A goddess in every woman
Her debut album Si me quieres/If you love me (2010) combines soul rhythms with a voice full of sensuality as a way to live intensely. Born in Barcelona, Gemma Genazzano is the Italian actor Oswaldo Genazzano’s daughter and she has the Mediterranean aroma so a deep earthly soul floating in a sea rhythm. After her piano studies at Conservatori del Liceu de Barcelona, thanks to a grant she moved to Boston in order to study at the Berklee College of Music. Step by step she’s been creating a personal music born in her passion for discovering her lovers and herself.
You are living between New York and Barcelona. How important is New York as a creative place for Latin musicians?
NY is a magical place full of opportunities but it is also very lonely and hard. It really doesn’t matter if you are Latin or not, I believe that for any creative person, the more inspiring the environment is, the better. NY is very eclectic culturally, you see it all here!
Why did you choose Latin jazz as your musical expression?
Latin/Soul would be more exact…I think of my music as sultry music... I love blending jazzy melodies over soulful grooves and funky and hypnotic rhythms. I like singing in Spanish and in English so I can create a new sound.
Marlon Saunders has a very important role in your project. Tell me about your collaboration.
I met Marlon while I was studying at Berklee in Boston, and then reconnected with him again when I moved to NY. He is the producer of my CD and he has been a very important person in the development of my career as well as a very good friend.
He's also a very creative person and an incredible singer...just check out his website www.marlonsanders.com.
Sensuality is the center of gravity in all your lyrics but also your voice is deeply sensual itself. As we can read in your official website “relax with a glass of wine, light a candle, get cozy with that special someone and let Gemma Genazzano sweep you away into a world where romance is always in the song”. Are you in love with seduction?
Seduction is an important part of a fun, exciting, mysterious way of approaching love in life.
Take me away is the second track of the album in which you talk about a no ending night. Do you feel sensuality as a way out from ordinary life or a way for discovering?
Maybe a little bit of both...
Is the night a kind of paradise where everything is possible?
Absolutely.
Dance Interlude is a slow piece in which your voice is whispering sensual feelings as a prelude for a kiss. Is sex our best dance?
No, seduction is our best dance.
Si me quieres is probably one of the most frequent sentences in a relationship. Is our love depends on the sentiments of our beloved?
The whole sentence says “Si me quieres…Dimelo” meaning "If you love me ...Let me know".
But definitely not, there shouldn't be any expectation or dependency in our relationships. Love is the higher expression of life. When we turn love into expectations we only get disappointment. When we need something from the other, we are just looking for what we are missing in ourselves. Love simply is, let it be and enjoy it. Receive love and give it without trying to control it...
Secretos starts in a groovy style but suddenly becomes a slow tune with a mysterious air. Is seduction full of lies?
Secretos talks about how you can lose yourself in your love for someone else. This song tells the story of a woman so crazy about a man that even though she knows that he’s lying to her she doesn’t want to know the truth.
So, could you Show me who you are?
My songs are about love, romance and passion because I feel it is a way to celebrate who I am. I think it is important for a woman to feel free to express her inner beauty because... I believe there’s a goddess inside every woman waiting to be discovered...but if you want to be in touch or know more about my project please visit me at my official website and facebook.
Interview by Juan Carlos Romero
Photos by Eddi Collins