Sometime ago world music star Dyana Dafova presented to the friends of Radio Bulgaria a few of her latest songs intended for her new album. Its name is One World in Harmony and it is already in the collections of her fans.

“I’ve been working on this album for the past two years”, Dyana Dafova tells us. “For me it is vital to make sure that every song has got its value, so I never hurry too much. I invest a lot of meaning in music and a lot of experience distilled during my travels across the wide world. Mixing various cultures and genres is a time-consuming job. Usually it takes an in-depth analysis of the material I plan to use, so I am able to recreate it through my own creative prism. Most of the songs I write after I am back from a trip to a fascinating place where I have learned a lot about local traditions. My earlier albums feature Italian, Japanese, Indian and Celtic motifs. There is a wonderful Brazilian bossa nova, an Indian and Hawaii melody in One World in Harmony. I have a friend, a great Vietnamese humanist who lives in Houston. Thanks to our friendship, I wrote a composition with lyrics in Vietnamese written by him. The music incorporates Vietnamese tunes. It took me a long time and effort to be able to sing in Vietnamese where sound extraction is very specific. I sing in 16 languages. In my latest album there is an African song, Emang sung in the language of the Zulus. The title means “hold your ground”. Sometime ago, I saw a group of singers on the shore of the River Zambezi, their voices were so beautiful. I listened to them, sang with them. I asked them to record some fragments from their performance and they let me do that. In the song you can hear their voices too.”

Once Dyana Dafova drew inspiration for her music during a trip to Istanbul. Crossing the huge city by car she could see a word written everywhere. She then gave the word charisma some thinking. This search of origin and meaning coupled with exploration of beauty produced not only the song Charisma but also the album of the same name.

“My music is what I am as a person”, she goes on to say. “The process of creating regardless of commercial or political imperatives means you’d never follow the beaten track. I think that I am privileged working this way and I am ready to pay the price. I feel satisfied and also proud of not stepping back from my intention to create art marked with my individual style. A few years ago I stopped singing and composing for a while. It was risk-taking, but I had to find my style. Talent is from God and we have to develop it.”

With her programs Dyana Dafova has guest-performed in a dozen countries on three continents. She is holder of prestigious distinctions, including a statuette from one of the oldest film festivals in the United States, Remi, for Best Live Concert. For the show she had invited Bulgarian musicians – folk singers, a men’s Christian orthodox music trio, and a small ballet group from the Sofia Opera House. Bulgarian folk music beats and tunes are often recognized in her compositions. “For me the Bulgarian music is like a gem. And one has to add this gem to the necklace of contemporary music with utmost care and respect”, the singer concludes.

English Daniela Konstantinova

The audio file to this feature offers the following tracks:

1-  Joy, music by Dyana Dafova, arrangement by Danail Draganov, lyrics by Robert Fry and Ahmed Talib

2-  Emang, music by Dyana Dafova

3-  Purification,  music by Dyana Dafova, arrangement by Danail Draganov, lyrics by Robert Fry

4-  Harmony, music by Dyana Dafova, arrangement by Danail Draganov, lyrics by Tony Murphy and David Wayne