Styliani Pitsillou...
She is studying Music Performance with a specialization in Jazz, she is 21 years old and she is an Augorite. In the summer we see her going around Ayia Napa and beyond, singing a genre just outside our waters, Jazz!
Styliani speaks to FamagustaNews and Andri Flourentzou and reveals to us her relationship with music and more specifically with Jazz, how difficult it was for her to be... "different" but also about Cyprus's relationship with Jazz.
Styliani Pitsillou in an interview that will captivate you...
Enjoy!
Love-hate relationship
"Music was always present at home, but thanks to my mother, music began to take root and become a part of me, a part of me. But beyond that, my relationship with music was between love and hate. From a young age I realized that this is what I would do professionally but it didn't make me happy, I was afraid to be honest with myself and face it. The reason is personal and still uncertain."
Old school sounds... and "I felt different"
"My listening, until today, was and is all 'old school'. I started with folk music which prompted me to take bouzouki lessons for several years. Then somewhat addicted to Greek Disco music, such as the Olympians and The Charms. So I also started voice lessons at a fairly young age. I sang them all the time, everywhere! But as a child I didn't have people my age to share and enjoy them with. I felt different…
I could not be understood by my childhood friendships at the time, I could not share something so precious to me.
As a child I was blessed to grow up away from the technology that thrives today. I remember spending countless hours in front of the TV listening to MAD TV and jotting down titles. Until, boom! I hear a track that upset me with good care, I felt it was a masterpiece. As close as I can hear. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black! I heard it, I looked it up and I loved it! To this day he is my most important musical influence. Cliché, but without coming into contact with her music I leave 3% to deal with Jazz, and for that I am grateful."
Music of expression and romance
"Jazz for me is music of expression, romance and listening to subtle emotions. With jazz mostly I feel like I can express myself without saying a word. I would put a piece on the record player for you to listen to and within about 3 minutes he would tell you, he would convey to you the feelings that would take hours to discuss. And in the end, I might never get across the message I wanted.”
"I change the sounds and make them my own"
"The recipe for the sound I have today consists of sounds of the 1960s mainly but also a lot of hip-hop, classical music, funk, rock, everything! I listen to each genre, choose what to adopt and how to alter it to make it my own! To create my own sound and my own identity.
"I learn from all the artists"
“There are many musicians I admire and learn from.
Names like Amy Winehouse, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, Lauryn Hill.
A musician of wide fame can teach you vocal tricks for example and stage figures, but a musician/artist in my circle will teach me better how to not give up. Doors keep closing, psychology always has ups and downs, and you evolve on a personal level. You claim what you want but it takes effort, 'war' and selfless love."
"It is difficult for someone to make a career with Jazz in Cyprus"
"It's hard to dream of a career when you're involved in Jazz in Cyprus. But I hope that the genre of jazz and its subgenres continue to spread so that there is a firmer ground for the next generations of musicians."
Jazz and Cyprus
"I think Cypriots and jazz still know each other. I think the new Cypriot and jazz are far apart... a lot. A fact that sometimes makes me sad as this particular genre has a lot to give and create unprecedented emotions that every person deserves to feel. I hope one day I can contribute to that.”
"My lyrics are for personal use"
"I'm falling in love every day and another track...but the last few days 'Come and Get Your Love'- Redbone NONSTOP! I write my own music and lyrics, I'm not sure if I'd want them released as I'm clearly writing them for personal use. Inside my lyrics there is information that I can't even admit to myself! I expose me!
In addition, I am interested in having them reviewed by some other appropriate person in the industry."
Summer looks
"Besides the hotels and weddings where I present myself, I also post my up-and-coming looks on Instagram styliannie_pitsillou
- From July 21 and every week at Lasmari Beach Bar (Ayia Napa)
- From July 22, weekdays – Sueño Azul (Marina Ayia Napa)
- August 7- Stories ( Larnaca )
Each space with different programs from chill out repertoire with unique arrangements, romantic music ideal for a special outing and groove vibes from Disco – Funk and selected Greek Melodies.
These programs are in collaboration with a very special and talented musician, Andreas Filippou."
Famagusta.News / Andri Flourentzou