a very nice drum’n’bass stylistic suit. The new single was recorded in several studios in Latvia. The song was mixed at the “Ciemupe Productions” and mastered by Erls Holders in the studio “HDQTRZ” in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

The recording was made by: Kristīne Prauliņa – vocal; Ralfs Eilands – vocal; Elvijs Grafcovs – guitar;  Māris Jēkabsons – tenor sax;  Kristaps Lubovs – bariton sax;  Laura Rozenberga – trombone;  Oskars Ozoliņš – Trumpet;  Māris Vitkus – keyboards;  Jānis Olekšs – bass;  Andris Buiķis – drums.

The video of the new single was filmed in several very colorful places in Latvia, from a small family shop in Stende to the city center of Riga and even the Pinki sleeping area. The music video was directed by Rimants Iržikevičs, who has made his debut in this genre.

Artwork made by Mārtiņš Legzdiņš and the music can be heard in all the streaming services and the best radio stations.

Latvian hard rock band “Everstate” introduces to a new single and a video Trying Times from the band’s debut EP “Inside Out” which contains 5 songs.

Trying times and the EP were produced by Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Bullet For My Valentine, etc.), recorded and mixed by sound engineer Clint Murphy (Enter Shikari, etc.) at Sound Division Studios, Riga, Latvia. Masters were done by Ryan Smith at the Sterling Sound Studio in Nashville, USA.

The band’s leader and guitarist Uldis Blazevics says that “Trying Times” is a song about inner experiences that occur when a person searches for his identity and improves himself. It’s the “good pain” that a person expects and accepts because he knows that the outcome is expected to be positive and rewarding.”

The band’s EP Inside Out, as well as the single “Trying Times” are available on major music streaming websites such as Spotify, Amazon, Deezer, YouTube, etc.

2020 was not only a year of the pandemic, but also a year of jubilee of two Masters of classical music – Frederic Chopin and Ludwig van Beethoven. Even though this year has been very difficult for classical music and it was not possible to hold many concerts dedicated to the jubilee of Chopin and Beethoven, musicians all over the world, including Andrejs Osokins, are looking for creative ways to reach their audience and let the music survive. The project dedicated to the jubilee of Frederic Chopin came to life in cooperation with the Embassy of Poland in Latvia. It is a musical greeting that, by traveling virtually around the world, will reach the music lovers of the outstanding Polish composer and remind them of unchanging values.

“It is especially important that in a virtual environment, where there are so many pieces of frightful and tragic news, we also give people beauty, spirituality and harmony through art and music. This project will share the hope that we will endure. Music and art are the values that will give us strength. Chopin’s music contains everything I consider so crucial – the unrestrained temperament, subtlety, spirituality, spontaneity and tenderness, wit, danceability and elegance. One can listen to his melodies for evermore! So much time has passed, but human nature and soul remain unchanged,” says pianist Andrejs Osokins.

“The past 2020 has been a difficult one for all of us. We have to face many challenges and we are denied so many opportunities. However, in spite of everything, I would like to emphasize that this year has once again revealed the depths of creativity that are lying dormant inside of us. Thanks to the project “Musical Greeting”, which has been prepared in collaboration with the outstanding Latvian pianist Andrejs Osokins, we, despite the pandemic, are able to reach you with the help of Frederic Chopin’s music. May it bring you a ray of hope! Today, just as many years ago, when this music raised the spirits of Poles longing for freedom, let it inspire and herald a better future, even if we have to wait a while for it,” chargé d’affaires of the Republic of Poland, Consul Małgorzata Hejduk-Gromek.

The musical greeting includes two masterpieces by Frederic Chopin – “Nocturne op.9 No.2” and “Etude op. 25 No.12”. The video was created by Kaspars Kambars and Ainars Krauklis, recorded by sound director Aleksandrs Volks. It was recorded on Yamaha concert piano at the Piano salon @152 in Riga.

Pamirt is a dark music trio from Baltics that brings together musicians Kristiana Karklina (voice, piano), Edvards Percevs (drums) and Edgars Gultnieks (guitar, bass) previously known for their work with black metal act Eschatos. This collaboration started as a solo project of Kristiana, but soon after Edgars and Edvards joined to add guitar textures and rhythm. Most part of this album was composed while residing in Berlin in fall of 2018 where Kristiana goes often to work on music.

“It was a new experience for me to have the control over all artistic decisions while making this record over a period of almost 2 years. My academic background is in art history so visual arts also play a great role in making of this record. About a month before the world entered the state of global health crisis, we created album art for Mausoleum. We wanted to create a sense of grotesque, lonely celebration, inspired partly by Pushkin’s work “A Feast in Time of Plague” and personal experiences while working in the field of contemporary art. Needless to say that we could not even imagine how prophetic this work will be,” says Kristiana.

