He can't tour yet, but he's already taking us on a musical journey - to his personal, legendary dream island called Hy Brasil. This is also the name of Rea Garvey's new album, 14 great songs as a foretaste of his concerts this summer.
event.: Your album is called "Hy Brasil", but it has nothing to do with Brazil. Can you explain that to us?
Rea Garvey: Hy Brasil is an island that was listed on many nautical charts from around 132 and was supposedly on the west coast of Ireland. It was said to have been inhabited only by a large black hare and a wizard. It disappeared from the maps around 1865. I heard this story very often during my childhood in Ireland. Our heroes always fled there to stay young, and as a child I wanted to go there so badly. I've always been someone who likes to dream a lot.
So the dream of this legendary island helped you during the corona period?
Yes, I definitely didn't want to make a corona album. It was important to me not to make anything negative. That's why it was good that I wrote the songs back in 2019. I had already spent a lot of time alone in the studio - that was quite difficult. But that also gave me time to come up with a choreography for the stage for each song - you can look forward to my moves. That helped me to make an album that spreads positive energy.
REA GARVEYS LIVING ROOM SHOW
Rea Garvey invites you to his Yellow Jacket Sessions every Thursday at 7 pm. In the live-streamed online session (#TheYellowJacketSessions, on YouTube and Twitch), you can chat to him with celebrity guests such as Samu Haber, Sido, Kool Savas, Max Giesinger and others, with whom Rea also performs songs spontaneously. Rea's wife Josephine is also there as an interviewer.
Was it easy during this time?
While working on "Hy Brasil", I rediscovered my closeness and love for making music. When I started the album a year ago, music was such a love at a distance. It had a lot to do with the pace of 2018 and 2019 - I felt like a cog in a big machine. Sometimes it's like falling off a mountain, you get rolling and you don't get out so quickly. In the end, after a year of songwriting and three quarters of a year of production, I had arrived where I wanted to be. For me, the album is the musical Hy Brasil. It's an exciting story - and we Irish always have to have a story. Sometimes as an artist you realize that you've almost forgotten how much unbridled joy the creative process brings.
How do your songs come about?
We wrote about 50 songs - we chose 14 and they had to meet three criteria: firstly, make me feel good, secondly, make me dance and thirdly, somehow put a smile on my face. Corona didn't influence the songs, but it did influence their final selection.
What connects you to Switzerland?
I was sad today because I would have preferred to travel to Switzerland for this and other interviews. And because I have really good friends here ... That's why I always look forward to these trips, because you meet lots of friends and see lots of great people.
I remember your last concert in Zurich - at the end of 2018. I was way at the back of the hall, but suddenly - surprise! -you were very close - because you were playing a song on a second small stage at the back.
It's important to me to always involve everyone! At a U2 concert, it happened to me once that we arrived relatively late and were at the very back of the hall - but then we were invited into the VIP area. That was great! I don't think only so-called VIPs should be allowed to experience surprises like that, which is why we do things like that.
What struck me there was that around 70% of the audience were women.
If I may correct you, Christoph - it was actually 86% women!
Respect! Why do you go down so well with women?
I write a lot from a woman's perspective. And I show women respect. Ultimately, you show respect in order to get respect yourself. I treat every woman like my sister. I grew up in a family of eight women - my mother and my seven sisters.
How do you deal with criticism?
You have to be able to listen to criticism - but then say to yourself: "Forget it!" Someone said that the first album we made with the band Reamonn was the worst album they had ever heard. And yet we sold millions of copies.
And what's the nicest compliment someone can give you?
If I got a compliment, I'd just blush. To be honest, I think my wife Josephine is my biggest critic. But if she thinks something is good, I'm totally thrilled. The first time we spoke, she told me that she loved my voice. And we've been doing everything together ever since. When she says something is good, I know it's much better than I could have imagined.
