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This week I am going to record some new songs. The recording studio environment is not unanimous among musicians. Some say that the recording atmosphere never matches the energy on stage and therefore would be a lesser representation of the real potential of the artist, and I understand their point. In my case, however, I love both situations.

Sure there are some shortcomings in capturing sounds. I once heard a guitarist say something very clever about using microphones that also applies to recording sessions: “It’s a losing battle.” Indeed.

There is no denying that no device will be able to reproduce the natural voice, with all its imperfections and unique sonic details, during a live, unamplified performance. There is something magical about this unmediated contact between the voice of the singer and the ears of the audience, no arguing with that.

Another interesting aspect that greatly differentiates these two types of performance is the ability to correct your voice. If you, like me, perform live without using any technology to correct your voice (Pro Tools, etc.), then you will understand what I mean. When you go up on stage, everything is for real and it only happens once: Did you get the lyrics wrong? Keep going! Did your voice fail? Keep going! The stage is perhaps one of the places that best illustrates the maxim “The show must go on”. Recording, however, is a completely different story.

You will always want to record one more line, re-record a verse, try out some idea for the chorus. And even when everything goes well, you will inevitably hear from your producer (in my case, from myself): ‘I want to do another take, just in case.’ In a live performance, the song is finished when it is finished, but in a studio session, well, the work is never really finished, or you will never really consider it finished.

I think that was the great moral I took from the video in which I recorded the entire recording session of a song (yes, just one). There are moments of great discovery, about how an ultra-powerful microphone was not the best suited for my voice or the difficulties of recording a guide vocal.

It is not an edited video. It is raw material, just like that which we have when we leave a studio, before the mixing process. It is a raw record of one of the aspects of the job of a singer job, but perhaps it would be interesting to you because it is also an example of how to deal with a team and, above all, of accepting that, many times, it is the clock that will dictate the pace of your creativity.

The song is called “Cadê Você?” (Where Are You?), and I guess I can call it a waltz. The recording took place in the studio of the State Library Park in Rio de Janeiro. The musician who accompanies me is Guido Tornaghi, and the technicians are Leo Nzazi and Davi Amorim.

Enjoy!

Recording session: Cadê Você? (Geisa Fernandes)

Be seeing you!

G.F.

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What is a blog for? Today marks four years since I started this one and, honestly, I still do not know the answer. Well, to be honest, there was a break of a little over four months, but even so… It is enough time to write short weekly articles about experiences that, in some way, are connected to music or at least to my music. Sharing insights, stories, and experiences with readers.

I know that on dates like these, readers always expect some uplifting story, about how an experiment without great pretensions became a true community that reaches a huge number of readers, impacting their lives, etc. But that ís not my case at all. For the good or for the bad, I do not have a story like that to tell.

Over the years, I have explored a diverse range of topics that interest me and yes, some kind readers were kind enough to not only read the text, but also to make some comments, but from there to impacting lives? I honestly do not think that is the case here at all. As a matter of fact, I am quite critical of this maxim of “impacting the lives of other human beings” having become the perfect excuse for anyone to sell anything, preserving the image of moral purity, which rarely finds support in reality.

But what about me? Am I not also selling something here? Of course, in a philosophical sense we could say that we are all always selling something, in my case, my image, my persona, if you will.

It is true that I hope to attract your attention to my songs or at least to social networks, with the aim of you becoming a follower (a sign of the times). Yes, all of this is true, but that is not why I want to continue with a blog, even though I know that the format no longer attracts crowds. In fact, this slight shift in relation to the group generated the simple family nickname of “Weirdo” and that, because it is so true in the end, I had no choice but to embrace it.

In fact, I am always a little out of step with the latest hit, whether it’s the format of releasing an album or the repertoire. Maybe because, just like the time of the samba-enredo of the samba schools of Rio de Janeiro (honey, do your own research, okay?) the time of the internet has become too fast for me. Or rather, I prefer to keep up with my own pace, the one that makes sense to me.

But then why continue writing, even after four years if, besides not believing that I have impacted my audience, I am not even sure that I have built a captive audience over these four years? I have thought a lot about this during the four months of hiatus and the only conclusion I have come to is that, if I do not do it, I really feel that something is missing.


I really missed these weekly meetings. They are for me a moment to organize my thoughts, to digest some fact that occurred throughout the day, to express an opinion, an impression, a feeling, to share an experience, because at the end of the day that is what it is all about.

I do appreciate you following them, or any of them.

Hapoy birthday, Red Flower!

Be seeing you!

G.F.

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When was the last time you did a serious cleaning of your computer? Deleting not just files, but entire folders of information (images, music, documents) that you simply no longer need and that continue to take up space, slowing down your machine? Actually, this was exactly my motivation to start a real cleaning, which started in my work area and grew and spread to the most hidden corners of folders from more than ten, fifteen years ago.

“Oh, but I do not use a computer anymore, I only use my cell phone,” you might be saying. Okay, so when did you clean up your photo and video files? “But I only use messaging apps,” you insist. But did you know about the existence of a somewhat hidden folder in the system called “sent files”? When was the last time you went there?

Getting rid of old things is not easy and the history of all arts is there to prove it. The music field, for instance, is full of memorable representations of the pain involved in letting something or someone go. The feelings in this process may vary a lot, and hold a vast palette of colors, which goes from the not so gentle avarice to the celebratory affective memory, you know, that warm corner of our minds.

