10 Questions For: Diogo Piçarra

INTERVIEW

It's finally time for another interview on Sounds European!. We are very happy to be able to talk to one of our favorite artists from Portugal. His music is great, and so was our conversation with him. These are our 10 questions for Diogo Piçarra:

Sounds European!: You started appearing to the general public in 2012, when you won Ídolos (the Portuguese version for Idols). But tell us a bit about before that. How did your relationship with music start? Who were your childhood idols? What do you believe they might have influenced your musical style?

Diogo Piçarra: Long before 2015, I had never had any connection with music, other than the albums by Linkin Park and Backstreet Boys which were mingled on the shelf. From that year on, the curiosity to learn how to play an instrument was stronger, and to this day music has never left my life any longer. However, the true idols came later when I started discovering music which was not on the radios, as Ornatos Violeta and Yellow W Van – who ended up, indeed, influencing my writing in Portuguese.

SE!: Now, let's talk about Ídolos. How does it feel, for an artist, to have their work judged by the audience, without knowing what outcome to expect? What did you learn from the experience of taking part in this show? And how was it like to win it?

DP: It's a bittersweet feeling. The anxiety kills us because we want our work quickly out there. And at the same time, fear is so big that we could give up at any time. But there is no better feeling than this anxiety of finally having our words in the ears of people. With Ídolos, you really learn to deal with criticism, with fanaticism, with rejection, with every good and bad thing the music universe has. Winning it was also a bittersweet feeling, because you finally have the recognition, but also the pressure and "all" eyes on you.

SE!: You are an artist who interacts a lot with your fans, specially through social networks. How is your relationship with the audience? Do you believe that artists' being closer to their followers through Internet is the future for the art world?

DP: My relationship with the audience has always been something natural and inherent in myself. It's impossible to ignore someone who supports us, who does anything for us, who waits hours in line just for a hug or who spends the days listening to us. It really touches me, and the only way to be able to give something back is through social networks. At least this is my point of view. There are other artists who don't see it the same way and prefer having a distance, to keep some mystery and privacy – which is also fair!

SE!: Your numbers are impressive, especially among Portuguese artists. You've already reached, for example, on YouTube (between your official and VEVO channels), around 20 million views. The amount of followers on your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts is also quite large. All of this, for an artist who is still in, let's say, early stages of career. How do you feel about such expressive achievements?

DP: That's what I ask myself every day! I have felt the same way long before the album was released. I wondered how it was possible not even to have an original work released – an album, a single or anything – and to have so many followers.

SE!: We really like your work. We see, in your songs, features which are very rare in the Portuguese pop scene. How do you see your own work? How would you define your genre and, further, what your music offers?

DP: I really appreciate the description, because that's what I've always tried to do: something different from what Portugal has, but that already existed abroad. Even though I consider myself a pop singer and songwriter, I have influences from many other styles, such as electronic music, hip hop and indie. And in my head, all these styles mingle and create what my genre is.

"I want to enrich my country with lyrics and music in our language" (Picture: official Facebook page)

SE!: We feel your music sounds more international, more connected with worldwide trends, than the average of Portuguese artists. Thinking about that, and the fact that you've already studied at London Music School, we wonder: Is it in your plans, maybe, to expand your career to an international path, with lyrics in English?

DP: I've been asked this question many times, and believe: I myself also think of it. In fact, I have some ideas in English. But, on the other hand, at the moment, Portuguese music comes as a priority. There's so much I want to do in Portuguese! In other words, I want to enrich my country with lyrics and music in our language.

SE!: Your first album, "Espelho", was very well received. How was the process of recording it? And how would you describe the music in it?

DP: The album "Espelho" is a summary of my last three years. So, the music in it is an amalgamation of everything I have written, listened and lived during that time. I've always recorded and produced the ideas on my computer, but thanks to Fred Ferreira, they got another life. For about three months, we were stuck in the studio realizing how to make all those ideas sound fresh, different and in Portuguese.

SE!: If you could choose anyone, who would be some Portuguese and international artists you'd like to collaborate with?

DP: I'd love to work with artists – who have also been getting their deserved recognition – such as Agir, Dengaz, Jimmy P or D.A.M.A. We've already got to meet each other, so now it's only a matter of going to the studios. International artists would be Ed Sheeran, Drake, One Direction or Justin Bieber, because I love and respect their work immensely.

SE!: What are your professional projects for the near future? What can your fans expect?

DP: In the near future, they can expect the reissuing of my album "Espelho" with a special DVD which was filmed live and gave me great pleasure to record. They can also expect big concerts for 2016, and I hope to gift you with new music for the new year, because that's why I'm here!

SE!: We would like to post a song of yours to close this interview. What is your favorite song of yourself, and why?

DP: I like them all, of course! But I would choose "Verdadeiro", because it is a summary of my life, my state of mind and my attitude towards life and my art.