We had a chat with one of the most successful Eastern European singers and songwriters about her latest album, her style of productions, plans for 2023 and lots more.
Inspiring a generation of artists from her home country and beyond, Minelli is the definition of dedication, application and believing in your craft. Making her debut in 2017, the Romanian singer and songwriter has etched her name in Europe’s rich musical folklore as one of the continent’s finest names.
Racking up over 185 million streams and more than 350 million views on her music with chart-shattering hits like ‘Rampampam’ and ‘Nothing Hurts,’ Minelli has mastered the art of fusing vibrant beats and fantastic vocals into her emotionally evocative music.
After being the recipient of several accolades and breaking records in the last three years, Minelli released her hybrid dance-pop debut album. Spanning 14 tracks, ‘Silver & Gold – Chapter II’ features elements right from the days when she began her journey with music along with deep house, electro and pop to create an eclectic confluence of forward-thinking music.
The album has also been followed up by a rework of one of its tunes – ‘Think About U’ by talented DJ and producer Almud where he has given the original’s Deep House feel a Techno refix.
We were keen to know more about how the album came together, so we sat down with Minelli for an extensive chat about her album, her style of production, her festival essentials, and here is what she had to say:
TFword: Congratulations on the release of your album; it’s a stunning work of art. How was the experience while working on the album?
MINELLI: Hey, thank you, glad you guys like it 🙂 Writing this album was a long process, I didn’t want anything to be done in a rush, because it was so important for me, being my first album, to be a whole experience for all the people that will listen to it.
I wanted the album, which ended up being 14 songs long, to be strong and consistent. I’m glad to see that I get such amazing feedback to every song and that each one of them inspires somebody somewhere.
TF: We love how ‘Silver & Gold – Chapter II’ provides us with a journey to sail on. How long was the album in the works?
MINELLI: I wrote this album in the past 2 years, but it was such a great experience and seeing this album out there, available for everybody, makes me feel grateful, proud of the whole team and happy that I was able to make it exactly how I wanted to.
TF: There are some monumental collaborations on the album as well. How was it like working with such a diverse set of artists and the styles they offer?
MINELLI: 7 songs were created with my main team of producers in Romania and the other 7 were wrote in Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Dubai, with different talented people from all those countries. I am not going to name them all but I really am very grateful that I got the chance to share ideas with all those incredible artists. I tried to embrace different vibes, to get a bit out of my comfort zone. It definitely was a whole experience that I really appreciate.
TF: Your music has a knack for conveying a variety of emotions. How do you approach your music productions?
MINELLI: One important thing for me when I write a song is that the song will transpose me (and later the audience) in a particular mood, either happy, dreamy or sad or empowering one. I pay a lot of attention to the production itself, always try to find catchy melodies that pop out somehow or some special elements that will get everyone’s ear. Sometimes I place a sad story on a high energy beat or vice versa.
TF: What are Minelli’s festival or tour essentials?
MINELLI: My mini iPad (for movies and books), my headphones, my make up kit, my routine kit creams and my stage outfits always go with me, like really with me in the cabin. I’ve had some bad experiences when our luggage didn’t arrive in time for the show and I had to buy myself new stuff in a hurry for the performance. So now just to be safe, I keep every important thing I need on the stage with me.
TF: You are an inspiration to many budding artists in Europe and beyond. How do you look back at your journey?
MINELLI: It was a long journey, almost 15 years since I’ve started this project of mine, and even though it was hard and full of ups and downs, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else and kept going. Coming from Eastern Europe, the doors are not really wide open for us, but I’m glad I believed in me and I finally found a team to work with and to put all my ideas into place.
TF: Who were your biggest influences when you started making music?
MINELLI: When I started thinking about my solo project I was very into oldschool, soul, r&b and jazz music like Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Sade, Sting, Babyface, later John Legend and many more, artists that have left for sure a mark on my way of singing and on my process of creating music.
TF: What’s coming up next for Minelli?
MINELLI: Many festivals, performing my album to many people around the world, more songs to be released and a few more collabs I am waiting for quite some time to do.
The interview has been edited for clarity.
Listen to Minelli’s latest album here:
