MADARA (Madara Fogelmane) is born and raised in Jelgava. She started writing poetry already in her early childhood and later on she took up the cello studies. Her Alma Mater is Brussels Royal Conservatory and The Conservatorium van Amsterdam where she did her postgraduate studies developing her cello playing skills guided by such excellent and world-renowned professors as Olsi Leka (Albania), Jeroen den Herder (The Netherlands) and Gavriel Lipkind (Israel). However, MADARA always considers Latvia her home and constantly longs for it. MADARA believes that musical instrument reflects what one really is, YOUR true ESAMIBA or existence.
“The instrument embodies you. It expresses your personality, thoughts and how you perceive the world. It takes a great skill and talent to forward that feeling to others.” MADARA considers playing the cello not only as “playing a musical instrument” because it is her way of life.
MADARA says about cello: “Cello needs a person to make it alive and let it breathe. It needs those human vibrations.” MADARA needs cello to be able to resonate with the world, although for a total self-expression she needs both – cello and her voice. “They are inseparable and they are completing each other”.
In August 2017 at Cello festival Zutphen 2017 (The Netherlands), MADARA entered the stage together with the world’s leading cellists performing her original piece and positioning herself as a young cellist and singer.
“With this song I felt in a complete harmony with myself and I received confirming feedback from musical professionals that the path I have chosen is the right for me. IT IS MY EXISTENCE. My dream is to bring the truest revelations and deepest feelings to people through the music I create.”
WHAT IS YOUR SONG “ESAMĪBA” ABOUT?
The song is about each and every one of us. The song is about the peace and us realising that every person is a treasure and that we are a part of the great Existence. Every person is a value and the life is a gift – realising it brings the utmost Happiness and Tranquillity.
The song is about each and every one of us. It is about the moments when we feel down when we lose the calm and most sadly when we lose ourselves. It is the time to find the way back to ourselves.
The song is about each and every one of us. It is the anthem of concerned yet hopeful people.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY THROUGH THIS SONG?
The dearest thing the life can give us being in harmony with ourselves. Each and every one of us is a treasure. A gift. The whole world to themselves and others.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STATE OF MIND WHEN YOU ARE ON STAGE?
Every time I am on the stage I feel like nothing else exists, just me, that moment and vibrations of sounds all around me.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR TASTE IN MUSIC? WHAT IS YOUR MUSICAL INSPIRATION?
My musical inspiration is very broad. I love everything that is divine and makes sense, gives some meaning to me.
Also living abroad and away from my family and Latvian musicians and friends have been a huge long-term challenge. Nevertheless, it has given me the opportunity to get to know myself while being outside the comfort zone. I have experienced lots of new challenges, adventures, revelations and realisations about the deepest and the most colourful nuances of music as well as its interpretations, genres and performances when studying at Brussels Royal Conservatory and The Conservatorium van Amsterdam. I started to write songs in English and Latvian to connect with my existence (Esamiba) and Latvia.
Speaking of inspirations. My surroundings, life and the revelations I get on my journey through the life inspire me to create the music.
I would describe myself as a very emotional person which at times can be both a blessing and a curse because I perceive the world in a very emotional and passionate way.
During the last couple of years residing abroad, I had a chance to experience a lot of new things thus getting to know myself better. The philosophical self-reflection and moments with myself make me hide away in music and create something for other people telling them my stories. I hope that through my stories people would find some answers and those stories would bring them on a journey in a real life. I wish my music could be meaningful and substantial, and make people feel good. I cannot create anything that I believe in which could be insincere.
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE PART IN THIS CONTEST? HOW DID YOU MAKE THE DECISION OF ENTERING SUPERNOVA THIS YEAR?
I feel it is my time. Finally, I am aware of me as a cellist and singer, and I have a song which is not just a song but a message I would like to share with you.
I am so grateful to my cello professors who motivated and supported me telling they saw potential in me when I performed my songs with a cello and voice. Once, during a master class where I was practising the performance of the song, I felt like pleasant shivers running right through me. I felt like merging with the whole world and my composition. It was the moment when everything, including the meaning of the song and the sound, seemed SO right, and I realised that the world must get a chance to hear this creation. That’s how I got the idea about Eurovision. Since that moment it has been as a natural flow of events as if the world is in a harmony with me to help me send the message of the song to people.
