Latvian Music News

25-year-old Latvian artist Chris Noah, who gracefully combines indie-rock with catchy pop, released a new EP “Distance”. His silky timbre, gripping melodies and relatable lyrics have made him highly popular in his homeland, but now he is ready to conquer the world.

Chris has been surrounded by music from an early age - his father is a musician and mother a singing tutor. One could say his future was set in stone before he could even walk. But when Noah was younger he didn’t care much for music, and focused more on sports. At the age of 17 he re-discovered the guitar.

By the time he was 20, Chris and his brother had recorded his first single “Had It All”, which became an instant hit on the Latvian radios. A year later, his second single “You” won an award from Latvian Authors Society for one of the most played tracks of 2016.

Today, Chris Noah released his new EP “Distance”. It contains four tracks, produced in collaboration with London-based producer Kristofer Harris. According to Chris this album is special: “For the first time, not all the songs are about my own life, I have observed more - my friends and other people surrounding me”, he explains.

“When we had the basic production done for the tracks, Kristofer flew to Riga and we started to record and finalize the songs. I was writing lyrics as we were producing the tracks, and it was the most challenging thing I've done in my career so far. We recorded four tracks in 11 days, and I am also really glad that all my bandmates have played on this EP,” Noah adds.

The first single off the new EP, "The Line", was released on January 17th and got an  impressive radio airplay in Latvia. The song was written together with Noah’s keyboardist Marcis Jukumsons-Jukumnieks, whose partnership Chris greatly appreciates: “Marcis has a completely different approach to creating harmonies than I do. It's a very creative process when his harmonies meet mine.”

LISTEN to "Distance" EP here

On the 21st of March, jazz-funk band "Very Cool People” together with MC's Edavardi, Ansis and the Latvian soul music diva Kristine Prauliņa are releasing a new album - “Koncertprogramma Pa Apli”.

In Tamsta VCP will perform music from their new album, as well as tracks from their previously released albums “Caution! Contains Words”(2019) & “Heya Some Kind Of Fish!…”(2017). In October 2019, the last time Very Cool People played in Tamsta, the club was packed &  there were 9 musicians on stage at once, but this time there will be 13 musicians on Tamsta’s stage: Edavārdi - MC, vocal;  Ansis - MC, vocal;  Kristīne Prauliņa - vocal;  Elvijs Grafcovs - guitar;  Māris Jēkabsons - tenor sax;  Kristaps Lubovs - bariton sax;  Laura Rozenberga - trombone;  Oskars Ozoliņš - Trumpet;  Māris Vitkus - keyboards;  Andris Kauliņš - keyboards;  Jānis Olekšs - bass; Andris Buiķis - drums & special guest MC - Jama (Lithuania).

“As we are the two last nations from the Baltic Language group we should start to understand each other better & I believe it can be best achieved through music. In this concert you will hear Latvian, Lithuanian, English & most likely some Spanish coming from the stage & the most important unification tool – music! Currently, hip hop in national languages is on its way to conquer Europe. Good examples include the Ukrainian hip hop queen Alyona Alyon and the all-female Icelandic band Reykjavíkurdætur.”, says Elvijs about the upcoming concert.

With a solid backbone in jazz, funk and soul, incorporating influences from surf, klezmer, rock and hip-hop, Very Cool People have been putting jazz & funk back on the dancefloor since 2007. Hailing from Riga, Latvia, the band has lit up clubs and festivals from Estonia to Romania, from Spain to South Korea. Always open to new experiments, Very Cool People have collaborated with plenty of guest artists from a bunch of countries. Even if they are a live band more than anything else, they have six studio albums behind their belt, well-received critically and nominated for awards as well. 

The band will present the album in Riga on the 28th of March with a grand concert in Riga’s new hottest concert hall “Hanzas Perons”. A special guest from Lithuania - MC Jama – will join VCP in Riga, so the Latvian audience will get a chance to hear hip-hop in Lithuanian as well. A performance by the scratch master DJ Aspirins will be VCP’s opening act in Riga.

Apply for the songwriting camp RIGaLIVE #6, which will take place during April 7th – 9th in Riga, Latvia.

Songwriters, lyricists, producers, musicians, and bands are welcome to join songwriting camp and masterclass RIGaLIVE #6 that will be happening from 7th to 9th of April in Riga.

