The Shine Of Dried Electric Leaves represents a further progression in the music of Cibelle. Her music has significantly matured since the release of her Six Degrees Records’ self titled album in 2003. “I can clearly see the sounds changing throughout the years. I remember when I did my first album I was very into aquatic sounds and feelings submerged with long, long delays. At the moment I am very much in love with strings and the harp. I love contrasting things. On this album I was very interested in the contrast between very earthy and glitzy sounds like shaker and little objects and twinkling childish sounds on the high keys as well,” she says. Cibelle confesses a fondness for the sound of a deep upright bass.

It wasn’t long after the release of her debut album that Cibelle moved to England and she draws upon the energy of London and its people. Her daily experiences and encounters infuse her new music. “London contains the eccentric British. They fascinate me and I love them. They make me feel normal. There are many, many windows like Alice in Wonderland and all these little doors that you can open. You fall into these amazing weird universes and tasty stuff as well. The combination of all of that is quite exciting.”

“I just love eavesdropping. If you go to a coffee shop with me and somebody else starts having a very interesting conversation while we are talking I may just drift off and go, “oh, ya..ooohhh,” she says mimicking fascination with an imaginary conversation.

Cibelle tells me that a lot of her songwriting starts to gel in those same coffee or tea shops and other quaint environments. “People tell tales and all kinds of things or nasty plans. Lots of things happen in coffee shops especially near where I live.  The subjects that I have been hearing in there are amazing, they just haven’t made it to the papers yet,” she confides in a tone almost suggesting that we have just scooped the tabloids. I guess you could safely say that Cibelle’s high octane caffeine adventures produce high octane music.

Cibelle lives in one of the artsy warehouse districts of London and finds she draws upon the energy of the artists and fashion students and it infuses her music.

Cibelle gives credit for a lot of her European popularity to a grassroots movement. Some people having heard her in concert will email friends in other countries telling them about her upcoming concerts or people have listened to some of her tracks on her myspace website and directed others to her music.

Regardless of the venue or cultural setting Cibelle does not compromise her music feeling it would only shortchange the fans that have come to hear the music to which they are accustomed. She says “If you are always bending here and there you will lose your identity. We do the set that we do. I don’t change unless I have less time.” 

Despite being embraced by the European music scene there is another kind of embrace that has left Cibelle feeling a little at odds with her own heritage. Coming from a warm Latin culture she was used to hugging and kissing everyone but when she arrived in London’s more conservative social climate she was met with restraint such as she had not experienced before. Not everyone was prepared to be greeted with a hug. “It’s okay sometimes (to learn) to just be quiet. Saying hello by shaking hands is just fine, nobody is going to prosecute you for that,” she says.

The pretty Brazilian talks in airy half finished sentences and drifts off into conversations that seemingly take unannounced journeys down pathways that are simultaneously filled with wonderment, simplicity and sophistication. She is both eclectic and a contrast of styles in composition and performance. It would seem that the world is looking for that type of transparency for they have been flocking to the twenty-something singer’s music.

Click here for printer friendly article

 November 2006