Jazzwoman The characteristic matt voice which belongs to this extraordinary artist who performed on stages all over the world sounds insanely on her new album “High & Low.” She tells us all about how her days look like, what her dreams are and how she handles her male-dominated band.

Eight years ago, you appeared on the cover of the summer issue of Sense of Beauty magazine. Soon after the release of your album “Looking, Walking, Being” by Blue Note music label, you talked about how you fulfilled the dream of popularizing jazz music and about taking your music beyond Poland. What has changed since then, what have you been up to and where are you in your artistic path?

I released several albums, but that’s not all I did. I also gave birth to two boys, which I consider to be an important life project, which in fact has been postponed for long. I had them – just like I planned – before I turned 40. They are now 6 and 3 years old, and I’m releasing two albums in November. One, titled “High & Low,” is very intimate and original, and features lyrics and partly also music I wrote. The other has a holiday vibe. It’ll be nice to listen to it in the Christmas season. It’s an important moment for me. I haven’t released an album for five years. I didn’t take a break from work because of the kids, I’ve been performing all this time, but on my terms, so I could have time to be a mom. After five years, I’m ready to go full speed professionally. I’m going on tour in November to more than a dozen Polish cities and I’m very excited about that.

How does your day look like?

Wake-ups aren’t easy, we’re not early birds. I try to take the kids to the kindergarten by 9 am. Then I start my usual day at work. I’m lucky that my work is my passion. Nobody has to drag me in front of the computer or to work for someone I don’t like. I’m aware of how lucky I am, for thirteen years now I’ve been doing only music. Before, I used to teach children English and sing in clubs in the evenings. It was a very difficult time, which is why I’m so grateful that now I can only do what I love, and what has become my line of work.

How does your work look like every day? Do you have to practice?

Sure I do, everyone should. But it’s like asking someone whether they go to a fitness club. We all know we should, but we don’t do it sometimes. It depends on the point in life we’re and our psychological condition. The same applies to vocal practice. I admit I don’t have the habit of practicing every day, however, when I’m working on a new album or a new project I do find motivation and exercise my voice. I have my vocal warm-up, then I practice new songs. Creating an original project is very difficult emotionally. It’s like a vivisection, kind of a therapy. These past months were very exhausting for me. But perhaps this is the reason why our listeners are later able to relate to the lyrics and the music and find their own experiences in them.

Do you have any rituals related to work?

The creative process requires submitting yourself to sort of a discipline. When the kids were really small, it was hard for me to find motivation. Then I read a fascinating book about the work rituals of famous people – painters, writers, musicians. Some only work after they’ve had half a bottle of whiskey and write music until 4 am. Others have a cup of espresso in the morning, work until 1 pm, then go for lunch, and again work until the evening. Others still need to leave to find inspiration. I noticed at some point I needed to set up a rhythm for myself. Define priorities and set my mind to them. I don’t go to see my girlfriends for coffee or for a manicure which in fact I should have done. I work because I know I need to make a step forward in my project. It’s how I work as a freelancer, but the difficult part is that you must define the timeframe yourself and meet the deadline for the release of the new album, which was imposed on us by our record company.

Aga Zaryan is not only you hiding behind a pseudonym, but also an entire band.

I’m not a multi-instrumentalist. I depend on the talent of many people. For years I’ve mainly worked with my music director, Michał Tokaj. My albums wouldn’t exist without him. We create a tandem. He’s a musician whom I’d eat a bushel of salt with – he’s my producer and he handles the stuff I can’t. Out of the songs that are born in my mind, Michał’s, or other mu sicians’ demos are created first, and then music notation. Later, we start rehearsing with the band. In the case of the “High & Low” album, I have musicians from Poland, Czech Republic, Portugal working with me. Frequently, people must come from different parts of the world to rehearse with us. It’s an amazing and most exciting moment when music written on paper begins to ripen, live its own life, thanks to the talent of musicians.

You’ve got some ideas for the songs in your head, and then musicians come in, and each is talented and has his or her own vision, a whole lot of experiences and ideas. Does it sometimes happen that a project starts going some other way than it was initially planned?