During this songwriting camp and masterclass there will be formed up to 10 groups, each of them includes - a producer, a songwriter, and a singer - to collaborate in a collective song writing process.

Each day the artists will have eight hours to create a demo version of a new song that will be evaluated by a professional jury, consisting of international and Latvian music industry professionals. The aim of the camp is to create songs that might be potential hits. 

Schedule of the camp:

07/04 - introductions of the participants, masterclass, songwriting session;

08/04 - songwriting session, demo listening, and evaluation session;

09/04 - songwriting session, demo listening, and evaluation session.

APPLY HERE!!!

Applications must be filed before 11.02.2020, the participants of the camp will be announced by the middle of February.

Participation fee for the selected applicants: 75 EUR.

FB page

Instagram/ rigalive_songwriting

Supported by LaIPA and Ministry of Culture.

Watch a video recap of the RIGaLIVE#5 session!

Musician Markus Riva has just released the music video for his much-discussed single “Impossible”. It is his first music video shot on 35mm film, and marks the 30th video in his career.

The song “Impossible” was created in collaboration with singer Aminata. It is a story about determination, conviction, self-belief and an endless fight with the circumstances standing in our way – including our own fears and doubts.

 “Markus himself is the focal point of the video, and various images and symbols represent his inner world, thoughts and feelings, and the message of the song,” says Pavel Trebuhin who the directed the video. “To create the right mood, we chose to shoot the video on a 35mm film. The whole filming process becomes much more difficult, but the video obtains a particular quality and vibe not often found in the modern world.”

The music video was shot in E. Fon Trompowsky Quarter the day before Christmas. Almost 20 people took part in the filming process that lasted up to 3 AM. Markus notes wittily that he had to remind himself repeatedly that he is indeed unbreakable as it was very cold indeed in the deserted factories, but he is very happy with the result.

It is no secret that the song “Impossible” was one of this year’s “Supernova” competition entries, and Markus had hoped to fight for a chance to represent Latvia in the Eurovision song competition, set to take place on May 12 in Rotterdam. Although the events played out differently, Markus is pleased with his achievement and hopes to inspire his fans with this song.

“This song says very much about the events currently unfolding in the world and in my own life as well. Read the lines and read between the lines! Do good things in life, and do what you love! And be brave,” says Markus.

Markus Riva is currently working on material for a new album and continues performing in Latvia and CIS countries. Moreover, in collaboration with the movement #Neklusē, he will be visiting several schools in Latvia to talk about mobbing among teens and to promote its eradication.

At the end of last week, nine finalists of the Supernova songwriter and singer competition, including Edgars Kreilis with the song "Tridymite", were announced. Now a video too has been made for the composition. Edgars offers it for a wider audience rating.

“Tridymite” has been co-authored by bass guitarist of Latvian band “Brainstorm” and composer Ingars Viļums, who wrote a message to Edgars offering to collaborate on this year's Supernova competition. In the process of dynamic work, a song came to be known as the Tridymite, causing a widespread debate about what does it actually mean.

The name came up in the songwriting process, while Edgars and Ingars exchanged different ideas. Tridymite is a polycrystalline that is found in small quantities on our planet Earth. But it was a big surprise when a large group of American scientists from NASA discovered it on planet Mars. This mystery is still unresolved. In the song, this multifaceted crystal symbolizes the unknown and utterly unexplained formula of love that exists in the universe. Who can surpass energy when eyes meet for a moment and the "inexplicable" happens? The world around us glows and at that moment everything seems possible - as if there were no limits to time or space.

“Carnival Youth” members Emīls Kaupers, Edgars Kaupers and Roberts Vanags have signed a publishing deal with music publishing companies “Radicalis Music” and “Progressive/Bosworth Creative” (Switzerland/Germany).

“Carnival Youth” manager Guna Zučika, “Every Little Thing”, explains, that building a stable infrastructure within the target markets is one of management’s primary tasks in advancing the band’s international career: “The German, Austrian and Swiss music industries and listeners have been among the first ones to positively appreciate “Carnival Youth” music, so it is a great pleasure to add to the already well-established partnership with a booking agency and a record label in the region an author representative – a publishing company which is successful both locally and internationally.”

