In the midst of everyday chaos, it’s hard to put yourself to thinking. Reflecting on life and, with that, making decisions is something increasingly unusual. For Liza K, the reflection came from a dream, where, in 2017, she had an encounter with a melody. From there came “Entra”. The song is available on all digital platforms.
Although it did not appear in its entirety, “Entra” gained a composition process that took place over time. From the initial inspiration, which revealed the beat of the song, Liza went against the verses that give birth to the track.
“This song was born in a very different way from the others and became my baby. It all started with a dream: it was night, in an empty square in a country town. There was a bandstand and inside it a man dressed in white with a guitar in his hand. Sitting on a carved wooden chair, he prepared to play. Inside the dream, he watched the “concert” alone, listening to the cyclic melody with very low notes. I immediately woke up with that good scare and with the cell phone recorder, I recorded this initial idea that later became the first part of the melody. The next day, in the morning, with it in my head, I wrote the first verses of the lyrics. For that, I appropriated the image of a specific environment: a house on the mountain where I lived and awaited a special visit from a wise old man who would shelter me on a rainy night. He would bring messages of learning about his journey and it was an auspicious time of great value. He needed to welcome him in a dignified way.
This scene and this purpose helped me to build the lyrics. It is curious that the dream has nothing to do with this image, but there is a common point that I discovered a little later: the musician in the dream, in real life is a great friend of mine, who in his house, also located on the mountain, is a excellent host. There is a link with the scene of the visit of the traveling pilgrim, because the house where I imagined he would stay was the house of this friend. I have a special affection for this song, because it wasn’t an immediate composition process. Every step required full attention and care. I didn’t want to do it just for the sake of it, in a hurry to show it to someone. I couldn’t fool myself or take a wrong shortcut. I knew there was something valuable that hit my ear from that dream and I couldn’t do anything.
As I love working at night, with silence pulsating at my side, there were many late nights around this search. Only in the pandemic, years after the dream, did I find the outcome and was able to complete the song. It was quite a challenging journey that taught me a lot. It is worth telling a detail about the title: initially the song was going to be called “Candeia”. I love this word, I find it sonorous and it helped me to map a specific melodic phrase structure, in addition to bringing the context of light, of flame, that is, this word gave me an important guide in the construction of music and for a while I named it like this. Then, with the song ready, in the studio talking with Marcelo Cebukin (producer), he pointed out an important factor: the lyrics invite someone, invites someone to come in and the title “Entra” would emphasize this issue even more. That’s why, we had the idea of doing a poll about the title, asking people close to and involved in the project to participate. In addition to “Candeia”, we had some suggestions in hand, but “Entra” came in first. It was unanimous!”, says Liza about the whole process of composing the song.
Liza K’s songs bring a lot of everyday experiences, deep feelings and reflections on life. About this, the singer says:
“All this comes from a need to materialize the word in sound. A thought can originate in some joy or some pain and I consider it essential to bring these developments to music, as it is as if something resignified. Just like light in the shadow, what was previously uncomfortable inside becomes sovereign. Many of my songs talk about love and some I wrote at the height of flirtation, but others were born from the chaos of separation and the feeling of ending, is the same as closing a cycle. Lightness and happiness together in alliance. I never had children, but I can imagine the joy of childbirth.
I never generated anyone, but I made some songs born. Art has the ability to reshape the senses, sculpting expressions, reshaping sensations, being able to dismantle them simultaneously, if necessary. It is a natural, intuitive movement, without many calculations. I feel when the syllables fit the melody in a round way, at the same time, I notice when they slip and don’t fit there. It’s like knowing the right time to discard. Composing is a puzzle with many possibilities of adjustments, but there are the perfect connections, which are like magnets. Like paint in a painter’s hand, a note can call out a word through a vowel, letting you know if it matches or doesn’t. In a lyric, what matters is to be sure of what you want to say and if, in the first place, it makes sense from the inside out, it is certain that it will resonate somewhere, in the other. I.e,
With the aim of creating a unique atmosphere and conveying a more concrete message, “Entra” is accompanied by a music video. Recorded in Lumiar, in the Mountain Region of Rio de Janeiro, the video explores the simple, promoting a connection with nature.
“Everything was planned well in advance, in 2021. I had a wonderful artist from Porto Alegre, Jonathas Martins, a graphic designer, illustrator and photographer who captured and edited the images. It was his first experience as a videomaker and the result surprises everyone who receives this information! I was sure that everything was exactly as I had imagined, because Jonathas has a very sensitive, conceptual and poetic look, as well as a peculiar good taste. Other than that, to make the process even easier, we speak the same “language” artistically and we are great friends.
