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Sounds European! has already interviewed artists from many different countries. This Monday, we are landing in a new one, Slovakia, where we talked to the lead singer of one of the coolest bands of the region. These are our 10 questions for King Shaolin, answered by Dominik Stofko:
Sounds European!: Let's start talking about the band's origin. How did you meet? And how did you decide to gather and play music? King Shaolin is a name which really calls attention at a first glance. How did you come up with it? And what does it represent?
Dominik Stofko (King Shaolin): We met in high school, where I was studying Photography and playing with Norbert in the band We Want Jam. Mustafa had his own band, with Michal on drums. It was a time when I knew in my heart that I had to make music on my own. So King Shaolin began. I spent days and nights in a friend's studio trying to write songs with a unique sound. That got the attention of Mustafa, and when I asked him to play in my band, I was delighted that his answer was positive!
King Shaolin represents some kind of higher mind or consciousness that has melded into every one of us! The duality, the yin and yang, black and white, king as both monarch and Shaolin monk, that is who we are.
SE!: You play a kind of music which is rare for Slovak artists. What genre would you classify your own music? And what artists would you say inspire your work?
DS: Our dear friend, Ric Williams, who makes sure our lyrics are in proper English, and who unfortunately we have yet to meet, calls it new-age pop, which means we sing about freedom of mind and finding love as the path to the only whole truth!
The artists I adore the most are John Mayer in the first place, then OneRepublic, Red Hot Chili Peppers, HAIM, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Selah Sue, Justin Timberlake, and so on...
SE!: We can say you have a very international work. Many of your singles have been played abroad, both on TV and radios. You have toured in several countries. And your first album, "Road to the Machiavelli Valley", was mixed in the United States. How is it to be able to work with music abroad? Do you pursue a worldwide music career?
DS: Yeah, that was the idea from the beginning: to play all around the world and to touch people musically as much as we can. I think people on every continent or island, or wherever, like music and are passionate about it. You know, music is the ultimate language that everyone understands!
SE!: You took part of the Carpathia Festival, an international song contest in Rzeszów, Poland. You finished second. How was the feeling of having your music judged in a competition, especially in a different country? What are your favorite memories of your time in the festival?
DS: It was a great opportunity and also a wonderful experience! Lots of talented bands and great singers from all over Europe got together in one location to present their very own music. We were so, so happy and surprised that we won second place, and that we also won the prize for our single "Friend" as the best song of the Carpathia Festival. The judges seemed to like us pretty much. They congratulated us after every day of the contest. We love Poland!
SE!: Dominik, you are both the lead singer and the main composer of the band's songs. How is, for you, the process of writing songs? What topics inspire you the most? Do you have special moments or places to compose?
DS: Songwriting is a drug to me! It makes me feel alive and connected to everything. I try to have my guitar with me most of the time so I can play and write if some angel sends me something special to record. Melodies are the most beautiful thing inside of us, because it is us!
"We sing about freedom of mind and finding love as the path to the only whole truth"
SE!: All of your songs are in English. Was that always an intention of yours, or did it just happen to be this way? How do you see the issue of language in music? And more specifically, how do you see this matter in your own work?
DS: You know, we choose to sing in English because it's the most known language and it's also very sonorous. And as I said, music is something everyone can understand. From a little child with no life experience to a senior who definitely has a lot of different perspectives on how to look at the world, music has the power to unite.
SE!: Compared to other European countries, including some of your closest neighbors, Slovakia has a somewhat small music market. What can you tell us about making music in Slovakia? How is it to develop a career in your country? Is expanding to other nations a necessity, in order to be able to afford living out of your work as a band?
DS: Well, yeah, it's hard for us because of the low population of Slovakia and also because we're singing in a foreign language. But I think it's working for us now, because we're always trying to be unique and make songs that make people happy. And we are professional in every way. It seems that the people of Slovakia are starting to feel the presence of King Shaolin a little bit more these days.
SE!: What are your plans for the near future? What can your fans expect?
DS: We're working on a new album that is coming out hopefully by the end of the year. Right now, we're releasing an EP called "Burn inside" that includes five songs that come deeply from my heart. We're also preparing to make another music video, of our summer single that features our sister Celeste Buckingham.
SE!: What would be some Slovak and international artists you'd like to collaborate with?
DS: Oh, boy, I would love to make a feature with Selah Sue, but I know she totally doesn't know who the heck we are! Haha!
SE!: We would like to post a song of yours to close this interview. What is your favorite song of yourselves, and why?
DS: My favorite song? Oh, no, it's like praising just one of your babies! Haha! But OK, I'd say it's "Money in my soul" right now.
King Shaolin are a four-piece band formed in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2011. This year, they are releasing their third studio album, "Burn inside", and here they are showing us the first single to emerge from it: "Money in my soul" plays with pop, rock and some Oriental sounds to create a very unique song!
