"Just because you break up doesn't mean you have to hate each other," says Anna Rossinelli. In this interview, the Basel-based singer talks about how the band has changed and got back together with the new album "White Garden".
It's four o'clock in the morning. Anna Rossinelli comes home from a long night of partying. But instead of sleeping, she sits down in the kitchen and writes a song. This is roughly how the title track of the new album "White Garden" came about. It is a song about her emotional state at the time. Anna had been in a relationship for twelve years. And with bassist Georg from her own band. "'White Garden' is not just about pain and separation, but also an affirmation of life," the Basel native clarifies. At the time, she is newly in love.
"But melancholic music touches me more anyway. That's more me."
Only the new boyfriend is sitting in Rome instead of in the kitchen with the singer. "The song is exactly about missing the other person when they're not there. And what it's like when you fall in love." Anyone familiar with Anna Rossinelli's previous albums will notice that something has happened. The songs sound more melancholy than before. "When your whole life changes, you don't just write happy songs," explains the musician. "But melancholic music touches me more anyway. It's more me."
Georg also dealt with separation and a new beginning in a song. "Two Hearts In My Chest" is about the feeling of saying goodbye to the old and daring to try something new. The bassist has done it. He is now in a relationship again and has even become a father. Musically, his processing song is a melancholy electropop number. Anna's "White Garden" is a funky uptempo song that would fit perfectly in an 80s disco.
The song "Jewellery", co-written by all three band members, shows yet another stylistic direction. It is an R'n'B number à la Destiny's Child. Not only more melancholy, but also more electronics characterize the fifth Rossinelli work. "The album came about quite naturally," says Anna. However, in Pablo Nouvelle, the three Basel-based musicians found themselves a producer from the electronica corner. And the long club nights certainly had an influence too.
"There are still quite a few storms to come. We're not going to let them get us down."
Live, Anna Rossinelli presents a mix of her well-known hits such as "Let It Go" and "Bang Bang Bang" as well as songs from "White Garden". Anna says about the current single "Hold Your Head Up": "This is our recovery song. We still want to be the strong shoulder for each other. It's meant to send a message: Just because you break up doesn't mean you have to hate each other." At the time, it was clear to both Anna and Georg: "Either the three of us are in the band or we're not." Of course there were jealousies. But: "There can still be quite a few storms. We're not going to be swayed."
Take the ESC, for example. While Anna Rossinelli's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 made her famous throughout Switzerland, the music competition later became a curse. "Many people knew who I was, but not who was behind it. There are still people who reduce us to the ESC." Thanks in part to the new number 1 album, the ESC stamp is gradually fading. The band would like to go on tour abroad soon. "That's a dream and a goal."
Anna Rossinelli
14.06.2019 - 10.10.2019, various locations
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