But, as I said, I needed to make some free room and there was not much to negotiate anymore: I needed to delete files, including a lot of concert memories, old videos, photos of performances, audio files of early versions of songs and such. Not easy, I tell you, not easy at all.

Each separation process is unique but they all have a breaking point, a certain moment of no return. In my case, after much negotiation with myself, it finally occurred to me that it was not necessary to get rid of the files, but just to get them out of my way, so to speak, which in practice meant transferring them from my notebook to the cloud, a nice back up. By doing, it I would also finally making good on the monthly fee I pay to the provider and which until now had only been used to share some files with musicians or producers.

But the ultimate argument to finally making the decision of cleaning up my computer was remembering why I indeed needed more free space: because I have other songs to record, shows to record, in short, I have more life to live.

Well, maybe you are not the type of person who keeps unnecessary files in your device, but there is for sure some area(s) of ​​your life where you need more free space. It does not matter if it is in your closet, in your basement or your heart.

The good news is that you do not have to give up the feelings these things once gave you. The feelings remain, but not just left somewhere along the way. Instead of risking falling on them, how about taking them to a safe place where you can access them, if necessary or from time to time, just for old time sake. What a relief that would be, don´t you agree?

Be seeing you,

G. F.

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Do you remember the last time you got a real hug? Over the past year, I can remember four very special hugs.

The first one happened when I was waiting in line to get into the Municipal Theater for a performance by the exceptional musician Maurício Einhorn. After he tried his luck with some people in line, without much success, a homeless man approached me and asked for money. When I offered it to him, he spontaneously gave me a hug so tight that he wrinkled my outfit a little and walked away smiling.

The second hug and the third hug were similar, as they both came from two young women, accompanied by their companions, also homeless. One of them was pregnant and, unlike the man at the theater, on both occasions the ladies asked permission to hug me.

The fourth hug happened when my travel backpack arrived from the dry cleaners. Before putting it back in the closet, I took it out of the plastic bag and the smell that filled the room evoked so many memories… That simple object represented a whole series of experiences lived throughout the year, and without really realizing it, I hugged my backpack. For a long time.

In my defense, I would like to say that the power of small things to release powerful memories and affections has already been the subject of great masters of literature, such as Marcel Proust.

There is a lot of power in small things, in small gestures, in small events, those that seem trivial, but that together are responsible for the largest part of our existence.

In this year that has just begun, I want to wish you many memorable experiences, of all sizes. And, of course, lots of tight hugs.

Happy New Year!

Be seeing you!

G.F.

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When my dear friend, Anna Rodriguez,, amazing jazz singer and songwriter, invited me to a live broadcast on her social media channel, my first reaction was to say: “Yes, of course, count me in!” After all, in addition to greatly admiring her work, Anna had been a guest on QuaranJazz, the podcast I´ve created in 2020 to help musicians promote their work during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. I loved having her as a guest, and it had been a while since we had spoken, in short: I had all the reasons to accept, except one: the fact that I feel extremely uncomfortable in this format of interaction.

Will the technology work? Will my phone have enough battery life? Do I need to buy a phone holder? Will my neighbors make too much noise? Where should I look: at the camera or at the screen? These are only some of the many little ghosts that start to multiply themselves inside my head, whenever I accept a commitment for a virtual meeting.

I often find myself worrying about the stability of my internet connection, the quality of my webcam, and whether my background looks professional enough. As I prepared for the meeting, I wondered if I would be able to effectively communicate my points without any technical glitches. These concerns, along with the fear of being interrupted by unexpected disturbances, make the thought of virtual meetings always quite daunting to me.

On the other hand, it was an invitation from Anna, so I decided to overcome my fears and did not give up. And you know what? I am very happy I made this decision. What a lovely afternoon!

The idea of the talk, per se, is very friendly (an informal chat about various aspects of the training and career of musicians) and Anna knows how to lead the conversation very well, so that the scheduled time simply flew by.

And what do singers talk about when they meet? A little bit of everything and a lot about the art of singing. It is great to be able to talk about our creative processes, the relationship of complicity we seek with the musicians who accompany us, what moves us to open our hearts and sing.

As I once heard from a singer: the voices are always at the service of something. This profound statement highlights the essential role of voices in serving a purpose, be it conveying emotions, telling stories, or spreading messages that resonate with the audience.

Whether it is the soothing melody of a lullaby comforting a child to sleep, the impassioned vocals of a protest song advocating for change, or the stirring narration of an audiobook transporting listeners to different worlds, voices indeed play a crucial role in communication and connection.

When it comes to singingm specifically, using your voice involves choices at every turn: the selection of words, the modulation of tone, the curation of repertoire. With each deliberate and informed choice, the voice of the singer is not only perfected, but elevated to new heights, carrying with it the weight of experience and purpose.

The more informed and intentional these choices become, the more commanding and resonant the voice grows, creating a profound impact on the audience and the world at large. In other words: the more informed these choices are, the greater the voice becomes.

Choices are not always easy to make, and singing can be very tricky, but the fact of being aware of this need and knowing how to deal with it is the superpower of a singer. Most of the time we are dealing with the challenges of this superpower (with great power comes great responsibility, remember Spiderman’s maxim?), but when I talk to another singer I completely relax, even in a virtual conversation.

It was great to have the time to exchange experiences and to find out that the solitude in front of the microphone is, in fact, an experience shared by all of us.

Maybe this is why talking to other singers is always somehow a magical experience for me.

Be seeing you!

G.F.