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Viara Ivanova tells true stories with lots of humor and a bit of nostalgia

Photo: private archive

Viara Ivanova is a Bulgarian musician, song writer and music teacher in Glasgow. Her music bristles with a lot of sincerity. Her songs make people think about the beautiful moments spent with relatives and friends. Currently Viara is on a music tour with Django Ze bass guitarist Ivo Nikolov and Oratnitsa band's percussionist Bunny. The tour started from Bulgaria's capital Sofia at the end of May, and crossed some of the biggest Bulgarian cities. In June Viara Ivanova trio will perform in the cities of Veliko Tarnovo and Ruse. The audience will enjoy pieces from her second mini album. It consists of Bulgarian songs only. In an interview for Radio Bulgaria, Viara Ivanova went back to the beginning of her music career:

 “I started to show interest in guitar music and the link between music and human relations since I was a teenager. Later, I formed with my colleagues from the Edinburgh College a band named Who's Your Mamma Now. It was an international band. I wrote the music for our band. We made successful tours in Portugal. I lived in Edinburgh for some time and later I moved to Glasgow, in order to continue with my music education. I am in excellent relations with the other band members and perhaps we will work together in the future as well.”


In 2013 Viara Ivanova presented her mini album entitled Lekuvash (You Heal). The trial version of one of its songs named Baba (grandmother) turned into a music hit at the Soundcloud music platform. Here are some details about the creation of the piece.

“A kept a photo of my grandmother in my kitchen in Edinburgh. Once, I looked at the photo and recalled some of the words she often used. These words are not used often in the modern Bulgarian speech, unless you search for a comic effect. I decided that it would be entertaining if I included some of my grandmother's vocabulary in a song. My grandmother was already deceased at the time I decided to write this song. Thus, I found a good way to pay tribute to her. I recorded a demo version for around two hours and a half and later I decided to upload it at the Soundcloud platform. Many people discerned their grandmothers in that song and returned to their childhood memories.”


Since 2009 Viara Ivanova has been teaching singing, song writing and music theory in the United Kingdom.

 “I like to work with children a lot, although I work with adults, too. I have Bulgarian students as well. It is important for me to make connection between theory and practice - it helps people control their vocal abilities well. We learn to create music, because in my view it is important to use your instrument in a creative manner. Working with children is extremely interesting. Once music grabs them, they want more and more. Some children told their parents that they wanted to become like Viara, which makes me very happy. I believe that we must be responsible for all children around us, rather than for our own kids only. We must take care of their culture and the development of their talent”, Viara Ivanova concluded.




English version: Kostadin Atanasov




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