Mausoleum was nominated for The National Latvian music awards “Zelta mikrofons” as The Best Experimental record of 2020.

London-based singer ELIZZA releases her third single this year called “London Eyes”. Edgy pop beats, poetic, honest lyrics, and soaring vocals fused to create something that’s “not just pop and not just R&B.

Her latest single and music video for “London Eyes”, is out now, released on 23rd October 2020. Listen to it now on all streaming platforms and watch the video on YouTube.

Singer-songwriter ELIZZA, is saying her goodbyes to the summer of 2020 with her new single “London Eyes”. Co-written by Mars Today, an LA-based producer with whom ELIZZA met and collaborated with in 2019. No boundaries, no rules, no frames, unpredictable – is how she describes her music and the new single.

To many, it might sound like a romantic story based on ELIZZA’s personal experiences, such as her previous releases – “Habit”, “Want to Keep” and “Can’t Quit”, but this time “London Eyes” is a love letter to all the memories, the experiences she has had in this city, the place that she calls home – London!

“The story is about my love and “sometimes” hate relationship with London. Since I moved here, I have been falling deeply in love with it but also find myself struggling to accept all that is London. “London Eyes” talks about how I feel the city is “keeping eyes” on me and not letting me go.

In one way, I like this constant pull, but I also realize that there are so many times I find it tough. It can be expensive but also presents opportunities, it’s been a lot of years of working very hard to enjoy the best of this city. And then London has all the temptations you can imagine and more, you get addicted. It’s fast-paced, so “luxurious” but so “hood” at the same time. At the end of the day, it’s home and I love it,” says ELIZZA.

The singer’s versatility has already been shown in previous releases but “London Eyes” is introducing a new, unheard-of twist on pop music that ELIZZA is delivering with her new single.

Her process of songwriting is usually “spontaneous” but it goes deep and holds a meaning – both in lyrics that are more poetry and in melodies that ELIZZA chooses to vocalize.

Speaking about the creative process of writing “London Eyes” she says: It was my second trip to Los Angeles and I had a session arranged with Mars Today. I definitely didn’t think I will walk outside the studio that day, with a song like this. Mars Today wanted to challenge me and I took it on, and when we were talking about our musical influences and what’s happening in my life at that time, somehow the conversation was getting deeper about London as I was sharing with him more about me and who I am.
All this conversation and jamming, led us to writing this song in which London represents a “person” and how my personal experiences, my relationships, my ups and downs over the past 10 years in this city and with this city, have shaped my life.

ELIZZA’s first love and medium is music and we can clearly see her dedication and authenticity with every single she is releasing, breaking boundaries and growing her international fanbase. There is a new-found self-assuredness we are hearing and how it’s propelling ELIZZA to pull on big dreams in her career.

As October drew to a close, the first duet of Markus Riva and Samanta Tīna, called “Man nesanāk” (I Can’t Succeed), saw the light of day. It has quickly become a favourite among audiences and caused great interest in the pair beyond their homeland Latvia. The music video for “Man nesanāk” is out now to complement the track.

The initiative and the idea of the story belong to Markus, while the visual identity of the music video was entrusted to director Pavel Trebuhin with whom Markus has worked for many years. Samanta’s favourite makeup artist Jana Kozlova did the makeup of both stars, and the music video was shot at E. Fon Trompowsky Quarter.

Several exclusive “Fyodor Golan” outfits are featured in the video – the brand, characterized by brave designs and bold colours, was created by Latvian-born designer Fyodor Podgorny, and it’s adored by such celebrities as Lady Gaga, Madonna, Rita Ora, Blackpink and others.

“It’s easy to work with Samanta – I’m very happy she had trust in my ideas and felt confident appearing in the video in a different mode than usual,” says Markus. “Being in a frame with her feels ecstatic – cameras love Samanta, and every second of the video is electrified with her charm and energy.”

“I like to be in charge, so at first it was difficult for me to go with Markus’ ideas and trust his choice of stylists and video crew, but I did it, and I am extremely happy with the result. The stylists did a fantastic job, and the outfits we wore were fabulous; I got to know new designers that I will keep working with. The team was very professional, and I am very satisfied with this cooperation and what we have achieved,” adds Samanta.

As reported earlier, “Man nesanāk” is the third single from Markus’ upcoming studio album in Latvian, set for release this autumn. The production of “Man nesanāk” was supported by the grant of the Latvian Performers’ and Producers’ Association (LaIPA).