Buika – Dreaming With Her Eyes Open (Interview)

Buika is part of this year’s WOMAD lineup that also includes Kimbra, Pokey LaFarge, Femi Kuti, Arrested Development and a host of other local and international acts. Born in Spain, of African parents and now living in Miama, Florida, Buika’s latest album, La Noche Mas Larga, has been getting rave reviews and her live performances are always surprising events.

The 13th Floor recently spoke to Buika about her live shows and the important role her audience plays at each concert.

You can read a transcription of the interview here (but imagine a Spanish accent while you read)

MD: How long have you lived in Miami?

Buika: For four years now.

MD: Why did you decide to live there?

Buika: Well I’ve lived in many places and I’m going to live in a lot of places. Other ways, other reason is because here is a really good place to do the tours. It’s close to everywhere. Nice weather, nice people.

MD: Right and it’s also very close to Cuba there and there’s all sorts of Cuban influence in your music. Did that have any influence on why you decided to go there?

Buika: No.

MD: Not at all?

Buika: No because I don’t have any…I don’t know much about Cuba. I know the same about Cuba that I know about you know the other places in the world. I think that it is a wonderful place; I’ve been once there recording an album. . I recorded with one amazing musician, Bebo y Chucho Valdes, but the sound that I had, the Cuban sound I had in my music was because I was performing with a Cuban pianist. When you’re performing, the sound that you have is normally the sound of your musicians. But I don’t know very much about Cuba. I know that it’s an amazing and wonderful country and has unbelievably great people.

MD: Yeah. I was there once and had a great time, but I was only there for a week.

Buika: Oh Yeah.

MD: Have you been to New Zealand before?

Buika: No, no, I’m very scared and I’m very excited.

MD: It’ll be interesting. You’re playing at the WOMAD festival here. Have you done any WOMAD’s before?

Buika: Yeah I think twice.

MD: So when you’re coming here are you bringing along any bands or musicians? What kind of show are you bringing along with you?

Buika: I’m coming with a guitarist who is amazing and I’m coming with Cacon Flamingo. He’s been with me for 8-10 years now.

MD: And are you performing things from your latest album or what kind of show are you planning on putting on?

Buika: I don’t know. I normally don’t plan anything in my life, not even the shows, nothing. Because I think every show is magic. You just have to be quiet and wait.

MD: So is there quite a bit of improvisation in your live shows?

Buika: Everything. Because I normally build a repertoire on stage.  Because I think that the audience, the tribe, is the real orchestra director. They know what they want to hear.

MD: So how do you manage to communicate with them and them back to you?

Buika: You just wait. You do your thing and you wait and there’s a light there. I follow my feelings and I go into a trance and I don’t know what happens.

MD: Has that always been the case for you when you perform live?

Buika: That’s always the view when I was lying. When I was a little girl I was a liar. Every time I was stuck as a liar I was in a trance. When you see that a little someone tell a lot of lies, it’s not nice to tell him that he’s a liar and that he’s no good. Because the only thing it happens to him or to her is that it created someone. But when you’re a little child you don’t know what to do with that. And you invent and you don’t know why. It’s just that you do it. And this is such a kind of magic obviously. And the music teach me is the difference between light and invent. Who invents creates future. You know to invent like to dream. But to lie you have nightmares (laughs).

MD: (laughs) That’s excellent. I never thought of it that way.

Buika: That’s the difference between lying and inventing.

MD: I see you’re up for a Grammy award which is being held in a couple of weeks. Is that important for you to get some recognition like that?

Buika: Well you know it’s been good because up until everything I’ve been a part of has been really magic and small and completely unknown neighbourhood and family and place. My mom is Buvi; it’s a little, little, little tiny tribe. And my family was one of the most successful of the town village. And you know I feel all this had been a trick. I think from my past from my history, I’m not supposed to be here. I don’t know what’s going on.

MD: Are you going to the Grammy awards ceremony?

Buika: No because I’ll be in Mexico working. Performing on the stage probably.

