Aline Frazao is a 21 year young songwriter with a stunning artistic maturity. While her compositions have an undoubtedly Brasilian feel, she seemlessly integrates her Angolan and Cape Verdean influences for unique and powerful songs. Click play, seat back, relax and read the interview below:

[28.02.10 21:16:31] Olivier Rosset:Hello Aline, so who are u and where are u from?

[28.02.10 21:17:42] Aline Frazão: I’m Aline Frazão and I’m from Luanda, Angola.

[28.02.10 21:18:31] Olivier Rosset: How and when did you start playing and writing music?

[28.02.10 21:20:39] Aline Frazão: Well… despite of my age, it started long ago. I was 9 when I started singing in public, in some school events… I started with Fado, actually. Then some Bossa-nova and Cabo-verde’s traditional Mornas. At the age of 15 I started playing the guitar. That was when I wrote my first song. And it was a love song. hehehe first love, first song. Curiouse. =) And I started with some small concerts in a lot of places of Luanda, almost all of them related to my school activities.

[28.02.10 21:23:48] Olivier Rosset: Wow cool! Can you tell us a bit more about the music scene in angola?

[28.02.10 21:28:05] Aline Frazão: In this very moment everybody all around the world is getting crazy with Kuduru, this electronic dance music made in Luanda that Buraka Som Sistema brought to the world recently. But we’ve always been very… musical, we have a very musical culture. The traditional “Semba” and “Kizomba” never loose its fans and dancers. There is also a nice Hip-Hop sceene, some very good rappers. I think that the angolan music receives a big influence on one hand from Brazilian music and on the other ghand from the american Hip-Hop-MTV-Pop stuff. Ah, and there are some house/soul/chill-out DJ’s rising up too.

[28.02.10 21:35:45] Olivier Rosset: If you would have to pick up 5 albums to go live on a desert island, what would it be?

[28.02.10 21:35:58] Aline Frazão: Hmmm… let’s see:
“Elis&Tom” – Antonio Carlos Jobim and Elis regina
This Golden Album of Ella Fitzgerald
“Navega” of Mayra Andrade
Gal Costa Canta Tom Jobim (live)
and right now maybe Nneka “No Longer At Ease”
But that would be a very difficult choice! i’m sure tomorrow I’ll remember some other 5 albums I really like

[28.02.10 21:42:41] Olivier Rosset: 2 more questions?
[28.02.10 21:42:47] Aline Frazão: Sure! =)

[28.02.10 21:45:24] Olivier Rosset: I noticed that you are giving away for free some of your music.
[28.02.10 21:46:00] Olivier Rosset: How do you use & see the web today?

[28.02.10 21:47:47] Aline Frazão: Yes… nice question. I think we all agree that Internet is changing the way we deal with knowledge and culture and communication. As far as music is concearnd, well it allows us sharing it with a huge public everywhere in the world (except some countries like China hehehe). I find that possibility… just great.
Looks like a true democratization of Music, I mean… A response to this crazy music industry of the last century.
Me, as public, I think it’s great to have access to all of these artists through internet, listen or download albums free or paying what it worths. As a musician, as long as you respect and recognize authory, if you really like my music I’m happy if you can have it free. For me the most important thing is to play live

[28.02.10 21:56:01] Olivier Rosset: So what should we expect from a label today?

[28.02.10 21:56:24] Aline Frazão: . A label…
Well, I’m not an expert but I think that labels shoud adapt themselves to Internet and practise real prices, I mean…
I don’t mind buying a track or an album I really like, but it should not be overpriced (I don’t know if it exists). There should be more and more concerts live. I think we overrate the studio music.

[28.02.10 22:04:47] Aline Frazão: Muito obrigada.

[28.02.10 22:05:18] Olivier Rosset: De nada.

[28.02.10 22:05:31] Aline Frazão: And let me tell you, nice work with the web. It seems like it works really well (much better than MySpace!!!)

[28.02.10 22:07:47] Olivier Rosset: Thanx soooo much!
[28.02.10 22:07:54] Aline Frazão: You too! I’ll be waiting for it.
[28.02.10 22:08:07] Aline Frazão: Thank YOU*

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