Natalia Safran – High Noon

Q) How were you approached about including your song “Say Goodbye” in the film Anna?

A) Director Jorge Dorado had our album High Noon and thought that “Say Goodbye” would sound perfect in the opening scene of the film, a very dark, ominous sequence. Initially the scene started with Mick’s voice, as does the song, but Jorge thought it sounded a bit too ominous and gave away too soon that something evil was going to happen. He asked if we could rerecord that part of the song with just my vocal and it did the trick. So, in the film you actually hear a new version of “Say Goodbye” than the original.

Q) What do you think it is about the song that lends itself so well to the film?

A) Just take a listen and tell me it doesn’t send shivers down your spine. And that first Anna scene has a major element of menace that becomes heightened with the song in the background. I often hear that our songs are cinematic and although I am not quite sure what that means, it makes me happy,  as I love movies almost as much as I love music. There must be something to it since our songs find their way onto soundtracks quite a bit. It started with “Hey You” in a comedy with Renee Zellweger called New in Town, and Nia Vardalos’ film I Hate Valentine’s Day a few years ago and it just kept building. This year alone you could hear us on the soundtracks of Hours, The Starving Games, Best Night Ever and Anna.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) That is an incredibly difficult question to answer. It’s also the most fun because it lets me talk about all the musicians I’m nuts for! So, first and foremost, I am influenced by Mick Jaroszyk, my brother and co-bandit. We write, compose, arrange and produce everything together. He’s also the one who pushed me to start writing and treating music as a profession more than just an obsession. He motivates me and unapologetically kicks my butt whenever needed. So, without him most of our music would never come to be. We have a similar sensibility and share new music with each other constantly. He is working on a solo project now and it is sounding so incredibly good! I don’t know whose influences come through in our music. We never try to sound like anyone. We just write as we feel, with no regard for trends or commercial value. As far as sounding similar to another artist, I’ve heard us compared to Massive Attack, Morcheeba, Sigur Ros or Seal for instance. All fantastic artists! The only thing I’m concerned about is staying true to what’s in my head and creating authentic sound that’s all our own in the best world quality production. My biggest musical heroes are people who write their own material, have been around for a long time, stayed true to their style, have not sold out and keep on creating and experimenting without fear of alienating their audience like Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Mike Patton, Chino Moreno, Willie Nelson, Scott Weiland, Tina Dico, Sia and Jack White.

Q) How can fans become involved in the promotion of your music?

A) Fans are the only ones who can make it happen! Mick and I are fully independent artists. We produce and release everything on our own with no label affiliation, so we get all of our support from the fans. It’s word of mouth and spreading our music via social media, postings and repostings on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram, listening to our songs on Soundcloud, Spotify or Rhapsody. Join the fan zone on http://www.nataliasafran.com and, of course, buy our songs on iTunes! We work tirelessly to bring our fans new tracks, to update them on the new releases, photos, gigs and videos, with which we have been particularly prolific lately. It’s really super hard work, which often keeps us up all hours of the day and night. We don’t have managers, agents or a team of assistants aiding us in the process so we count on the fans to do what they do best and get our music out into the world. Particularly today, I think we have to fight for independent music and the artists we believe in (much more so than in the case of big label names that you are going to see on every billboard and hear on every commercial radio station in the world, in repetitive rotation until your ears bleed). So, fans please support us every way you can and it will be appreciated like there is no tomorrow and repaid swiftly in new music and film. And please don’t forget to buy our songs, for that, at the end of the day, lets us pay our bills and stay afloat to keep on making music. If you don’t buy, we don’t eat.

Q) Your album High Noon was crowd funded. What will you be doing for your follow up?

