Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Dame Zina

THE RELEASE

Dame Zina, a duo consisting of a daughter and her father brings a special harmony, to the music scene. While Dame Zina passionately writes and delivers vocals, her father, known as Y takes on roles as a composer, instrumentalist, writer and producer. Together they seamlessly navigate between English and French in their music using it as a canvas to explore themes such as feminism, freedom and emotions that resonate with them. After their debut album in 2020 the duo embarked on a journey by releasing a series of pop, rock and electronica singles and EPs in 2022. Accompanied by videos that enhance their creative vision even further. Their momentum continued with the unveiling of their album in 2023 which showcases their versatility through an array of songs and remixes. An interesting aspect is how Dame Zina invites artists and remixers into their world by offering access to all stems at remix.damezina.com—a testament to their commitment, to artistic exploration and shared creativity.

Dame Zinas mesmerizing third album tells a captivating story of magic and womens empowerment showcased beautifully in the music video "Witch Circle." This project takes us on an intimate journey revealing Dame Zinas thoughts and hidden sanctuary. Staying true, to their electro rock roots the album captures the intimacy of Portishead, the creativity of Bjork, the boldness of Rita Mitsouko and echoes the ethereal high notes reminiscent of Kate Bush. The sonic exploration spans genres like electro, artpop, synthpop, experimental sounds, industrial rock, spoken word which culminates in a musical adventure.

THE INTERVIEW

If you had to create a Mount Rushmore of inspiration, what four individuals molded the artist you are today?

DZ: First of all, Dame Zina is two individuals : I sing and write and my dad Y composes and arranges. I'll start by answering, I have to say Bjork first of course, I believe she paved the way for creatives that do everything at the same time, in every direction, and yet made it to fame and recognition. I aspire to her type of freedom in arts! I would add Kate bush, portishead and aurora, as a younger addition... A fully feminine Mount Rushmore !

Y: if I had to pick one, Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) for its sound design, vocal sincerity, openness (we picked from him the idea of giving all stems for all our songs for free to everybody to remix), and the fact that he does it all alone. But also we went yesterday to a Steve Reich concert and I realized I had forgotten how much his music shaped my way of writing. Then maybe Radiohead because of their craziness. That makes a very weird Mount Rushmore…

Were there any personal experiences or stories that influenced the creation of the album, and if so, how did they shape the final product?

DZ : I think music is all about personal experiences and stories! This album is my most personal yet. Ive always been extremely inspired by fairytales and magic, both as stories, but also as the real deal. Im really interested in real magical creatures, and the invisible. This album is a way for me to join my real experiences, my love stories, my dreams for the future, my questions about practical life, my political positions, with this magical world. Fairytales always make us dream and go elsewhere, I aim for that in my art, but I also always is about real things, society, and most importantly: morality. I try to teach things with music.

How did you approach the selection and arrangement of the songs on this project to create a cohesive and impactful listening experience for your audience?

Y: That’s a good question because I dive into very different realms when I compose. At first I was afraid the result would be chaotic, but first listeners reassured me there was an inner coherence in my writing. I still don’t really believe it, though.

How do you see this album representing your artistic evolution or progression, and what new elements or techniques did you experiment with during its production?

DZ: I think music is a craft in constant evolution, and like any artist, we grow with every new project. I'm very proud of our performance with Fairytales, I feel more and more confident with my voice, I love the songs I wrote, and I feel more free than ever to experiment with my acting when I sing!

Y: I tried to lower complexity but ended up writing a completely atonal piece (golden dust). Not sure how I managed that. Atonal means, all 12 tones are used. This is as opposite of mainstream as it can be. I love the result. It’s weird but in a nice way. But globally on the album, we can say we tried to push our creativity further while making it more accessible, which sounds like an oxymoron because it is, as all creative processes are. Most songs seem straightforward but every one has some very unusual details. No point in making the same music as everybody else. On a technical note I think our sound got better thanks to more experience and feedback from sound engineers we worked with. I ended up mixing and mastering with more experience and I believe it shows in the sound quality. We still do everything at home and it allows me to work on each song on a global level, from writing to arrangements to mixing and mastering; sometimes I modify the song structure or work on arrangements at the very last minute… for some songs we have had 10 versions and the process is very much iterative.‏

Can you share any memorable or profound moments from the recording or writing sessions that had a lasting impact on you personally or creatively?

We have a "routine" when we record, we have a home studio in the basement, and we usually bury ourselves for a week when we record. This is always a great time to find ourselves, and it creates a bond between us. Funnily enough, you could think creating music as a father/daughter duo would be simple because we already know each other so well, but I’d say it's the other way round: music allowed us to enter each other’s inner world, and we didn’t knew each other that well before doing music together. Somewhat, art created a really strong bond between us, and im really thankful for it!

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