YOUR SONG “ESAMĪBA” IS THE ONLY ONE THE COMPETITION SUPERNOVA 2018 WRITTEN IN LATVIAN. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE PART IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEST WITH A LATVIAN SONG?
Regardless where in the world I might be located, I am Latvian and it is a part of my ESĪBAS (existence). Also, the song was born and created in Latvian, the language which is the closest to me, it is my mother tongue. Latvian is the language that can reflect my true being and my revelations in the best way possible. They have been with me for long to be gathered and put into a song thus revealing them from the gentlest and purest point of view. I see the gains only singing Latvian in Supernova and Eurovision because, given the fantastic feedback from the international fans, I have realised that the music has not linguistic borders. It is united in feelings and in the interpretations of the song. Music is transferred from heart to heart.
ARE YOU GOING TO TRANSLATE THIS SONG TO ENGLISH?
No, I would definitely perform the song only in Latvian, because it brings out the song’s authenticity. The song exists on the energy and vibrations of its lyrics. I want to make Latvian heard in the world, to get to know us and our roots because the Latvian is one of the oldest languages on this planet.
Music is the language people use to talk from heart to heart. If the song and emotions are sincere, they can be perceived beyond the linguistic borders.
HOW WOULD YOU MAKE US WANT TO COME TO LATVIA?
I cannot make you do it! But if you love the nature like we do in Latvia, it is the place for you to be! You will see and feel that our culture is deeply connected with nature. We have lands and space for silence, music, freedom and inspiration. This is a place where you would not see people smiling constantly or faking a smile. This is the place where true friendship and smile on people’s face is something much bigger. It is worth to feel and experience.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR TEAM AND THE MAIN IDEA BEHIND YOUR STAGE PERFORMANCE IN SUPERNOVA 2018.
My team reflects myself. It is an international team with deep roots in Latvia. I am a Latvian living in the Netherlands at the moment. There are people from Latvia, United Kingdom, Estonia and the Netherlands in my team.
The main idea of ESAMĪBA (Existence) performance is to depict the nature in its all power and might, visualising the visible, sometimes intangible but yet great things that embody the greatness, beauty, fragility and tranquillity of nature. The visual idea of the song is going to take you on a journey from the heaven down to earth, from stars and comets down to trees and moss. The central element in this journey is a person (MADARA) with her ESAMĪBA as an intangible part of the Universe, God and world. The person is searching for themselves and the calm within themselves.
The mood we are going after would be – the fairy world which is created by means of scenes from nature (the emphasis is on the natural, real life rather than fairy-tale like or computer created scenes) which would make us realise the astonishing beauty, fragility and authenticity of nature.
Nature, Universe and the world we are living in are the most amazing and original elements of our ESAMĪBA and we are a part of the GREAT ESAMĪBA.
WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL IMPRESSION OF THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST? WHAT ARE YOUR STRENGTHS TO WIN EUROVISION?
I have been following Eurovision Song Contest since Latvia entered it in 2000 with Brainstorm performance. By the way, we are from the same town. I have watched the contest and supported Latvia and Europe. I recall many awesome songs from Denmark, Estonia, Sweden. In the most recent years, I have obviously supported Latvia and I really enjoyed Jamala’s performance in 2016. I think that last year the bar of the quality of the contest was risen by the performances from Belgium, Bulgaria, Portugal, Australia, Finland and some other countries.
While supporting the entries, I still could imagine myself on the big Eurovision stage. Being on that stage, representing Latvia performing my own song “Esamiba” would definitely be one of my greatest dreams to come true!
What are my strengths to win Eurovision?
Being myself and showing my truthful story which first of all resonates with me and hopefully with all world and Existence too.
MADARA ON FACEBOOK.COM:
https://www.facebook.com/bandmadara
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https://twitter.com/madarafogelmane
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https://www.instagram.com/madarafogelmane