Head of “Radicalis Music” David Burger is pleased to add “Carnival Youth” and their songs to the company’s catalogue: “We are delighted that one of the most successful bands in the Baltic States is joining our companies. We will support their career growth through our global partners.”

This year “Carnival Youth” continue their latest studio album “Good Luck” tour both in Latvia and Europe. In Latvia, the band will stop at “Melno Cepurīšu Balerija” in Jelgava on the 20th March and “FonoKlubs” in Cēsis on the 21st March. Tickets and information can be found at carnivalyouth.com

On Wednesday, 22nd January, “Carnival Youth” will perform at a music festival “Bise” in Nantes, France. During March and April, the band will tour through Germany performing at “Ego FM” festival in Munich on the 28th March, “Hanse Song” festival in Stade on the 18th April, and will play multiple solo shows in Oldenburg, Leipzig and Nurnberg. On the 25th April “Carnival Youth” will perform in Vienna, Austria. 

Watch the after movie of the “Carnival Youth” show at “Hanzas Perons” in Riga on the 23rd November 2019 here:

Chris Noah releases a new single “The Line” from the forthcoming EP expected in March. Chris explains that the song is a story about how sometimes circumstances and the environment around you changes as well as people change but there are feelings and emotions that remain unchanged no matter how you might try to leave them in the past.

Chris started writing the music for the song by himself and was later joined by the keyboard player form his band Marcis Jukumsons – Jukumnieks with whom “The Line” was finished. Both this single and the rest of the songs on the EP were recorded by Chris Noah in a collaboration with the British music producer Christopher Harris (who has previously worked with the likes of Bear’s Den, Belle and Sebastian, Ghostpoet and others) with whom the musician has worked before.

“The Line” is released under the record label “Made in Baltics”/”Sony Music Entertainment”.

Single on the digital platforms

At this year’s showcase festival and conference “Eurosonic Noorderslag 2020”, held from  January 15 to 18 in Groningen, Netherlands, Latvia is represented by two artists – Evija Vebere and ANNNA.

Evija Vebere is a Latvian producer, singer and performer. She creates music with multiple modular synthesizers and a broken trumpet. By using her unique voice she invites the listeners to discover forest of amazing sounds. Her debut solo recording “Sirdsbūt” won Best Alternative Music Album 2019 at Latvian music awards.

At “Eurosonic Noorderslag 2020” Evija Vebere will performs on 16 January at USVA.

ANNNA is a modern day wakeup call that makes you want to move. Her songs mostly cover very current and serious topics, such as sustainability and equality. However, ANNNA’s distinct voice, that blends together a touch of Lana Del Rey and Kate Bush, results in an energetic, uplifting and impactful performance. This Latvian/Dutch singer’s debut track, “The One That Got Away”, became the No1 most played track on some of the biggest Latvian radios as well as her second track, “Stardom/Hater” won the Amsterdam Dance Event demo competition in October 2019.

At “Eurosonic Noorderslag 2020” ANNNA will perform on 17 January at the Praedinius Gymnasium.

Singer Signija Taranenko with a stage name SIGNIA at the end of last year surprised with “Musical Advent Calendar” when she posted 24 Christmas song cover versions on her YouTube channel. Last week Signia presented her first original song “Where Are You”.

New singer from a small town works in a pharmacy as a pharmacist’s assistant for a couple of days a week, the rest of her time she spends singing. Currently active in a group “Carnelian” and sings as a back vocalist to Atis Auzans. Participates in a variety of musical projects and charity events cooperating with Pipars.lv and Palidzesim.lv.

About the song Signia says: “I wrote this song 2 years ago and then I was asked – who is it about? I said it certainly wasn’t about me. Time has passed, circumstances and events have changed my life a lot, and now I can associate this song with myself and finally sing it really out of my heart.”

The song is about love we’re waiting for, searching for and finding if we get lucky. If we don’t, we keep waiting and looking for “the one”. About dreams that we all want to come true, we give them up when it gets hard, and then believe them again meeting the right people. The song is about those who are searching. About You too. Whatever you’re looking for – love, happiness, inspiration or yourself – this is the story of not giving up.

The author of words and music is Signija Taranenko herself. In the recording work the points on “i”’s were placed by producer Kaspars Ansons, but producers who worked on it were Arturs Palkevics and Gaitis Lazdans. Video made by Eriks Saksons. Costume design – Ilze Kasa.