boebeck
„These eight songs were written about and during the most difficult times in my life, I have no good reason to share any of these with anyone, and yet I feel like I have to. Oversharing is probably my greatest weakness, but I like to see it as an asset because of the freedom that comes with it – so this album could also be seen as an oversharer asserting their value as an oversharer. But simply put, I want to make meaning, and this album is mostly about that struggle: self-awareness on a disturbing level, as my mother would say„ – said boebeck about her self-titled LP.
Who is boebeck and how did you get into music?
I am a 24-year-old singer-songwriter living in Budapest who is trying to survive the university as well as the Hungarian music scene. I’ve been writing all kinds of texts and playing the piano since I was little and I wrote my first quasi-song when I was thirteen. The concert-filled part of it started in 2021, just as the first waves of the pandemic were winding down – so I guess we could say I started both very young and very recently.
You recently released your debut album "boebeck", what's your personal favorite and what song caused the most trouble to finish it?
My favourite would have to be ’reality’ because of its lyrics. I am very scared of dying in general and this song is partly about that, but also about lies and loss of control. Still, I feel like I managed to keep it both as simple and optimistic as I could. Out of all these songs, it was probably ’take it easy’ that posed the greatest challenge since we had to reconcile the different tempos of the verses and the chorus; we ended up going back to our original solution at the end, of course.
The whole album sounds emotional & honest, simply amazing, how would you describe your songwriting process in general?
I try not to write anything that is inauthentic, however, one often ends up having to re-shuffle stuff in their head because you can’t think the exact same way that you used to think when the song was written, so there is, I guess, always a sort of inauthenticity in every song.
The way I try to tackle this is to write about the very act of writing, too – this way I do not appear dishonest to myself and my writing character at least. The process itself is very simple as usually write for myself, so if I am happy with the lyrics, I’ll attempt to come up with some kind of melody, and in the rare case that I am satisfied with both, I’ll cut at least half of the whole thing bit by bit for a month or so – that is probably the time it takes for my hands to feel what they have to play and for the words to sound natural.
What are the differences, from your point of view, between "comfortable" and "boebeck", or in other words how do you see your songwriting evolution over the months and years?
My songwriting process certainly evolved in the last few years and especially since I’ve moved to Budapest from Vienna because, simply put, I have more space than in the WG where I used to live. This means that I can play the piano whenever I like, nothing stops me from writing: I can sit down and write and try stuff as soon as I have the idea or the motivation.
Now that you have a pocket full of great songs, where can we see you live on stage?
I'll be playing some clubs and movie theatres in Hungary in the next few months as well as some alternative festivals that I have frequented the last few years. To my greatest surprise, Sziget Festival invited me to play there again, and I'll also be at the showcase festival MENT in Ljubljana on March 30th.
Besides music, what's your most useful talent?
I am an English literature major at university, meaning that my talents are probably not that useful in general; but if I had to say something, it would be that I can adapt to different languages quite quickly.
I'd love to learn Estonian and Finnish and improve my French, but I have also dabbled in Scandinavian languages for historical linguistics courses, I'd love to continue that, too.
Concerning Social Media, nice tools for Indie Artists or more a "necessary evil"?
I do think it can be put to good use but I don't use them that much, really. I like to connect with my audience and friends, but I recognise that social media platforms can be incredibly dangerous for some, especially youth and those who struggle with mental issues.
...and last but not least, what comes next?
Many concerts! Also, I am slowly starting to write new songs, but I try not to hurry with that and only write when I really have something to say.
