The renowned singer, songwriter and music producer, Vivi Rocha, weaves a musical narrative rich in reflections on the surprising and unpredictable aspects of life in her second album, titled “Impermanente”. After captivating the public with a series of singles, the artist expands the themes of her compositions, inviting listeners to venture into a sonic journey that addresses themes such as the need to redefine trajectories, authenticity, love, encounters and hope.
The creation of “Impermanente” resulted from a long-standing collaboration between Vivi Rocha and her friend and producer, Habacuque Lima. The album’s production process was marked by a shared approach, with songs being refined through discussion and shaped together. Many of them were tested with the public through the artist’s Instagram, providing an enriching collaborative process.
The album features a total of 11 original tracks, including a collaboration signed with Habacuque Lima. The songs cover a variety of themes, from the search for personal identity, as evidenced in “Um recado pra mim”, to the exploration of the complexities of love, present in tracks such as “Com Você” and “Dube d’água de oculars Abertos”. “. The album also includes songs that reflect on encounters in life, such as “Vagalume” and “Numa canto”, as well as transmitting messages of hope, as in “Ajante o sol” and “A vida volta a caso”.
“Impermanente” brings a reflective perspective on restlessness and ephemerality in Vivi Rocha’s artistic journey. The search for authenticity permeates both the musicality and the lyrics, guiding the entire creative process.
This new album contributes to a musical trajectory already established on the Brazilian scene. Vivi Rocha, based in São Paulo, is recognized for her authenticity and ability to connect with the public through deep and emotional lyrics. After releasing her first album, “Entreatos”, in 2018, and exploring different musical directions, the artist reveals new nuances and textures with the release of “Impermanente”.
To bring this project to fruition, Vivi launched a recurring crowdfunding campaign, allowing supporters to actively participate in the creation process, from song selection to monitoring production and recording. Now, with the songs available to the public, “Impermanente” echoes the message that life is ephemeral, but art is eternal.
“Impermanent” appears to explore themes of authenticity and the ephemeral nature of life. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind this album and how these themes are reflected in your music?
Impermanente is an album that was written, for the most part, during a period of pandemic. The first song is from February 2021 and the last one is from February 2022. I think there is a bit of a feeling of uncertainty about life in many songs. Furthermore, it was a period in which I changed a lot and learned to live better with changes and uncertainties, understanding that we really don’t have control over things and that that’s okay. So, looking now, I realize that there is a lot of this individual journey of finding myself again and making the changes I needed to make in my life, along with changes in the world that we don’t always understand.
You mentioned that many of the tracks on this album were previewed with the public on your Instagram. How did this interaction with your fans influence the creative process?
The fact that I have been doing weekly lives on my Instagram for 2 years was very important for this project. I don’t think the interaction with the followers directly influenced me in writing the songs, but it made me choose with more certainty which ones would be included on the album. Week by week I saw which songs were most requested, which people liked the most. When it came time to close the songs on the album, the favorites had to be included. One of the songs, Novos Nortes, was the result of a live broadcast in which I asked followers for stories. I drew one of the stories and wrote this song based on the story I received. In a way, New Norths only exist because of this interaction via Instagram lives.
The album features a collaboration with Habacuque Lima. What was it like working with him and how did your partnership contribute to the sound and narrative of the album?
Habakuque produced the album and the result is what it is thanks to his work. In addition to being a producer, Haba is a friend of mine and the entire process of making this album involved many conversations, exchanges and many suggestions from him. I feel very strongly that it was a totally joint effort. I really like music production because whoever produces (if they do it in a sensitive, respectful and intelligent way) has the ability to take songs to other places and amplify the composer’s message. I feel like Haba achieved that in this work. In the case of a corner, the partnership that made it onto the album, it was already ready when Haba suggested that I write a chorus. I tested several things, but I liked the phrases he suggested the most. Thus, the partnership came about.
One of the tracks is called “A message for me”. What does this song represent to you and how does it fit into the overall story of “Impermanente”?
A message for me is a song that takes me to a very nostalgic place. It tells the story of how I got into music. The story is all set in my grandmother’s house in Rio de Janeiro and the entire production was very light and fun. I think it ends up representing the moment when impermanence first appeared in my life, the first significant change of direction that happened (from then on there would be many).
The search for authenticity is an important guide for this album. Can you share how you translate this authenticity into your musical and lyrical choices?
I’ve already traveled through several universes (the world of opera and lyrical singing, Brazilian music, jazz) and I try to listen to everything because I love new things! Throughout my career as a composer, I always try to incorporate new things I’ve heard, but I stay true to what I want to say. The songs hardly come out if they don’t reverberate in me in some way. As someone who has always searched for their place in the world and never found a specific place, I joke that I build my place and it can even change. I think my songs reflect that. In this album, I combine my choral experience (with the many vocal arrangements) and include some lyrical vocals in the background of one song or another. This represents my trajectory as a singer a lot. I like to adapt the way I sing to the message of each song and explore what the voice is capable of communicating. My voice won’t always be the same. And in that, I think Habakkuk was also very happy in the production, managing to mix languages and create different atmospheres for each song. The whole message (vocal, musical, production) is impermanence and authenticity.
His song lyrics often explore deep emotions. Do you think music is an effective way to express feelings and connect with the public?
I’m sure! Perhaps the main aspect of music for me is the emotional connection, the expression of moods and even the possibility of changing moods with it. Music accompanies me in all moments, happy, sad, celebration, introspection. There’s always some music that suits the moment. And I think that, in a society that gives so much importance to what is functional, listening to music, going to a show or a party ends up being a moment of permission to deal with feelings. For me, it is something extremely necessary.
What track on the album moved you the most or that you believe has a particularly powerful message you want to share?
A very difficult question! Perhaps the one that moves me the most is New Norths. As I said, it was a song inspired by the story of a follower. However, it resonates with me a lot. It’s like it’s my story too. I’ve moved house a lot and the chorus says a lot about my own life: “where is the secret hidden that transforms fear into guidance? From time to time is it possible to transform a home into luck?”. Furthermore, the arrangement of the song made me cry a lot the first time I heard it. We sent the track to Danilo Andrade to do the string arrangements and I couldn’t stop crying when I heard it for the first time. I always get emotional singing at shows. Besides that, I have a special affection for Impermanente, because it has a lot to do with me. And I think that too easily there is a message that has to be heard.
How would you describe the journey this album provides listeners? What emotions or reflections do you hope they experience when listening to “Impermanente”?
I like to leave people free to feel and understand whatever they want. I think that’s the beauty of art. Once a work leaves, it is no longer mine. I hope people can travel wherever they want, but still feel hopeful and want to be themselves.
In addition to music, you are also a singing teacher. How does your teaching experience influence your creative approach to music?
I learn a lot by teaching. Much more about people and how to access the paths to learning in them. I also end up getting to know more songs because of the students and I allow myself to learn and listen to other ways of singing and making music without prejudice. I think diversity teaches a lot.
Finally, crowdfunding played a key role in the realization of this project. What was the experience of involving supporters in the creative process and production of this album?
It was wonderful! Having people nearby following every step was extremely important for the album to come out the way it did. Hearing people’s opinions and finding out their favorite songs was very interesting and very different from the process of my first work. When I recorded Entreatos (my first album) I didn’t know if anyone would like the songs. It was about launching and then finding out if what I wanted to say so much would resonate with anyone. In the case of Impermanente, I already had a small sample, I already knew there were some strong messages there. It’s great to know that there are people who are already waiting for your music.
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