Initially, we organized ourselves online, making the script together and then face-to-face in RJ, we adjusted the script to then take the road to Lumiar, where we were immersed for four days in the house where we filmed. Off we went with Anna, my partner and Layla, my stepdaughter. They helped us with production, scenery, props and makeup. The costumes were made by Gisela Saldanha, my sister, who in Rio de Janeiro gave all the coordinates in advance. The resources were simple and that was our main goal, living up to the message of the lyrics of “Entra” and also to the title of the new album “Simplicity”. The rustic house, surrounded by a valley with dense forest, perfectly translated the atmosphere of the image that served as a basis for me when I wrote the lyrics: the messenger traveler’s shelter. Everything fell into place.
We recorded at night, taking advantage of adequate light with candles, in the early morning atmosphere present in the context of the song. It was magical and everything flowed naturally. Initially, I thought of the figure of the visitor at the end of the clip, opening the door and arriving at the house, but for that we would need a third person, someone older in the role of the wanderer and this would imply factors such as image authorization and the most complicated : we didn’t have that person around and time called for action! We tried solutions with my own image and that of Jonathas, dressed and disguised as “sir”, but it didn’t work and thinking about it, this version could have been too literal. We prefer the final version, with the door opening, leaving a surprise in the air and making the viewer wonder: “who arrived?”.
Another surprise that came up on one of the nights we recorded was a craft doll that was part of some scenes in the clip, representing the imaginary “being” that would arrive from a long trip. It was interesting because when we opted for this house, we had some furniture and objects that we knew we would find there, but we didn’t have the complete precision of everything and unforeseen events could appear. With luck, everything worked out super well and we had the opportunity to recreate with the elements possible at our hands, everything that was meaningful and capable of complementing our path line with the clip.”
About the track’s relationship with her recent releases, Liza says:
“’Entra’ is the fourth track from the new album ‘Simplicity’. Interestingly, her clip was ready before the clip ‘Reparar’, the first released. This happened because the order of releases was changed. Back then, in the planning drawn up with the production team, ‘Entra’ would be the first track to be released, but as the forecast for the start of releases would be at the end of September 2022, close to the elections, I thought that the theme of “Reparar ” was more in line with the context of the country at that time. We had time to produce a video for “Reparar”, since the video for ‘Entra’ was already finished. So, once again we scheduled Jonathas to come to RJ and this time we created the script side by side, in RJ. With urban images, outside, in the center of the city, Copacabana, on the beach and in the village where I live, we built the clip. With a different dynamic, but with the same intensity as ‘Entra’, we collected all the material between photos, teasers and takes.
Our second audiovisual production was ready, which opened the sequence of releases of the “Simplicity” album project. “Entra” which would be the first release, ended up being the last of the four tracks released. I was very pleased with this new order, because ‘Entra’ arrived exactly at the moment when the year was really starting, in March, after Carnival, that is, entering to welcome the new year. Good or bad, after everything the world has gone through in these last three years, with so many losses and an avalanche of events in different sectors, it’s rare not to feel in your chest, the air of a new beginning, of a new stage. For me, based on this reflection, the message of ‘Entra’, which talks about welcome, represented a lot this long-awaited entry and arrival of 2023.”
Singer, songwriter and teacher, Liza K has a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from UNIRIO. Throughout her academic career, she developed research on Brazilian folk music, the subject of her monograph. As a teacher of Music Education, guitar and musicalization, she has worked in several Municipal, State and private schools in RJ, in addition to developing a musical project for the Third Age in coexistence clinics and associations. Currently, in parallel with her solo career, Liza is the bassist of the Bloco Mulheres de Chico, the first carnival group formed entirely by women.
As an interpreter (voice and guitar) he performed in shows with texts by Arthur Azevedo and Ariano Suassuna “A História do Amor de Romeo e Julieta” (adaptation by Ariano Suassuna and direction by Elza de Andrade), which passed through RJ, SP and MG and received the Coca-Cola Award for Best Direction and Best Young Show.
He participated as a vocalist and instrumentalist in the groups Cordão do Boitatá; Bloco Céu na Terra and NEAE – Experimental Nucleus of Art and Education, directed by Sidney Mattos.
“To juggle all of that is tremendously challenging, but at the same time it’s an internal study on how to make the most of your time, noticing the intersections of these diverse tasks. That is, points in common, such as voice, expression, oratory, study and research. What can I extract from these environments (classroom, clinic, studio and stage) to adjust relationships (students, public and production) and apply in my authorial work. Pure alchemy! When I joined UniRio, in 1992, my desire was to play, compose, sing, learn more about harmony, arrangements, etc. In my head, there was no idea of studying pedagogical subjects, being a teacher in a public school and exploring these paths. But there was no way to get away from it, if a degree course offers this universe.
