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Kyriakos Gabriel Varnava, welcome to VENTS! Can you tell us a little more about your latest single, Tonight?
Tonight is my first love ballad .I wrote both the lyrics and the music and Ant Tarrant did the recording and the production of the song. It’s a really emotional and intimate song and I hope that many people will resonate with the lyrics and the melody.
Tonight was your first ballad, are there more in the pipeline?
Tonight is actually not my first ballad, but my first love ballad! Most of my songs have a low fi , acoustic, ballad vibe but lyric wise are inspired from different emotions, situations and relationships of my life. Tonight was a strictly romantic/love story. And yes I do promise more ballads for sure! Composing “Tonight” had such a cathartic influence in my life and I am definitely going to release more songs like this!
What is the story behind Tonight?
I guess I belong in that category of people that can say that “I have been in many happy relationships in my life..minus the happy”…”Tonight” emerged during one of those endless nights that I was left alone, with empty promises , in front of a window ..looking outside waiting and waiting for someone to come. ..Both the music and the lyrics came out of me as a sigh and an internal scream together… I hope that the lyrics and the feeling of the song will resonate with a lot of people that have invested in relationships and got nothing in return.
Can you tell us a little about your writing process?
It starts from the inspiration..an emotion, a story, something that has happened (quite often actually I use lyrics that literally describe exactly what happened) …then I allow myself to just be creative. Without judgement, without “Censoring”… this is the most important part of the process..many artists I feel that get trapped in the “censored” process.. They hear a “wrong” note ,chord, word etc and they stop the process… I always try to allow myself to write music in a “non-judgmental” way ..it’s quite transcendental that way.
How important do you think vulnerability in music is?
One of the most important aspects of music. If you are planning on staying in your “safe zone” that will come out in your music ..either as a defensiveness or something neutral. A famous actor once told me , “people come to see a truth, not a lie”.. The same applies for music. People want to hear your story, want to see a true person , a vulnerable naked soul…
Aside from other artists, what inspires you?
Human relationships! In all forms! From our family relationships to the relationship with the Self, our friends, our soul mates…all forms of relationships are a tremendous source of inspiration to me…
What was it like making your debut in September 2020 during lockdown?
Ha! Good question…Well, I knew that it had to be done…I was hoping that it wouldn’t be during the world’s worst crisis, but nevertheless I knew that it had to be done..It was challenging, especially since I was unable to perform live, but on the other hand during such a challenging year I did something that I always wanted to do..and the feeling for that is indescribable!
Would you say that moving from New Zealand to Cyprus affected your sound?
For sure it has! It has affected everything outside and inside me! In many ways, but to be honest any movement of energy is a form of dance ..if you manage to find the rhythm and dance to it, everything becomes an amazing experience.
Can you tell us a little about your upcoming EP?
With the exception of one song that will be a bit more upbeat rock tune, the rest of the songs will be on the same vibe as my previous singles. The EP will be called “Like never before”, although to be honest just between us I am still debating the title, and I am thinking of including one of the songs both in Greek and English which is a completely new territory for me… It will be released during summer (for the rest of the world), but winter for us here in New Zealand.
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