Name: Emma Tricca
Nationality: Italian
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Emma Tricca's Aspirin Sun is out via Bella Union.
Recommendations: Two books: If This Is a Man by Primo Levi and Revolutionary Letters by Diane Di Prima

If you enjoyed this Emma Tricca interview and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her official website. She is also on Instagram, and twitter.  



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

Both, it depends on where I am, of course.

My mind wanders and makes up oneiric film-like-stories that often inspire poems or songs.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music meant to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

It meant everything and still does; the intensity has not changed.

My ears have become more critical throughout the years for sure. But music is still my number one go to.

Over the course of your development, what have been your most important instruments and tools and how have they shaped your perspective on music?

Guitars. Guitars and poems have been my vademecum, always.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

Tough question. I have no idea what motivates me. When the inspiration hits, it just hits.

Some people turn out to be mathematicians, some doctors, some builders, and some can’t help but write songs.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

That’s pretty much it for me too …

I hope my sound is unique to me / us (the band) and that it also contains all the music we’re inspired by …

I think we’re all a mix of all those things.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I am a big fan of the rain and thunderstorms. I love listening to their sound, it inspires me greatly. The sounds of the ocean too.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

Old folk ballads hold a very special place in my heart, always drawn to the first … again, they spark movie-like visions of places and people and situations like no other type of songs / compositions.

From symphonies and traditional verse/chorus-songs to linear techno tracks and free jazz, there are myriads ways to structure a piece of music. Which approaches work best for you – and why?

I think I am a traditional kind of guy when it comes to writing songs … that’s definitely my starting point … but I could not tell you why.

Maybe it’s because of my love of folk ballads and the Beatles? I don’t know!

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

I normally write poems, impressions, thoughts, dreams … I kind of put them away and then revisit them, extend them and turn them into songs … this is very much relatable to our new record.

Sometimes, I just write a word down and that spark a whole song …

Sometimes, science and art converge in unexpected ways. Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

I don’t.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

I think the way I live very much goes hand in hand with what I do. Not a choice, just a need …

I have no idea about understanding life (in general) through music or any other means … I am not interested in solving the mystery.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Making a great cup of tea IS art! Everyone knows that!

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

I do, of course I do. Funnily enough it’s “5 O’Clock” by Aphrodite’s Child!



If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

I’d like to carry on evolving as a musician and collaborating with an orchestra. That is my dream.