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Davina Robinson | ||
Davina Robinson is breaking all the rules when it comes to making music. Originally from Philadelphia, Ms. Davina Robinson now enjoys life in Osaka, Japan, where she is currently based. Most recent Davina has been featured on Japanese radio stations, and has won honorable mention in the Billboard Song Contest. Moreover, she was a runner-up in the VH-1 Song of the Year Contest and was a semi-finalist in the UK Songwriting Competition. Davina has been one busy musician.
When one listens to her delivery of her music, one will be enthralled by the nice assortment of rock and soul that really testifies the melodious diversity of Ms. Robinson. As a songwriter, Davina acknowledges that she is embarking on the right journey as she is desiring to amplify her presence internationally. Check out this first interview with the Rock & Soul diva:
MySpace URL:
http://www.myspace.com/davinarobinson
Main Website:
WWW.DAVINAROBINSON.COM
Isaac-Joseph: It is a pleasure interviewing you today. How are you
doing these days?
Davina Robinson: Thanks for the interview! I'm doing pretty well; one of my songs, "Making Love To Your Girlfriend," is coming out on two compilation CDs (so far). I'm getting Internet radio play and I'm optimistic about other opportunities that are in the works.
Isaac-Joseph: You are originally from Philadelphia. What made you
decide to move from the states to live where you are at now?
Davina Robinson: Music was always my first love, but I also had an interest in foreign languages and cultures. I wanted to experience something new and different, and Japan was especially interesting to me. I did some research, and Japan had job opportunities, so I moved to Japan.
Isaac-Joseph: I had a great time listening to your music. How has
living in Japan help inspired your own music?
Davina Robinson: Living here has provided me with experiences and feelings, both positive and negative, that I probably wouldn't have had living back home in the States. These experiences gave me inspiration to write. I refined my writing skills. And I was cut off from American radio and TV, so I didn't know what the music trends were. So when writing a song, I had to rely on my instincts in how to compose it, not on what the popular sound trend was. Of course, this is scary and risky, because you want people to like your music and you don't want to sound outdated.
Isaac-Joseph: Describe the feeling you had with the debut on the
compilation CDs Violet Femmes Vol.1 and Females On Fire Vol.3.
Davina Robinson: I submitted my song "Making Love To Your Girlfriend" to Violet Femmes and Females On Fire this past summer. I had only recorded the one song at that point, so a compilation CD seemed to be a good way to get exposure. But because I only had one song, I didn't expect much to happen, actually, but I submitted the song to several promoters anyway. Violet Femmes was the very first opportunity I got an answer from, and it was a positive result. So I was ecstatic! And getting selected for Females On Fire was very timely; I was feeling a bit depressed one night, and I opened my email and got the good news. In both cases, let me be honest, I cried. :)
Isaac-Joseph: I read in your bio that you were the runner-up for the
VH-1 Song of the Year Contest. Describe that feeling you received
while working on this project.
Davina Robinson: It was also for "Making Love To Your Girlfriend." The subject in the email said "Congratulations! You're a runner-up!" or something and I was like, "no way!" I was really scared about "Making Love To Your Girlfriend" because I wasn't sure if people would be into it. I let friends listen to the demo, and of course they'll say good things. But with the Song of the Year result, I was like, "oh, cool, people actually like my song". So it was a great ego boost. :)
Isaac-Joseph: What inspires you to write the type of songs that you do?
Davina Robinson: Love, Sex, Life, & Death. That pretty much covers it. :)
A good friend tells me he's always on his best behavior around me, because to him it seems like I'm sizing everything up and taking mental notes (in addition to actually taking physical notes in mid-conversation). I guess that can be intimidating.
Some friends have said my songs are dark, and perhaps that's true, but I try to have a positive or hopeful ending.
Isaac-Joseph: You are now bidding to go internationally with your music. Why did you feel that this was the time to do it?
Davina Robinson: Finding the right people to collaborate with has been a long, hard road. It's difficult expressing the sounds and style of music you hear in your head, and have someone understand you and your intentions, and be able to translate that into a tune, and make it an even better tune. With past collaborators, I just didn't have the confidence I needed to promote myself, because I was unsure of the tunes. So now that I've found the right people, I have the confidence to get my name out there.
Isaac-Joseph: Describe a day in the studio for Davina Robinson:
Davina Robinson: Sitting around on my ass. :) haha. I'm doing this album independently, so that means one song in one day, hit-and-run, so to speak, in 10-14 hours. So I don't have the luxury of being unsure of how I want to record. Pre-production is very important. The producer/arranger (Osamu Mochinaga) and I have our meetings, and he has his meetings with the engineer and the musicians, way before recording day.
I get there around 10am and go over the song with the producer. We go over the sheet music with the musicians and the engineer sets up the instruments for the recording. The drummer records first, then the bassist. During their parts, the producer and I make comments, suggestions, additions, subtractions. When the bassist is done, it's usually by 3 or 4pm. We all take a break and eat while listening to the recording up to that point. Next is the guitar part, which gets tricky, because he has to do the lead and the rhythm. So this takes some time. And in the case of "Making Love To Your Girlfriend," the guitarist was the producer and he's extremely picky, so it took a while. In the case of "Conversations In My Head", the guitarist wasn't the producer, but he had so many guitar parts to do (lead, rhythm, acoustic) that it took several hours. When the guitar parts are ok'd, it's usually around 8-9pm by this point. We take a break and listen, and then it's my turn to sing. I do the main vocals then we discuss where to put any backing vocals, and what harmonies to do. By the time I'm done, it'll be 11 or so. We listen, make any necessary adjustments or additions, then I and any remaining musicians leave. The producer and engineer stay behind; A long, long day.
Isaac-Joseph: What can we expect from you in the next 6 months as far
as new releases, tour dates, and other important facts?
Davina Robinson: I was recently nominated for a Toronto Exclusive Magazine award and the results will be announced this month. My songs will be getting plays on several Internet radio stations in the next couple of months, so I'm excited about that. Violet Femmes' scheduled release date was September. It's October, so it should be released soon. No word yet on when Females On Fire will be released, but judging from their previous volumes, it should be by the end of this year. The date for the Violet Femmes concert in Vancouver, BC, is still pending. I have several things in the works that I'm waiting on. Finally, my EP (4 songs) will probably be released in January. I'll keep you posted.
THANKS!!
Photo used in this story is by Goe.
