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by Zeljko Vujkovic
| Zelko : Hi Alexia. My name is Zeljko, I'm
from Croatia and I am a writer for the music magazine Final Impact. You
are a great, young and beautiful singer and this is a very big pleasure
to make an interview with you. Please, could you introduce yourself ? Tell
me something about you as a kid, how did you start singing, did you have
some musicians who inspired you etc. ? |
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Alexia : I was born in La Spezia (Italy). As
a small child I began singing in various places of my hometown. during
this time I entered and won more than fifty competitions, achieving the
title of "little wonder". At the age of seven, I began studying piano
and voice at school. at the age of twelve, I studied dance and, in the
meantime, I carried on doing shows, becoming familiar with the stage and
live crowds. After school I sang with some professional groups, performing
in numerous discos.
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| At school, what kind of music did you listen to
? |
Every kind, but in particular rhythm
and blues (Aretha Franklin).
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| I read in your interview on the
web that you knew that Roberto Zanetti, before you met him, was making disco
songs. It is Italo-disco style of music. Have you watched other italo disco
artists, Radiorama, Ken Laszlo, Den Harrow, Fred Ventura for example ? You
know, I am a very big fan of Savage and Italo disco. |
I was a big fan of Savage and Italo-disco !
| What do you think about the Italian
disco production (Italo-disco) in the 80's ? |
It was a very good period with very talented artists. I like very much that
style, it's like a father of my music.
| How did you meet Roberto Zanetti
? |
His sister Viviana had heard me by chance singing in a disco with my group
and told him about me. The following evening he came to hear me and asked if I
would like to go into the studio to do some demos.
| You know, when I heard for the
first time song Take Away The Colour by Ice MC, I stayed 'puff' because
of the great, harmonical, breezy voice of the female singer. At the beginnig
I didn't know the great voice I heard was your voice. You have a marvelous
voice, Alexia. In what way you exercise your voice ? |
My secret is : exercising daily and keeping it as a habit.
| Do you like working with other
artists ? |
Yes. I work alongside artists who take their work very seriously and that's
fundamental.
| Do you have a wish to make a duo
with some singers, and if you do, with whom ? |
Oh Dear, yes : Luciano Pavarotti !
| Alexia, how looks your working
day ? |
A day in the studio starts late and ends late ! I go to the studio at about
14.00 in the afternoon. It's best to go in at that time as a singing voice is
much more relaxed, warmer and easier to work with compared to the morning. Try
outs of new songs are sung accompanied by Roberto Zanetti on piano. It is here
that songs are born. Remember : a good song "sounds good" simply being sung accompanied
on piano. A studio schedule would look something like this :
14.00 : I arrive at the casablanca studios. I sing in the afternoon accompanied
by Roberto Zanetti on piano.
18.00 : coffee break in a nearby bar.
18.30 : lyrics are put together with the music. This is a very long process
because the lyrics have to ring well with the music.
22.00 : there's a pizza break and afterwards an extremely tired Alexia, finally
leaves to go home to bed ! This probably doesn't seem much, but a day in the studio
can be exhausting ! Time flies ! There is no set working time, so when you have
finished you can go home.
| Do you have enough spare time
? What is your occupation during spare time ? |
Spare time... Such bliss !! Can I admit to it? I love shopping. I love food
and clothes shopping. Usually with being so busy, I never find the time to do
the food shopping the way I'd really like to and so I end up asking my family
for a helping hand. I really prefer to do it all on my own because recipes come
to mind when I'm walking through the aisles of the supermarket ! As for clothes,
I love to rumage through the new arrivals as I'm a bit of a spendthrift, but even
so, I'm very careful about what I buy.
| Do you like to go on tour ? |
I love to travel, so I'm always on tour in different parts of the world. It's
so emotional to step foot in a country where you have never been before. I remember
my first ever concerts in America and Australia so well. In Finland it was very
special to sing at midnight with the sun still high in the sky.
| I read you like San Remo Festival
and you would like to be on it as a guest. Don't you wanna be on that festival
as a competitor ? |
No, because I don't want to sing in Italian language : to be a competitor you
have to sing in that way.
| I saw San Remo 2000, and for me
the best one was Spagna with her very beautiful song, also Alice, Matia
Bazar were pretty good. How did you like San Remo 2000 ? |
I loved all of the singers, but in particular Jenny B. she has a really strong
and soul voice.
| Alexia, what is your plans for
the near future ? And further, of course. |
To sing. Always.
| Do you plan to visit your fans
in Croatia ? You have a lot of fans here, you know ? |
Why not ? Maybe next future. I'd like to take the advantage of thanking each
and every one of them for all of the affection they give me.
| I noticed you have a lot of fans
outside Europe. I saw on the web that many people from Brasil admire you.
By the way, the great singer and producer Fred Ventura, who worked with
Roberto Zanetti on his song Don't You Want Me (1994), had a very
big concert in Mexico as I know. I don't know, but do you think that many
people in South America loves italian dance production ? |
Yes, it's true. Italians are very famous in America for two genres of music:
lyrical (Pavarotti /Bocelli) and dance (Eiffel 65 and many others).
| Alexia, I know you love all your
songs but is there any special song for you and why ? |
I really don't know.
| Do you have, for the end of this
interview, something special to say ? Something exclusively maybe ? |
I would like to thank all my Croatian friends who welcomed me and make me feel
a special one. I'll never forget it !
© May 2000 Zeljko Vujkovic - All rights reserved
The Eurodance Encyclopaedia
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