TranceSound Journalist and Co-Administrator Zaneta Ortiz met with the lovely and talented singer, songwriter and label owner of SeaToSun Records Sylvia Tosun in the city that never sleeps prior to A State of Trance 450 at Roseland Ballroom in New York for an in depth discussion on how she became such a succesful force in the industry as well as her feelings about life, music, and interacting with her fans.
1. Hello Sylvia how are you?
Sylvia Tosun: I am doing well.
2. Can you tell us what initially inspired you to become a vocalist?
Sylvia Tosun: When I was a baby my mom let me yell at the top of my lungs for hours and she always knew that I was going to be a singer. When the time came she made sure that I was. I guess that whole experience must have inspired me before I even knew about it.
3. What are some of your long-term goals for SeatoSun recordings?
Sylvia Tosun: I would love keep putting out quality music and working with pure hearted artists and keeping them happy and alive. There are a lot of artists out there that really need attention and need to be heard. I am there to find them and bring them to light if our synergy is the same.
4. What are the characteristics that an artist would need in order for you to consider working with them?
Sylvia Tosun: They definitely need a pure heart, an honest performance, and a hard working sensibility.
5. How many languages do you sing in, and which ones are they?
Sylvia Tosun: It's hard to say because I am willing to learn any language for a song. I've always been that way. Studying the opera everything would always be translated into Spanish, French, Italian, German or any of these languages. I really got an excitement about it to the point where I thought I would quit music and become an interpreter for the UN. I really enjoy language. I love the way our lips wrap around these words and they come out and people understand it. I did a project called anthem that raised money for children around the world. It’s 193 anthems in the world, it’s a 10-album project and I’ve gotten the first album out of the way. It's being sold in UN bookstores and it features 10 of the national anthems from around the world and I sang them in their native tongues and did them in a dance fashion and it was in Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Australian, British, Hebrew, and I also speak in Hungarian, and Spanish but the idea is there are many languages to be learned and there is always a way for us to communicate with one another especially through music or any other art form. When we stop and listen, we learn. I get excited when I have to learn something new in a different language and I want to know what it means and learn the pronunciation. There are probably about 12 languages at this point.
That is very impressive!
It is what it is, I don't know if its impressive but it's just what I do.
6. How did you make the transition from Opera to Dance Music?
Sylvia Tosun: They are not dissimilar to one another. In fact one of the newest songs that I have received which I am working on with Alex M.O.R.P.H. is actually inspired by opera. I feel that between Progressive and Trance music you really have a really interesting juxtaposition towards the classics. You’ve got the strings, the pads, the atmosphere and the angelic kind of sound before it slams you over the head with the beat. It brings you into that classical state. I think it’s really cool to create from there and I've had experience so it works.
7. What advice would you give to aspiring producers, especially on how to work with vocals?
Sylvia Tosun: The only advice I can give you is if you can get Anton Bass to record you then you are golden. He is the best vocal producer on the planet and I have worked with many. I think it's how whoever is recording you perceives you. I think that when you have that synergy its magic, and if it's not magic don't do it. Call him up, may be he will be available.
8. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time when you are not in the studio?
Sylvia Tosun: Designing, decorating, shopping, cooking, cleaning, organizing, I love to organize. I like all my socks in a row. I like to clean out the drawers and make sure everything is perfect. It drives everyone crazy.
9. You are involved in many aspects of the industry, how do you keep yourself organized?
Sylvia Tosun: I've got a great team, between Anton, Emily, Kelvin, and the gang we all work together and we pull it together.
10. Among the social networks out there which do you like using best to connect with your fans?
Sylvia Tosun: I love connecting with my fans; do I like social network sites? No, I'm not a fan of facebook, I'm not a fan of myspace or twitter, I'm not a fan of any of these sites, however I do love to connect with my fans but I don't make a concentrated effort to be on these social network sites every single day. I can't, it's not feasible. Once in a while one of my assistants will log in and clean things up and I am go on the sites every once in a while but its not like an every day thing. I don't think it should be, I don't think it's healthy. It's not part of my sensibility as an artist. If you are too connected to everyone else's energy I don't feel that you give enough to your own energy to be better. We as humans should strive to be better selves. If we are constantly worried about what everyone else is thinking we never get a chance to focus.
That makes a lot of sense.
I mean that's just my opinion, I could be wrong about a lot of things or may be I have the wrong approach and I know business wise I am supposed to be doing this kind of thing but I can't unless I am very disingenuous about it.
In a way you are eliminating all of the outside influence and being yourself.
I think you have to fill the well in order to give to others, and when the well is depleted what are you going to do? You have to fill the well again.
11. Do you have any other comments to share with our readers?
Sylvia Tosun: Thank you! Keep supporting this beautiful art that we call dance. Dance has so many meanings. It's about physical movement and visceral movement. The visceral movement is what allows us to grow as people with each other it intensifies the energy that we have together. That is what I feel this community is about, so keep it going.
Interview made by Zaneta M. Soroko Ortiz aka Euphoria (TranceSound.net Co-admin)
Links:
Sylvia Tosun official website
Sylvia Tosun @ MySpace
SeatoSun official website
Euphoria @ MySpace
Electronic Night Life official website
