Siobhan De Mare, the iconic voice behind Mono, Violet Indiana, and most recently Swoone, spoke with Alexander Pearson about her career, life, loves, and music. De Mare was introduced to global audiences in Cuaron's version of Great Expectations in the 1990s. The track, "Life in Mono" introduced a generation of hipster viewers to trip hop and became a musically aromatic remembrance of that place in time.
Alexander Pearson's interview with Siobhan De Mare sketches a far more textured, emotional and engaging woman, at another turning point in her artistry and life. This podcast is a wonderful and sometimes deeply personal conversation with a talented chanteuse in the prime of her life. Enjoy the listen!
From the Interview:
"Alexander Pearson That's interesting. You said that this is a more emotional album, but from my impression of you it sounds like you already put an awful lot of emotion into your previous albums; I mean you invested a lot of yourself into it. So what was it about THIS album, in particular, that really stands out as truly emotional to you?
Siobhan DiMare Ok, well I think in my personal life I was probably at a breaking point, and I'd gotten to the point where, romantically, I'd given up and was in a terrible headspace. I mean, I'm not in that place NOW, but when I started writing the album I was in a very... I don't know, a very strange headspace. I'd kind of giving up on life, on love, and all these wonderful things - all these dreams and aspirations, everything. It was sort of a very sad time for me, and the only way I could really express those emotions was through my music. So I was keeping a very brave face, and then I was sneaking off to the studios, releasing these emotions by music. And it was like my little world, where I felt safe, where I could go and sing about all these things going on in my life and... it felt very cathartic."
Check out the entire transcript (and some related video footage)