Gerasimos Papadopoulos On the Making Of “Kíta, re mána”
What was the creative process like for this particular song?
The studio process is often less inspiring than one might think... It involves stress, disagreements, technical issues, fatigue... All of that — of course — along with the creative side, which is also intense in every sense. However, with this particular song, all of us experienced something unique in the studio: After we finished recording and moved on to shooting the music video, we inevitably had to play realistically, not just pretend to play, because that would definitely show on screen. So playing live with the daouli and zourna was truly an ecstatic experience! We all felt it... It was an experience that brought us closer to primal musical states, where sound vibrations triggered powerful dopamine surges and a kind of Dionysian frenzy that only natural sound can awaken in the body...
How did you approach the arrangement and composition of the music for "Kíta, re mána?"
Since the lyrics were written first, they guided the way I composed the melody. The melody had to possess both deep inwardness and outward expression. It is the externalization of our most intimate emotions and thoughts. An explosive eruption of the lava that lies within our being — thick, scorching, and dazzling all at once. The orchestration, however, took a completely different path in its creation. Although I initially had specific ideas about the instruments I would use and how they would contribute to the final result, in the end, it was the musicians themselves (and MELiA in a decisive way) who led the orchestration to where you now hear it. And the result is very different — and much better — than what I had originally imagined when I was composing the piece!
What impact do you hope "Kíta, re mána" will have on your audience?
“Kíta, re mána” is not your typical hit song. It doesn’t sweep you off your feet instantly. It requires a certain readiness to receive it — both lyrically and musically. It carries a kind of naïve violence, as naïvely violent as our inner world can be.
If I want it to have an impact on my audience, then that impact would be to unsettle them — to remind them of hidden desires, to shake them up, to jolt them out of the numbness of everyday automation, to remind them of who they are and what they truly long for…
Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
I’d say that, artistically (and not only), I’m a child of the postmodern era that Western culture is currently going through — but not in theory; rather, because it resonates deeply with my own nature. It’s as if I fit naturally into my time. What do I mean by that? I feel like a creatively multifaceted person. Musically, I flirt with many genres: I started with what we call “Byzantine music,” moved on to Greek traditional and folk music, played a lot of bouzouki and, in recent years, the oud. I sing not only in Greek and Turkish, and the music I compose is even more diverse: Eastern-inspired, folk, theatrical, instrumental, vocal — even songs for children. But beyond music, I’m also a linguist, a musicologist, a sketch artist — and I’m very passionate about the production side of things as well…
How do you collaborate with performers and ensembles to bring your compositions to life? How important is communication in these collaborations?
A crucial question! Communication is the alpha and the omega. I trust my collaborators 100%. Their opinions matter more than mine when it comes to their respective areas of expertise. The synthesis of all those perspectives, however — and the final decision — rests with me, along with the full weight of responsibility that comes with it. My collaborators have learned not to expect instructions from me — simply because I honestly have no idea about many aspects of the overall musical and visual product (especially when we’re talking about the music video as well). We co-create, starting from an initial concept that comes from me. That’s what makes the result so much stronger — because it isn’t the creation of a single mind, but of many minds joining forces. Not with the intention to clash, but to deeply listen to one another.
