Who is Anna Aliena?
She's a creature from a planet where singing is the only kind of communication. One gloomy Sunday I was accidentally dropped from a spaceship and fell down to Earth. I landed somewhere in the middle of Germany... For a very long time I had felt like a stranger on this planet, but now I know my place. At least I've known it since Oliver and I founded ShirayasDream!
What role did music play in your childhood, to what music did you listen? Many singers use to sing in front of a mirror with a fake microphone, did you do this as well?
Oh, that's funny! As a small child I used to listen to a number of German crooners my mother was also fond of. At the age of two or three you naturally adopt your parents' taste of music. Moreover, my grandma taught me a variety of German folk songs. We used to sing a lot when I stayed with my grandparents during daytime. I've hardly made use of a fake microphone, but I regularly practise in front of a mirror. It's important to watch the movements of your mouth and the facial muscles. The mirror gives you the possibility to correct false movements.
At what point did you decide you wanted to become a singer and what have you done to become one, did you take singing lessons?
I clearly remember an episode from my childhood when I was three or four years old: My mother had taken me to the doctor who wanted me to sing a children's song. However, I wouldn't keep myself from presenting one of the folk songs my grandma had taught me. It was about a young girl falling in love with a hunter. My mother tried to stop me, but my voice turned louder and louder, and the doctor encouraged me to continue. After this little health check the people in the waiting room were applauding. Maybe that the point when I decided to become a singer. At least I also expressed a desire to sing on TV at the same age (apart from getting married to a king in order to become a queen! ;-)). About ten years later my desire increased: I was totally crazy about the music of Queen and Freddie Mercury. Idolizing the latter, I wanted to be just like him. So I joined a choir and started composing songs. The first thing I did as a student was to look for a good voice teacher. I've taken singing lessons since then.
You started singing in Haunted Dreams and after that in Fairy’s Garden, can we see those bands as part of a learning process for you?
Yes indeed, both projects can be seen as part of a learning process which actually started much earlier. I had already written songs as a teenager, but as an outsider at school I had no band to play with. As a student at university I founded my first band. Unfortunately the other guys had no real ambition. As a result, I concentrated on classical music without writing my own songs for quite a while. Haunted Dreams was an experiment and Fairy's Garden obviously had some potential destroyed by personal and musical differences. Nevertheless, ShirayasDream certainly profits from my former experiences.
We met on MySpace when I was promoting Fairy's Garden. In fact, I must have had a secret intention to discover a new musical partner. Appreciating Oliver's compositions, I asked him if he wanted to collaborate, but at that point it was only meant as a musical excursion. However, we were caught by an overflow of creativity. For instance, at the end of August 2008 we had already produced five songs from the album “Magic Carpet Nights”! You can call it magic if you want.
Can you explain the name ShirayasDream? In relation to this, what are your personal dreams?
Shiraya is just a regular Persian name which was adopted by the makers of “Star Wars”. In the context of the movies Shiraya is an ancient goddess of the moon worshiped on the imaginary planet Nabu. Thus, she is a creature from a dreamworld whereas Oliver and I also invent musical dreamworlds beyond the mainstream. The band name ShirayasDream had already existed when I met Oliver for the first time. I guess he made it up to refer to the oriental elements of his compositions which frequently occur on the album “Magic Carpet Nights”. When it comes to personal dreams, we both envision an international musical career.
You call your music Alien Pop, what is Alien Pop, and how did you get to this term?
Alien pop is an alternative to mainstream pop which has not offered any innovative elements since the 1980s. That's boring! In contrast, we combine many different styles like opera, electro, gothic and world music. Thus, alien pop is a blending of genres. You can compare us with experimental cooks who mix different ingredients that don't fit together at first sight. In the end the meal tastes delicious, though... or at least interesting. Music is always a matter of taste! ;-) The term was inspired by our song “Floating in Space” dealing with an alien falling down to Earth.
Speaking of Aliens, who is your favorite Alien, do you prefer sweet and cute aliens like ET or more evil ones like the Facehugger
of the Alien Movies?
Klaus Nomi. He was also an opera singer from outer space who had crashed onto German ground before his escape to New York in the 1970s. I can neither call him sweet nor evil, but there's one thing I'm sure of: He was a brilliant singer! ;-) Speaking of aliens in general, I like all kinds of interesting personalities. It depends on my mood! ;-)
No, for me it's very natural to combine my vocals with Oliver's music. To be honest, I went through some very disappointing experiences with musicians and professors who stick to the classical scene without tolerating genres differing from traditional opera. In my opinion music knows no frontiers. Everyone has a right to blend genres. Oliver and I merely go with the flow of our harmonious collaboration, so there is no challenging part in our composing. We just let it happen!
How do you find the right balance in your singing between technique and emotion? What is most important?
Some years ago it was hard for me to find the right balance between technique and emotion. Being a very impulsive alien, I tend to be overwhelmed by my emotions. As a consequence, I sometimes neglected my technique. In the process of getting older my singing also matured. Now I think it's most important to put your emotions into the shell of technique. That's the best way to find the right balance between both aspects.
You have already released 2 albums in one year “Floating in Space” and Magic Carpet Nights” How comes you released 2 albums in such a short period of time, is it an overflow of creativity or did you feel you made so much progress you had to release a 2nd album?
Of course we were seized by an overflow of creativity! Yet Oliver had composed most of the songs before we got to know each other in July 2008. Thus, I only had to add my voice lines and lyrics. Being avid and diligent workers, we managed to produce 25 songs within less than a year. I think that so much progress was also fostered by the wonderful encouragement of our fans! :-)
How are the comments on both albums and how do you look back at them yourself, how did the recordings go?
I have the impression that the album “Floating in Space” is a bit more popular than “Magic Carpet Nights” because the majority of the songs is appropriate for the dance floor. The other album is mainly focused on slow ballads. We made the first recordings in my cellar. I can tell you it's rather difficult to record such a powerful operatic voice at home. For that reason we decided to work in a real studio at the end of 2008.
You have done several live shows already, how did they go? How do you prepare for a show? Do you prefer live shows or studiowork?
In general, our live shows have been very successful. It makes me satisfied to convince people who haven't heard of ShirayasDream before. Prior to a show, I rehearse the set-up in my cellar. It's not necessary to rehearse with Oliver because I have all the instrumental arrangements as mp3 files. I personally prefer live shows. Studiowork requires much more concentration to record the voice line as perfectly as possible. Of course I also try to give my best on stage!
I really love animals! My grandparents used to be farmers, so I was often surrounded by animals during my childhood. By the way, I've been a vegetarian for almost ten years. As you can see on my MySpace profile, animal rights is an important topic for me, but in my opinion it's most important to be happy and satisfied with your life...
What will be next for Shirayas Dream?
We've been working on our third album which will be published in 2010. Concerning gigs, we're going to play at an AIDS charity event in Potsdam on December 1st. Furthermore, we've recently been invited to the first Spider's Web Goth Fest in Bristol on March 20th, 2010. I hope we'll also find a good label and a competent manager in the near future...
Any last words for the readers?
I am the uncrowned Queen of the Night, only a shadow still, but soon I'm gonna fly...