Serbian Chinese artist, composer, and songwriter Realma has released her new single, Down the Railway Spine. We asked her the BIG questions . . .
Her recent performances saw her placed in the top three of the MArte Live European competition quarterfinals, while international film festivals, such as Lift-Off Sessions, Flipbook Film Festival, Animest, have included her animated music videos.
Down the Railway Spine was created while the artist had been struggling with PTSD from a distressing, personal experience.
The title of the song stems from the nineteenth-century term 'railway spine', when doctors encountered unexplainable symptoms experienced by passengers involved in railroad accidents, unaware it was an early form of PTSD.
Speaking about the song, she says, "Down the Railway Spine is a song that delves deep into my innermost dystopian moments dealing with PTSD. Both the lyrics and the music describe those dark times when I'd been fighting a whirlpool of emotions in episodes of mental deterioration.
"Yet, there is also a heroic tone to the music, something undefeated, where I address those pieces of us that remain courageous and continue to defy even the eyes of the worst downward spirals.
"I'm also thrilled to be collaborating again with the award-winning animator, Mihajlo Dragas, whose animated 3D music video represents a unique visual interpretation of the song with poignant characters and powerful storytelling."
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
The first thing about me is that I'm quite a nomadic soul, I would say. Not only did I grow up in Serbia and China, which are culturally and geographically disparate, but in the artistic sense too, I tried and studied everything from music, oil painting, martial arts to acting, dancing and even some basic circus skills... I also have a joint-honours degree in film and drama from the University of Kent, so it's no surprise I have a very multi-media approach to my music project too. The second thing is that, while I release music under the alias Realma (a pun on 'realms'), my real name has an interesting background too. It's Ariadna - a variant of Ariadne - a Cretan princess whose story is intertwined with the likes of Theseus, Minotaur, and Dionysus in Greek mythology. The third thing would be that I am a huge animal lover and I have two dogs. One is a Samoyed pup and the second is a blind rescue dog my friends and I saved from a steep sewer.
How would you describe your music?
In a nutshell - multi-genre, eccentric, cinematic and otherworldly. Basically, each song of mine is set in its own story world, with its own set of genre influences. For example, my debut single A Hint of Pink is mystical, recalling a land of wolves, while my theatrical follow-up single, Wandering, establishes a film noir setting. Similarly, my latest release, Down the Railway Spine, is like an action combat soundtrack. Overall, I treat my creative process much like alchemy and don't shy away from fusing contrasting elements that at times seem somewhat too classical, but at others overtly avant-garde - so resulting product is like a florid kaleidoscope of art pop.
Who are your musical inspirations?
I think I have quite a wide array of inspirations across my releases. As each song of mine is set in a different realm (hence my artist name), there are a lot of song-specific influences I muse over. For example, Wandering is inspired by Bernard Herrmann's classic film scores, as well as more poppy noir tracks by Portishead and Hooverphonics.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
My mum is an avid music and theatre enthusiast, so she took me to many concerts and gigs, both classical and popular. While I can't recall precise classical music events, the earliest event of popular music I can remember is a New Year's concert of the iconic The Platters in Beijing. I must have been five or slightly older... And though I was too young to recall much else, I remember being so captivated by their unique vocal style and sophisticated harmonies. To this day, whenever I hear the group, I easily relive that concert and that adoration I first felt seeing them perform live.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Growing up, my mum and dad had a lot of cassettes and CDs at home, so I was surrounded by a good collection of both classical and popular music as a child. The first album I remember buying myself is this wonderful film soundtrack compilation 101 Film Classics consisting of six CDs. I would play the CDs every night before sleep and still occasionally do. Listening to those legendary compositions, I would then dream of performing with film orchestras one day and still do to this very day.
What's your favourite song right now?
Not necessarily a song, but I've had this obsession with the main titles’ soundtrack of Severance for a while now. It's so whimsical and mysterious, yet there are so many sinister undertones too. It just perfectly paints the themes of the show. As for like a "song" song, I've found myself having Beautifully Unconventional by Wolf Alice on repeat lately. I love the lyrical nods to Heathers, while the groove and the guitar lines really create a kind of special vibe that gets me going and hype me up.
Favourite lyric of all time?
I have two that I equally love and could equally keep me awake at night. One is a timeless oldie - Skeeter Davis' The End of the World. On the surface, it's so simplistic, yet if you unpeel the layers, all the allusions and metaphors are just so powerful and heart-wrenching. Another is an obscure one - St. Vincent's Paris Is Burning. I adore the rich imagery of the lyrics and the way they explore the complexities of wartime eras - it's timeless in its own way too... I definitely aspire to and draw lyrical inspiration from both of these songs.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Aah, that is such a tough choice! I almost thought Mitski, but then remembered PPP by Beach House. The hauntingly intimate vocals, the nostalgia, the lulling of 6/8 time signature, the bittersweet lyrics, the beautiful guitar runs - it always gets me so emotional but takes me to a place of pure magic... I'm never tired of hearing it.
Where can people find your music/more information?
You can find my music on all streaming platforms under Realma. Though, I have to highlight my YouTube channel above anything else, since I believe it offers the fullest, most immersive audiovisual experience of my music. You can also find me on all social media - in fact, whoever wants to, feel free to get in touch, I'd love to hear from you. Finally, I'm currently working on a new, more interactive website design for my official site.
Alan Corr
