INTERVIEW WITH MARINA P

How did you become an artist?

I started cello when I was eight and I was quite young when I started to play in front of a public. I've always loved performing but I belive something special happened when I started to write songs. I'm not sure that would make me an "artist" but I was 20 and I knew that I would never stop doing it.

Who/what inspired you to become a musician?

I was a very musical child, music was the easier way of expression to me. Basically my parents let my sister and I be free of being whatever we wanted. And I choosed music.

Do you feel any impact of your birthplace on your music?

I was born and raised in Italy but I've always been in love with black music. Moving to Paris was the start of a new musical melting including more and more reggae in my influences. I like popular music in general and my parents were huge music listeners too, from rhythm'n blues to jazz to italian songwriters to reggae. All my friends had a real impact as well, thay made me listen different musical styles all over my teens and they inspired me a lot. Relationships had the bigger impact on my music.

How does art manifest itself in your life?

I belive everyone can make art in life in his own way, from poetry to painting to clothes to cooking. Everything can be art, it depends on how you do it.

In my own experience I always considered my voice as a gift. I think that is the key: this is my instrument and it's inside my body. That makes everything very personal.

What does creativity mean to you?

Ideas come all the time, sometimes you catch them, sometimes you dont. Creativity means catch the ideas and do something special with that, I mean special for you or for the others !

Do you think female artists are treated differently to male artists?

Female artist are treated differently to male artists, this is a fact. All the music industry in a very high level is managed by men . And this is not different from almost every other category of our society. Still, many female artists, indipendent and main stream, push to represent theirselves as they want to and refuse more and more gender stereotypes.

What message do you have for girls and women who are trying to find the courage to make music?

Catch the mic, be brave, be yourself, you have nuff interesting things to say, you can play drums, you can compose, produce, mix, you can be whatever you want.

The times are new !

MARINA P