I continued there, with the intention of trying my Bachelor’s degree later on, which ended up being left behind because I was interested in popular music and at the time UniRio didn’t have a Bachelor’s degree in MPB, only in classical music. After graduating in Licentiate, I ended up doing a few years of Bachelor of MPB, a new course that the college offered. Finishing UniRio, I took the exam for the Municipality and State and started teaching in public schools. As I already gave private lessons and also worked in private schools and day care centers, I got very involved. He gave music workshops at the Núcleo de Artes do Leblon and at Casarão dos Prazeres (City Hall projects) and during this period he produced soundtracks with the students. It was a very rich exchange in this universe, with interest groups, that is, there were a maximum of fifteen people in the room and the content yielded very well.
Between rehearsals with the band, concerts, recordings, I needed a break for vocal health. It was the body asking for the dosage. It was at that moment that I began to measure and put on the scale what it would really be worth. I asked for permission and we know that when a door closes, another one comes announcing the gap! I worked for many years in schools with teenagers and children, but life was generous when it took me towards the Third Age and Music Therapy clientele. I feel useful in helping someone with music as a tool. With that feeling, I enrolled in the postgraduate course in music therapy at the Brazilian Conservatory of Music in Rio de Janeiro. I still give private lessons, but to a lesser extent than before. A natural movement that I also chose to follow. At the same time, talking to teacher friends, it is not uncommon to hear that before the pandemic, the demand was greater, since the revenue in general was more favorable for this. Today, with the crisis the world is going through, I believe that the first thing that is cut between the monthly bills is a music class or any art class, unfortunately.
Even so, time is precious and I count on it more and more to focus on music and I see that it is a direction that has no return. Today I managed to balance the number of classes needed to pay the bills, without losing sight of the creation process. It took me a few years to find this “middle way”. At some point, back in the beginning, my work as a teacher helped me in the process of composing, discovering the multiple paths that music could provide me, but at this current stage of my life, aged 52, I see it as a changing cycle, where these tasks are not so intertwined anymore. For example, I have a lot of songs that are in storage and have never been released, which generates a certain natural and positive restlessness as well. Multiply the time to do what it takes!” tells the singer.
Liza K announced the release of her new album, in honor of her father, consisting of eight tracks.“This album is a tribute to my father who left during the pandemic. He was a man of the sea, a submarine diver and the meaning of the word “simplicity” (album name) translates everything he brought me in words, gestures and wisdom. In life, he had time to listen to seven tracks without the official arrangements and he also knew that this homage would happen. There are eight tracks in total: four have already been released as singles and the other four will be released along with the album. We chose not to present them all, that is, to release them “track by track”, as the idea is to leave a taste of curiosity, with something new to show at the end. Initially I even thought of releasing the eight tracks, one per month, but Cebukin made the following observation: “Wouldn’t it be redundant to release all the tracks? And when the album comes out, what will he have again? It will no longer look like an album, but a collection of singles that have already been released.” I found this logic perfect and we chose to leave half of the album as a surprise. The focus song, which gives the album its name, is called “Simplicity” and is completely new. I did it in the pandemic. Among the eight tracks on the album, “Entra” is also new. The other three songs that are on the album (“Brisa”, “O Mar” and “Eu Sou”) and that were not released as singles, I already performed in several concerts and some people already know, but they never entered the studio. I am very happy to be able to share this material! Cebukin is perfecting the arrangements and the presence of woodwinds on this record is bringing a unique sound.” The focus song, which gives the album its name, is called “Simplicity” and is completely new. I did it in the pandemic. Among the eight tracks on the album, “Entra” is also new. The other three songs that are on the album (“Brisa”, “O Mar” and “Eu Sou”) and that were not released as singles, I already performed in several concerts and some people already know, but they never entered the studio. I am very happy to be able to share this material! Cebukin is perfecting the arrangements and the presence of woodwinds on this record is bringing a unique sound.” The focus song, which gives the album its name, is called “Simplicity” and is completely new. I did it in the pandemic. Among the eight tracks on the album, “Entra” is also new. The other three songs that are on the album (“Brisa”, “O Mar” and “Eu Sou”) and that were not released as singles, I already performed in several concerts and some people already know, but they never entered the studio. I am very happy to be able to share this material! Cebukin is perfecting the arrangements and the presence of woodwinds on this record is bringing a unique sound.” I’ve performed at several shows and some people already know, but they’ve never entered the studio. I am very happy to be able to share this material! Cebukin is perfecting the arrangements and the presence of woodwinds on this record is bringing a unique sound.” I’ve performed at several shows and some people already know, but they’ve never entered the studio. I am very happy to be able to share this material! Cebukin is perfecting the arrangements and the presence of woodwinds on this record is bringing a unique sound.”
Liza also adds: “The months of May and June bring news: the release of the album on the platforms and then the show with the band, and there is also the possibility of releasing another clip for the song “Simplicity”! Wait.”