Emiliana Torrini - Icelandic/Italian Singer Songwriter

Emiliana Torrini first got famous in Iceland almost by accident when she was a teenager. She recorded some songs for fun which generated lots of interest and resulted in some offers to record professionally. She was then ‘discovered’ by Derek Birkett and Arni Ben from One Little Indian records and asked to come to the UK in 1998 to record the album ‘Love In The Time Of Science’ produced by Roland Orzabal of Tears For Fears fame. This album was trip-hop in feel and received worldwide critical acclaim and some commercial success.

Since then, whilst writing material for her current album, Emiliana has collaborated with a number of other artists including the Thievery Corporation and has written songs with the Sneaker Pimps.
The emotional poignancy and evocative quality of Emiliana’s voice makes it particularly suitable for use on soundtracks and she was invited to sing on the soundtrack of the Two Towers from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. She’s also had songs featured on UK TV series Footballers Wives and Sugar Rush (set in Brighton where Emiliana currently lives) and a car commercial, to name but a few.

In 2004 Emiliana and her producer Dan Carey co-wrote ‘Slow’ with Kylie Minogue, proving that Emiliana is a truly diverse songstress who can express herself in many genres and styles.

SOUNDSCENE catches up with Emiliana Torrini as she takes a break from touring and promoting her album ‘The Fisherman’s Woman’ released on Rough Trade early last year. ‘The Fisherman’s Woman’ is a collection of beautiful, subtle songs played on acoustic guitars, lap steel, harmonium and glockenspiel. It cleverly blends elements of folk, soul, country and pop. Since January 2005 she’s been performing songs from the album with her band in Europe, the USA and Iceland and so far the gigs have been well received. In a couple of weeks she’s off to Australia and Japan to promote the album there.

SOUNDSCENE: So what’s your opinion on the ‘internet revolution’ currently changing the shape of the music industry?

EMILIANA: I think that the internet is such a brilliant new way for music. Because when I was growing up and had MTV at home, I’d stay up all night to record a video or record the music on tape just to be the first to be able to play the new band next day; everything has to be your own discovery and the internet is the way for the younger kids to do that now. They want to discover something new for themselves that nobody’s heard, bring it to school and play it to their friends. That’s what it is to be young, always the first with something. The internet is almost the new punk because people are sick of everything that’s going on in the world; people feel that governments are failing them, the media is failing them, there’s war and horrible stuff going on and people are sick of it all. They’re sticking their fingers up to all of it and saying ‘No! We’re going to find our own way and take what we want.’ People have had enough of being fed what the media wants them to hear. I think it’s brilliant that there are websites where you can get some exposure for your music and end up doing your own tour without a record deal or press or anything, and still fill a 3000 capacity venue just on your reputation through the internet. It’s like a treasure chest; I think your instinct when you’re growing up is to say ‘what’s behind that mountain?’ and always to search somewhere further. The internet opens up a lot of treasure hunts that you can explore for yourself.

SOUNDSCENE: What was the first gig you went to see?

EMILIANA: My first gig ever was Rage Against the Machine when they played near Reykjavik. I wasn’t allowed to go so I had to sneak out; we had to hitch a ride to the concert but there were hardly any cars on the road. Eventually these guys stopped and we were pleading with them to take us. They said ok, but only if we travelled in the boot! So they put us in the boot all squashed with a big tyre, then they drove somewhere onto a street that had loads of speed bumps and they drove up and down over the speed bumps for about half an hour before they took us to the gig!

SOUNDSCENE: I guess that gives a new meaning to the term ‘headbanging’!

EMILIANA: Definitely! When I got back I tried to lie to my mother that I hadn’t gone but I was wearing a t shirt I’d drawn on; a picture of a bug or something, and the ink had run because the gig was so hot and sweaty. So by the time I got home my face was all covered in black smudges from where the colours had melted!

SOUNDSCENE: Growing up in Iceland must have been very different to growing up almost anywhere else in Europe.

EMILIANA: I think it was. We didn’t have so many distractions so we would do more things like make up stories, go exploring and have adventures.

SOUNDSCENE: What’s your favourite story?

EMILIANA: I remember once when it was a festival day or some kind of celebration and everyone was walking on the beach in Reykjavik, holding balloons in a big procession and a whale had come ashore and got stuck on the beach so he had died. All the people walked around the whale and my friend Siggi who is a big show-off climbed up onto the whale and was shouting down ‘Look at me! I climbed the whale!’ Everyone pretended to ignore him and carried on walking along the beach but suddenly there was a scream and Siggi had disappeared! All that could be heard was some muffled noises. Nobody could find Siggi for ages so eventually a man climbed up on the whale to get a better view; then he saw an arm sticking out of the whale and heard Siggi squeaking that he had fallen into the whale’s vagina! Lots of people had to get up and pull him out. He’s never got over that experience; now everyone calls him Siggi the whale vagina miner!

SOUNDSCENE: Wow! That’s an amazing story! Your experiences must have given you lots of material to write about.

EMILIANA: I started writing music relatively late in my career; I always considered myself to be just a singer of songs… I don’t care who writes them but if I like the song I want to sing it. And then I wanted to write but I thought I couldn’t write at all because I wasn’t that type of person. Then suddenly I was a songwriter but it was a fight to become one!

SOUNDSCENE: I heard a rumour that you originally wrote your single ‘Sunnyroad’ for Johnny Cash but that he died before he could record it.

EMILIANA: No, that’s not true at all! After the song was finished I thought it would have been amazing to offer it to him… I think it would have really suited his voice, he was such a great character and brilliant artist.

SOUNDSCENE: Judging by your recordings to date, you seem to like lots of different styles of music and it’s hard to categorize you.

EMILIANA: I feel like it’s a real comfort when people don’t know where to place me, because when people seem confused and have no idea where to put me then I can be whatever I want to be. It makes me feel I must be doing something right; it’s not that I’m breaking any new ground as far as the listener is concerned, but I’m constantly breaking new ground for myself and discovering new things when I’m writing.

SOUNDSCENE: So is there any unifying factor to all the diverse projects you’ve been involved with?

EMILIANA: I just take part in the things that I like, but usually it comes down to a good song, regardless of style. In the same way that you don’t want all your friends to be the same as each other or have the same opinions, I’m interested in lots of different types of music and in letting different things happen each time rather than choosing in advance.

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Emiliana Torrini may be reluctant to categorise herself but we think that’s easy; she’s carved her own niche and it should be called Icelandic Soul… soul in the true sense of the word as in music that comes from the heart and expresses raw and sincere emotion. With the help of sympathetic management and an understanding record company she’s been able to forge a career path that seems both credible and enduring. Hopefully she’ll be around for a long time to come; she’s due to start writing for a new album soon, tour schedule permitting so we can look forward to hearing some more of those delicate Icelandic Soul classics in the future!

For more information on Emiliana check out her website at emilianatorrini.com