Exposed Vocals sits down to an interview with La Gioia!
Listen to “It’s My Life” Listen to “Stopa 1”
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
La Gioia: Via Twitter. We tried to find some pages about music and just Exposed Vocals was very interesting and attractive.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
La Gioia: We are three singers. Two of us are opera singers and one is pop singer. We met each other such as unknown people and that is what keep us together like brothers. We all come from Slovakia. Matej Vanik, tenor and pop singer comes from Brezno and he studied at Pedagogical faculty and after university he started to sing in Slovak National Theater. He found out he can create music as well. So he makes our music arrangement and vocals as well. Peter Durovec, barytone, opera singer, comes from Nitra and studied opera singing at University. After studies he started to sing in State opera in Banska Bytrica and in Sant. Polten.Polten in Austria as well. Peter Sevcik, barytone, opera singer, comes from Topolcany, studied opera singing in Music school and University as well. Just Peter Sevcik saw first time pop opera group in 2006 and told himself that it is something he wants to do. Sing pop music in opera style. He spoke to Peter Durovec as unknown person to sing in this style pop opera. He was agree with this and Peter Durovec spoke to Matej Vanik the same way. We all three knew that singing and music is the only thing we want to do but had no idea which way. And just pop opera opened us horizon of music which we want to make steps. To bring opera to the street and bring something from the street to opera house.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
La Gioia: The name of our group was long trial. We tried to inspiration by our music. We started to arrange our song special into Italian language as most opera language. So we found some names in this language. And one day Peter Durovec said: What do you think about name La Gioia? In translating it means joy and this was right name for our group.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
La Gioia: To share music online is Great idea. People can listen to music without problems. And of course we gave our music away for free as it is one of the way to promote our music and our group.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
La Gioia: As we are the one and only pop opera group in Slovak and in Czech it is very hard to get some tips for similer local bands or artists as we live in other places of country.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
La Gioia: Of course, we did mistakes during our concerts. During our Christmas concert, we sang song Adagio. It is very emotional a strong song. It started with cello solo. Cello player came closer to us and sit on the chair which was very closed to stairs. One leg of chair was just next to stairs a he did not see it. All the orchestra saw that except cello player. To see so concentrated orchestra with us as well was absolutely funny. All eyes hold him to do not fall dawn. There were just millimeters holding him from accident. After finishing of this song we all were so happy. We have never been so concentrated.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
La Gioia: Of course we tour as ware special concert band and we make about 150 concerts per year. Very funny was situation when we traveled to East Slovakia. The road was very long during driving and we found out that road is not on the place where used to be. We got to the wood. Absolutely crazy situation as GPS did not work and we had no idea where we are. It happened during winter and in the night and on this road we met big deer. We just stopped and watched each other into eyes. After couple of kilometers showed up road and we were happy we are out of this.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
La Gioia: Our songwriting inspiration is in our heads. We usually make this process during our driving or late night when we are in the recording studio. But best inspiration for us is coffee. We need to have it for liters and after drinking of coffee we usually have a lot of new music ideas.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
La Gioia: Of course we have our website www.lagioia.sk We use for sharing of our music Twitter and Facebook as well.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
La Gioia: Our songs have really unusual arrangements. We try to take on a new form for very popular and known songs. People know song Crying in the rain in original from A-HA and we tried to do it in our way. Make different voice maybe more fully. The same way we recorded It is my life from Jon Bon Jovi and we took on it into Italian language. Our full three pop operatic voices made more interesting song from Robin Williams Angel in our version Un Angelo or song Pe te from Josh Groban. Of course classical songs as Adagio, Bridge over troubled water or Concert for piano and orchestra from P.I.Tchaikovsky in our version Il mio concerto per te and many others you can find on our three albums called La Gioia, Per Te and Adagio.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
La Gioia: As we have a lot of plans with our music we would spend it for recording of our new album, for promo and advertisement of our new album, for recording of our new video clip and for making DVD from big concert with orchestra.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
In this time we are recording our fourth album. We would like to publish it during this autumn. We have prepared couple of new songs which could be surprising for our fans. Of course these songs will be in our arrangement of pop opera and comes from world and special from Czech and Slovak pop music.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
La Gioia: Firstly we know that internet is best way in this time to promote music. So we actually work with Facebook and Twitter and via YouTube of course.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
La Gioia: First promoter of pop opera was Luciano Pavarotti. This singer was first who took out opera in the street among people who had no idea how beautiful opera is and bring popular singers into this world. He showed us how to attach pop music and opera. So this is our favorite singer.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
La Gioia: Of course our preparing of new album is most important for us and preparing of Christmas album as well. Of course we plan to tour so much with our new performances. We plan the new project with famous operatic vocalist from Czech Eva Urbanova. We plan as well during spring couple of concerts in Czech and in Italy and Austria. We would like to record a new video clip and DVD. So many plans during this year.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
La Gioia: As we are three singers and we have finished Pedagogical university we all three would be teachers of music. Music is something we can not imagine our lives.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
La Gioia: It was absolutely amazing feelings to hold our first album in our hands and to know this is our job and we can show it to all people. First album means for us new beginning something what stay here as result of our work.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
La Gioia: Of course many training is very important and preparing of our shows. We want to bring funs new show and new music. We still prepare and still plan new projects.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2015?
La Gioia: They can look foward to many concerts and shows. New album our priority and hope new video will watch more and more people. And of course we are looking forward to new fans.
