Last year was successful for Slavena Daskalova. A singer and actress she has had diverse appearances. For one, Slavena was cast in the satirical TV series Shmenti Kapeli: the Legend. Also, her song Wanna Believe received the special prize for debut at Sofia Sings, a competition for a new Bulgarian pop and rock song. The idea for the song came from her part in the TV series.

"Indeed, the film Shmenti Kapeli: the Legend was the catalyst for the song Wanna Believe that we presented at the end of last year. It was inspired by my heroine in the film, Svetla, a dedicated and brave person. For the song I worked with Petar Petrov known as Jazz Orpheus. He made the arrangement and is the guitarist in it. The incredible trumpet piece of Denis Goev has added to the jazzy sound of the song. Petar Yordanov-Bunny is the percussionist that gives the rhythm to our project. The lyrics are by rapper MC Cigulkata (MC the Violin). He is an actor and is also cast in Shmenti Kapeli: the Legend. The crew who shot the video is from the film as well, and we have used footage from it. Being an actress and singer is such fun in this project! Music and film mix beautifully together. When the words come to an end, the music comes.”

Slavena Daskalova spent three years studying music at the Siano Academy in Genoa, and afterwards graduated from the Sofia-based National Academy of Theater and Film Art. “I am open to all sorts of projects and I love experimenting. The more the better, but not at any cost”, Slavena smiles. The latest project has made her happy singing pop, rock and jazz.

"Our project Pop & Rock Meets Jazz is open -I and Petar Petrov are at the heart of it but we also invite guest-performers. We have different personalities and styles, so concerts are great fun. We perform famous pop and rock compositions turned upside down. For instance, we have turned some rock songs into bossa nova and disco hits into jazz. We crack jokes with the audience and give away prizes to anybody who can guess the original of a song. This symbiosis of styles we present mostly in nightclubs: in Sofia and other towns of Bulgaria. In January we appeared in Yambol to enjoy a wonderful audience there. My impression is that people in the provinces are keen to listen to Bulgarian bands."

English Daniela Konstantinova

The audio file contains the following pieces:

1/ Let's Start All Over Again

2/ Wanna Believe

3/ I Still Haven't Found...

4/ Nobody's Wife with the musicians from the Pop & Rock Meets Jazz project