It’s a very good question. No one has really asked me this before. I’m lucky that since my first album (“My Lullaby”) was released in 2001, I’ve been pretty much surrounded by musicians who are virtuosos, great improvisers, and even composers. We share the same kind of musical sensitivity and additionally everyone is very focused on the project they’re part of. Obviously, each of us has an ego of their own; let’s face it, artists are frequently people who are pushing really hard to get to the stage. My mom always says, “I feel so bad for you. If I were you, I would never go out on the stage. It would be my worst nightmare.” And the stage makes me feel free. For me, it’s a moment when I grow wings; when I can share all the things I love with people. Of course, we’ve had some bad blowups. The biggest one I’ve had was with Michał Tokaj, my music producer because he’s the closest person to me at work. But we get over conflicts easily because music is what’s most important for us. Luckily, we’re navigating through a similar sensitivity ocean.

How do you cope as the only girl in the band?

I’m a feminist who’s all for equal rights, so I can handle the men’s world somehow. I’m not some princess or diva that has to be carried around. It happens sometimes that I’m helping the other musicians carry the drum set, I act normal. But I demand the same on their part – partnership. We’re entering some psychological issues here – my energy versus the male part of the band.

But you're turning into a goddess on the stage!

It’s my five minutes of heaven! This is the unreal world. I’m running off to music, hiding from the everyday life, which not always is pretty. This is life, though. Music allows both the audiences and the artists to escape. A concert is a moment, it will not be repeated. Especially that our music is improvised, we don’t play the same notes every evening. We trust each other, so we can open up to something unknown.

Your voice is energy, it has a feminine, strong power. Your inner self is your instrument. Can you sing anytime you want or do you sometimes get blocked?

There are two factors that make my voice weaker. I know that if I don’t sleep enough or drink enough water, I can feel my voice is heavier and too tired for me to be able to use it the way I want. It also matters how we feel in different moments of the female cycle. Voice is our primary instrument, one that is most intimate. This is why people like listening to vocal music. Voice doesn’t create distance, it abolishes barriers, while an instrument gives you something to hide behind. If someone is free from vocal mannerism and sings naturally, then this person’s voice will reflect every single emotion. I loved my voice when I was pregnant and I regret that I haven’t made an album then. I used to sign on the stage almost until I had to go to the hospital, my voice was vibrating and resonating incredibly back then. It was a great feeling, I felt so safe. And jazz is a very natural and organic genre.

Is there anything you are dreaming of?

My biggest dream is not to have to retire early. Luckily, you can sing jazz  music for as long as you want. I’m not an opera singer who has to sing in high C all the time. I will keep signing until I’m an old grandmother, for as long as my voice stays in good shape.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a jazz singer?

I wanted to be an actress, I even prepared for an entry exam to acting school, but I gave this up for jazz. I’m happy I’m a singer, I think I have much more freedom. Actors rely on many other people and are destined for the so-called “wait”. And I don’t wait, I create new projects, I do stuff. For quite some time I also wanted to be an intervention journalist because I like talking to people.

You’re incredibly lucky. You’ve made your dreams come true. Has this been your plan all along?

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined my career would go this way. Since the release of my second album in 2006, I've been living the dream. But deep inside, I still feel I can’t think like this forever. I can’t get used to this, I have to grow, think about new albums all the time. It’s showiness, an industry which is completely unpredictable. Why does one become noticed, have fans and ride this beautiful, wonderful wave, while someone else falls off of it suddenly or is never able to hop on? Why me and not someone else? It’s difficult to explain this by means of sociological research because there are too many factors that can determine the so-called success. In my case, it’s a combination of consistency and… the fact I decided my path when I was 20. This year marks the 20th anniversary of my artistic work, my first performance on stage in the Akwarium jazz club in Warsaw that no longer exists. Back then, I didn’t even imagine what I’ll be doing and what kind of person I’ll be as a forty-year-old. To be honest, I still feel like a newcomer because every project is new, I put a lot of energy and passion for music into it.

New, original album of the first diva of Polish jazz music, on which the authors of compositions are prominent Polish jazzmen: Michał Tokaj, David Dorużka, Dariusz Oleszkiewicz, and Marcin Wasilewski. The artist invited musicians from different parts of the world to join her on the November tour promoting the album. On the stages, she will be accompanied by Michał Tokaj (grand piano), Sławomir Kurkiewicz (bass, bass guitar), guitar virtuoso from the Czech Republic – David Dorużka and the star of percussion instruments  from Portugal, Pedro Segundo.