MADARA : 'My song is the anthem of hopeful people'
Renowned and classically trained cellist MADARA (Madara Fogelmane) hails from the small city of Jelgava in central Latvia, and having studied at Brussels Royal Conservatory and a postgraduate at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, she has developed her cello playing skills guided by international expert professors, such as Olsi Leka (Albania), Jeroen der Herder (The Netherlands) and Gavriel Lipkind (Israel). MADARA has truly positioned herself as a talent for the future with her sensuous fusion of vocals and cello.
Tonight she will fight for qualification tonight in the second semi-final of Supernova 2018 - the Latvian national selection with her song 'Esamība' (Existence) and she took time out to speak with us ahead of the show.
Firstly talking about her beloved cello, MADARA considers it not only as 'playing a musical instrument' because it is her way of life, and believes that 'Music is the language people use to talk from heart to heart....if the song and emotions are sincere, they can be perceived beyond the linguistic borders.''
''The instrument embodies you. It expresses your personality, thoughts and how you perceive the world.'To make it work one has to have great skill and talent to convey that feeling unto others. She also reveals the secret about playing cello by mentioning: 'Cello needs a person to make it alive and let it breathe. It needs those human vibrations.''
When asked how she would describe her song 'Esamība' - MADARA told us: 'The song is about the peace and us realising that every person is a treasure and that we are a part of the great Existence. Every person is of a value and the life is a gift – realising it brings the utmost Happiness and Tranquillity....moments when we feel down, when we lose the calm and most sadly, when we lose ourselves. It is the time to find the way back to ourselves. It is the anthem of concerned yet hopeful people'.
When was asked MADARA about her choice to perform in Latvian, she advised: 'The song was born and created in Latvian, the language which is the closest tome, it is my mother tongue. Latvian is the language that can reflect my true being and my revelations in the best way possible. I see the gains only singing Latvian in Supernova and Eurovision because, given the fantastic feedback from the international fans, I have realised that the music has not linguistic borders. It is united in feelings and in the interpretations of the song...I would definitely perform the song only in Latvian, because it brings out the song’s authenticity. The song exists on the energy and vibrations of its lyrics. I want to make Latvian heard in the world, to get to know us and our roots because the Latvian is one of the oldest languages on this planet'
Lots of fans are keen to know more about how the song will be staged: 'The main idea of the performance is to depict the nature in its all power and might, visualising the visible, sometimes intangible but yet great things that embody the greatness, beauty, fragility and tranquillity of nature. The visual idea of the song is going to take you on a journey from the heaven down to earth, from stars and comets down to trees and moss.'
MADARA has gained a lot of fans with her song, and we can't wait to see her performance at Supernova! What do you think of the song? Is it your winner from Supernova? Will MADARA make it to Lisbon? Don't forget to let us know in the comments, or on our social media channels - YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!
