[INTERVIEW] Magdalena Przychodzka, vocalist of the band Derwana, about music and more

The Last Tavern: Summer is the event season. Fantastic events take place basically every weekend. The beginning of July will be very laborious in your case. Concerts in small clubs are different from those organized during themed events. Which form do you prefer?

Magdalena Przychodzka: Each concert is different for us. Everyone is unique in their own way. It does not matter if it is a great festival with a huge audience or a small chamber concert. We take great joy from sharing our music with everyone. It often happens that these concerts, which do not seem to be some great events, outweigh those festivals where we could count on wider interest, popularity or atmosphere. So there is no clear answer here.

We just love to play.

Nowadays, the folk metal and folk rock scene is developing a lot and there is a lot of variety. Some bands only play traditional instruments, while others treat the folk atmosphere as an addition. You sometimes say in interviews that you think about adding elements from electronic music. Does all this mean that listeners of this genre are flexible and open to experiments?

I cannot talk about the preferences of the listeners, everyone finds what they are looking for in music. I believe that limiting oneself to some kind of stylistics or instruments is very harmful for a musician who wants to develop. Derwana is just such a line-up that has a specific style and specificity, but at the same time continues to look for new solutions to develop and move forward. Someone once said that there was everything in music. We do not agree with this. We create something that flows from us, we create, we search, we find and connect.

This is what musical maturity is all about, this is what the future of music is about. On a search.

Slavic culture is very rich. Each region has something to offer. Any of them especially inspire you? Or maybe there is one that does not appeal to your imagination?

This is an interesting issue. There is no specific Slavic direction we would be hitting on. Our melodies and songs are a mix of various folk styles. We are open to various forms of early and folk music. We weave these canons with each other, creating something in its own way, different, with a hint of freshness. Many of the themes are based on early music, but they are also combined with modern sound, a well-developed rhythm section, melodic guitars and ethnic instruments.

Otherwise. Everything that inspires us, no matter what style it is, can be interpreted in our own way. Give it its own language, its own style.

Over the years, Slavic culture has tried to break into the mainstream several times. Słowianki Donatana, “Koko, Euro Spoko” and now the performance of the Tulia band at the Eurovision festival. Some became a meme, a viral. How important is the serious approach to culture and where does the lack of tact begin?

Each musician has complete freedom in what he does. There are no diagrams or guidelines here. For some, some performances will be perceived as kitsch, while for others they will be a masterpiece. There is no definition here. Music is like art. Subjective. It’s not a sport where someone won or lost. Here you can perform the best song in the world and there will always be someone who doesn’t like it. It’s normal.

Therefore, I am of the opinion that every artist creates music that comes out of him. Often, if it does not do it from the heart, it becomes an artificial creation devoid of authenticity. It is up to the recipient how he or she interprets it.

Do you conduct research when creating new material? Do you study the roots of legends from a given region?

No. The songs that are written are mostly stories of their own. These are stories about a non-existent world. At times, they may refer to legends or myths, such as Topielica or Południca. Many times, however, they are songs about life dressed in our own style. The song Nie Płacz Dziewko or A Tomorrow is a song that tells about mundane situations that can affect all of us. Told in a slightly different way. We want our texts not to be limited to myths or legends. We want to talk about what surrounds us, hurts and delights us.

The message is very important.

Have you ever played in a location associated with the song you are performing? [If so, what were the reactions?]

We recently played such a concert in Węgrów. My adventure with folk began in Liw, 5 km from Węgrów. For me, this place is magical for many reasons. This is where my family’s roots go, many songs were written here, and finally here we shot the clips for our songs. So I can safely say that if it weren’t for Liw and the knightly tournaments organized there, maybe I would never have become fascinated with early music.

Your album “Czary Modły” may be a milestone. How was it created? Did you know immediately what the soundtrack would look like? Does the order of the tracks matter?

Czary Modły is a collection of songs that form one stylistic story. Each is different, but each has common features. We tried to choose the order of the songs so that it was varied and delicious. The album also includes graphics made by me, which refer to the plot of the songs, color and bind the material together.

In the information about you you can find the words: “Slavic rock – full of secrets, undiscovered lands, fairy tales and yet unknown stories.” How much else is there to be discovered in this music genre? What are your goals in the near future? Do you have a specific plan for the next concerts, music videos, albums?

Our goal is to play, make people happy and keep creating. There are still so many undiscovered places that exist in our heads. We would like to be able to introduce them soon with a new album and concerts. There are many ideas. Willing too. Everything is a matter of time.

When it comes to inspirations besides musical – what fantastic universe is the most interesting for you? Do you have similar tastes or are everyone interested in something different?

Interestingly, each of us listens to completely different music. Maybe that’s why Derwana is so diverse. As a singer, I weave white chants there, but also strong rock vocals, Majkel is fascinated by the sounds of the past, she experiments with electronics, analog sounds, Tonic focuses on selectivity, strong support, rock flair. Grzesiek is fascinated by melodic and progressive metal with elements of symphonic metal. Radomir plays early music and shanties. However, no species is alien to each of us. We are happy to improvise during rehearsals in various styles. Music is also great fun.

What is Derwana’s greatest dream? Soundtrack for the game? Any international collaboration? Cooperation with a specific label?

We have a few dreams. We love collaborations, soundtracks and games. Each of these things would be a great experience for us. Combining different artistic spaces is extremely interesting. It’s a great satisfaction to work with people who love what they do as much as we do.

So our dream is to spread our music and connect it with various artistic entities.

Creating is a constant adventure and people are its inseparable inspiration.