Q&A with Black Heart
Black Heart is the solo project of Austrian musician Corina Cinkl. She just has released her debut album “All Is Lost”, a beautiful, dark and melancholic album that evokes The Cure of the “Pornography” era. Listen to the single “Shadows” here:
We are excited that Corina took the time to answer our questions and shed some light on her work:
Q: What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
A: Since I first heard it this spring, I still catch myself, murmuring and singing the chorus of B.Miles ‘Salt’ at least twice a day. It is such an incredibly catchy, sensual and bubbly track, with a totally addictive tune that makes you wanna sway and do crazy summery things.
Q: What was the first album you have ever bought? Digital, vinyl, CD or cassette tape?
A: The first album I ever bought myself was Silverchair’s ‘Frogstomp’ on CD. I must have been like 11 years old and my best friend at the time pointed me to it. I saved up for it, went out to get it and loved it from the first note of the first track. I remember listening to the album on repeat for the rest of the year.
Q: Is there a song you’d like to cover?
A: I love doing covers, in my first band we did a lot of those at band practice and at live at shows as well. Now I tend to do covers mostly for special occasion, for friends. With BLACK HEART I did a NIN cover recently (‘the day the whole world went away’, an impromptu demo of this is up on soundcloud) for a friend’s 30th birthday. I really liked how it turned out so I might explore that further. I would also love to have a go at some 90ies favourites!
Q: What’s your songwriting process like? What comes first, melody or lyrics?
A: Generally, I am a very verbal, word-oriented person with a great love for poetry and the beauty of language. When it comes to song-writing this word-orientedness has become so different over the last couple of years. The music comes first, like a flash of inspiration and everything falls into place after that. The words can and will change a lot throughout the writing process, vividly moving with the evolving narrative of the song.
Q: If you could master any musical instrument in the world, which one would it be and why?
A: The Harp! It is supposed to be one of the hardest instruments to learn how to play really well and to me it has the most bitter-sweet sound of heart-ache and longing of all instruments. My own talents lie far away from any strings-based instruments (vocals and piano/synth) so I am always in deeply awe of the harp players of this world, struck with pure envy-less admiration.
Q: Are you planning to bring “All Is Lost” to stage and, if yes, will you perform alone or with a band?
A: I had a little celebratory gig already, in my hometown to celebrate the release in the beginning of June and I would love to go on a little (Europe) tour in the autumn, though nothing is completely settled yet. In any case I will perform this album solo in live shows. On the one hand it gives me more flexibility if it is just me travelling etc, on the other hand I really enjoy the thrill and the intensity of being on stage alone and it fits the theme of the album as well.
Q: Where would you love to perform live one day?
A: Wildest dream: The ‘God of Winds’ temple in Mexico under a full moon.
Q: If I were to visit Vienna, where would you take me to see/hear great live music?
A: It is getting harder every year for many organisers and bookers who work off the mainstream here, but some places still exist: The RHIZ (event tip: Gravité), FLUC (event tip: Vanity Vague Romantic Club) and VENSTER99 have great live shows with off the beaten track bands (both Austrian and international). I love to go there to have a beer and watch a band perform, especially when my friends Sirius & Darktunes do the booking. They have exquisite taste and such respect for the music!
Q: If you could choose to live in a decade (music, style, etc.) which one would it be?
A: I have a fascination for the period between the two world wars, especially Paris in 1920ies, this place in time when so many (later) influential and extremely fascinating artists came and went and left their intellectual footprints and transformative energies there. But I try not to romanticise any past or future time and space too much, I am very much into the here and now. To inhabit the presence fully and unabashedly and completely is the most interesting adventure.
Now I want to check out Vienna! Thanks, Corina for the insight and we hope to see you live soon. Follow Black Heart on Facebook or Twitter.