He was born in New Jersey but feels at home in New Orleans, a city that breathes soul, jazz, blues and folk. “A little bit of everything, like me,” says Dayna Kurtz, who returns to Spain with a small tour that starts next Tuesday in Altea and will then take her to Madrid and Estepona.
They present her as the queen underground North American. Did you like the description?
I seem to remember it being in an article when we first saw it about 12 years ago. I don’t remember exactly anymore, but I think a journalist gave me this nickname. We’ve continued to see this ever since. It is interesting, poetic and tragic at the same time. I wish I left the underground a long time ago, but my career has been and continues to be that of an outsider, what can we do about it?
Celebrate 20th anniversary Postcards from Downton, their acclaimed debut album. How do you remember the creation of these songs?
It was the fruit of years of work. I’m a slow composer when it comes to creating, it takes time to write, and first of all, there were songs from the whole period before the album came out. Love is getting in the way It is the song that still shines in Europe and continues to remember me. I remember the excitement and anxiety of those years, but I was not fifteen years old, my career started late, which is perhaps different from many artists. On the other hand, I remember the magnificent mill where I lived in those years.
So how does it feel to sing this song now? Has it changed or is it essentially the same?
Songs develop and change just like us. Will I sing to them like before? I’d like to think I’ll get better over time, but I think the essence is the same. I still love them and really enjoy some of them. It’s true that I don’t play these every day, but it’s exciting to see that twenty years later people remember and enjoy them.
“I can’t live without singing. I think it’s not a choice for me, it’s a necessity like eating or breathing.”
Many writers deny old songs or prefer to sing new ones. Why go back to the first album?
More than going back, I wanted to celebrate. It passed in the blink of an eye. This journey is progressing very quickly and I am proud of these compositions. I still play some of them and they’re a part of every one To showbut it is true that others have disappeared. It is my special respect for those handful of songs that brought me to Europe and opened people’s hearts to me.
What is it like to sing alone with Robert Maché’s guitar?
A pleasure. Robert is like my soul mate on stage, love at first sight, someone who allows me to express myself and accompanies me like no one else. A guitarist and a musician with excellent taste, who grows with every note and leaves room for the songs to touch your soul with love, without being shrill. A guitar scholar. You will see. It will leave you speechless.
There are blues, jazz, folk and soul in his songs. Which gender do you feel comfortable in?
I feel comfortable in roots music. I can’t tell you which one I like better or whether I belong to one or the other. But it is true that New Orleans left a mark on me forever; This is where I feel at home, among its people, history and traditions. What is New Orleans: soul, blues, jazz, folk? A little bit of everything, like me.
The sound is amazing, full of bass and treble. Is it something innate or the result of work?
Thank you very much! I know my voice has improved over the years. And I think everything that affects me is the old sounds, the old blues, the naturalness, the pains, the joys or the sorrows they express themselves. I always knew that was my path and that was how I expressed myself. Also poets and ripped, wild voices like Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits, which I’ve always admired. But of course they mature and develop over the years.
Why is he singing?
Because there is no option not to do it. I couldn’t live without singing. I think singing is not a choice for me, but a necessity, like eating and breathing.
He said in an interview that music should make you dance, cry or make love. Are you still thinking about this?
Definitely. It’s a primal need, a response that comes from within and takes you to corners you wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach. It is an instinct and we must allow ourselves to be carried away by it. You asked me before why I sing. For the same reason we need sex to live effectively.
They compare her to artists like Nina Simone or Marianne Faithfull. Are these references for you?
Of course they are. Nina Simone is one of the voices I admire, and not just her voice. Ms. Simone was so much more than a voice and she still influences me.
Which artist would you resurrect if you could keep listening?
Difficult question. There are so many people I want to see today… Donny Hathaway, Etta James or Prince. Jeff Buckley, Tim Buckley, Freddy Mercury… Sorry, I can’t choose one.
“I want to return to Spain regularly, like I did a few years ago. I love to enjoy the sun and the food!”
Do you think people enjoy music as much as they did twenty years ago?
I don’t think so, but it’s something we can’t change. Everything is so fast and one of the things necessary to enjoy what we do is pause. We cannot say that it was better before, it is worse now, we should not fall into this. But of course, stop, listen, enjoy, notice the song, the lyrics, the sounds, the records… So many things have changed that it is impossible to count just one. But the end is the same. Music accompanies you and songs will always be with you when you need them.
Why did you decide to open your tour in Altea?
I want to return to Spain regularly, as I did a few years ago. I love enjoying the sun and food! Not everyone knows this, but another passion of mine has always been cooking. In this sense, Alicante has always treated me like a goddess. I played here at Palau Altea years ago and it seemed good to come back to this new stage. Also, my tour managerGilbert lives in Alicante, so it was nice and natural to be in Altea.