A) Getting High Noon made thanks to the financial support of our fans was the best experience ever. To know that there is a real need for her music is priceless for an artist, to have that direct contact with the audience not diluted by any go-betweeners. High Noon has only been fully released to the fans who helped fund the album and it hasn’t yet all made it to iTunes. So, we are planning to officially premiere the remaining songs paired with the releases of their videos in the next couple of months. We have some real cool videos up our sleeve! Also, within the next two weeks we will be releasing a remix project, which we are so excited about! We were approached by some amazing DJs to remix our songs, among them the iconic DJ Sandy Rivera. It was an unexpected new avenue for us so we dove in with full enthusiasm and as much curiosity. We ended up with the most beautiful group of remixes, enough for a full remix album. We made videos to six of them and I promise it will be a treat, even for those who are not part of the dance/electronica camp, like us. Although, we are now! Just try to resist them. Six of the tracks are versions of “All I Feel Is You”, the official song from Paul Walker’s last drama Hours. Each one is remixed by a different DJ, each one mind blowing in its own way and each completely different from the original song. It’s the beauty of a remix as I discovered. You hear your song, your baby, transformed into an entirely different creation and, if done right, it becomes it’s own universe, a whole new world vibrating with its own energy. Such a thrill to witness!

Q) What can fans expect from a live performance?

A) Good music and loads of fun. Our shows have a lot of energy, but I also like to play acoustic concerts, which are more intimate and make me feel particularly connected with the audience.

Q) What do you hope fans take away from listening to your music?

A) Everybody experiences music differently, which is the beauty of it. So, I hope every one of our listeners walks away somehow moved by what they heard. Music gets through our defenses, penetrates us to the core and in rare, perfect moments. It lets us feel that we are free and elevated above what we know, sort of like a little glimpse into eternity. So, I hope that my music makes my fans feel special, different, changed, even if for just a moment. Or relaxed, entertained, relieved, inspired, depending on what they need in that particular instant!

Q) “All I Feel Is You” is a tribute to your friend Paul Walker. How did you piece together the lyrics and melody?

A) “All I Feel Is You” is a track from the High Noon album, which became the official song of the film Hours. It’s about being so haunted by someone (by their energy, by the memory of them) that it takes one’s breath away. It fit perfectly with the film, in which Paul’s character just lost his young wife and has to fight for the life of his new born baby daughter. Paul and I collaborated on the video for the song, which incorporated scenes from the movie he was so proud of. It was his best part to date and he was so excited for its release. The “All I Feel” video-clip was a glimpse into this very special movie – not a tribute – but it became that through the tragic events that unfolded. I was going to show him the finished video the day of his accident.. It kills me when I remember that he is really gone. We are left with a beautiful movie and a video which somehow strangely seems like a tribute to a dear friend and one of the most amazing men ever. All profits from the sale of the song go to Reach Out Worldwide, Paul’s first responder organization (https://www.roww.org/).

Q) Who would you love to collaborate with and why?

A) That is quite the same list as in my answer about musical influences. I would kill to do a duet with Bruce, Eddie, Willie, etc. But I am open to all new ideas. I love collaborations with like-minded creative souls and have had some great ones so far. Two of the songs on High Noon are co-produced by Kiran Shahani, the king of chillout and creator of Supreme Beings of Leisure and Bitter: Sweet. I got to work with the great mixer and bassist Rob Chiarelli (Ray Charles, Madonna, Shakira, Quincy Jones and Pink) and the fantastic international group of DJs who joined our upcoming remix project. I am working on a few new collaborations right now. It is such a good feeling to get inspired and inspire someone else!

Q) What would you like to say to your fans and supporters?

A) THANK YOU for all the support, posts, tweets, retweets, messages and requests! Every single one of them has an impact. I apologize for not being able to answer every one, but I hope you know how much they mean. Without you, I might as well be silent. So, please let me know you’re out there, every single day, speak up, act out and spread the music. You are as much a part of this as I am! Don’t forget to share our songs with other music lovers and seek out my name in your iTunes store. And make sure to listen every day to my songs or any others. Music makes the world a better place. I wish everybody loads of love, peace and music!