MD: Have you played in Mexico before?

Buika: Yeah, every year for many years. I know and love that country, I love Mexico.

MD: What’s the audience like there? What sort of communication do you have with them?

Buika: They comfort you, they guide you. They are like an orchestra director. I’ve always said the audience, which I call my tribe, is the real orchestra director. They know how to do it well. I love that. I’m very excited to go to Australia. I really do think people from that side of the world have to be special. Yeah for sure, for sure. Otherwise we would not go that far. We’d only go that far because you people are special. When I’m in front of a special audience sometimes before I’d be nervous. Now it’s like a challenge. I feel like a lion in the middle of the jungle. I feel strong and powerful. I feel wow. I love to take some risks on stage. That’s the reason why I never rehearse and learn the songs. I’d rather improvise.

MD: When you say you take a risk on stage what do you consider risky?

Buika: I say the truth.

MD: I also read somewhere you’re working on writing a film. Did that happen? Have you managed to finish that?

Buika: Actually I’m working on the soundtrack. I’m now in my studio in my house working on the soundtrack. Yeah I did the film and I read the book. Because I can’t stop. I don’t have no boyfriend (laughs).

MD: (laughs) How can that be? It’s good for creativity I guess. What kind of film is it?

Buika: I didn’t realise the film. It was one of the stories of my new book because I just finished my second book. It was one of these stories at the end of my book. It begins like a nightmare. I was in Mexico performing and I had a nightmare because I had a little bit of stress. Sometimes I’d rather sit down and write than sleep. Because as soon as you let yourself dream, it’s going to be alright. Because if you have 3-4 hours to go to the airport. I know some friends who go to the bed they took some pills to sleep. But if you are mature you’re going to take 2,000 pills because that it going to happen every week. So in that case, the thing is to dream. So what I do is lower the lights, go to bed, sit down at the computer and dream with my open eyes. And I had a nightmare and I wrote down the nightmare. You just have to dream it out. And I talked to my brother the day after and said hey I had that nightmare last night. He said whoa have you been smoking something? And I was like NO, I just had a nightmare. And he was like, “that’s crazy, I don’t understand”. But then two nights later he dreamed on it. He saw it and he’s a film director. He said that’s not a story, that’s a film. And I said if you write the script, I give you the money. And he was like, “ok”. And so I’ve been one year not smoking, not going out, and not doing anything saving money. And now you have the film, now you have the book.

MD: And when will the film be available for people to see?

Buika: Well if that were an album I’d probably to more or less tell you a date. If that were a book I’d be able to tell you more or less a date. But being a film it’s like a never-ending story. You always say that’s going to be ready in February; that’s not, that’s a lie, it’s not true. Films are so complicated. Nevermind.

MD: One more question. I’m curious to hear what sort of musicians you listen to when you just want to chill out or check out? Do you have favourites?

Buika: Do you have teenage daughters?

MD: I used to. They’re grown up now; but yeah I’m familiar with the teenage…

Buika: Because when they go that age, they became the kings of the house. Never listening any more to your music. It’s all day hip-hop. All day a lot of this music he listens to. And it sounds good, it sounds good. But you know a long time ago I just a listened to my music in peace and reading my books and silence in my house. But that never happens.

MD: Sounds like fun though.

Buika: Yeah I’ll have to wait until he goes to College.

Buika: The truth is that I live in my studio. I’m a little workaholic. I spent many years wasting my time; well it wasn’t a waste of time. I was reading a lot of books and listening to a lot of music. But I’ve put many years investing my money and time. And it was good but we were putting all our energy in somebody else’s dreaming. I’ve been a good girl. I’ve bought Nike shoes, I bought Coca-Cola, I’ve been travelling in America, I’ve been living somebody else’s dreaming. Now is the time to put all my energy into my own dream. I’m just doing my job, my books. And I’m all day and practically all night in my studio.

Buika will appear at WOMAD…March 14-16 New Plymouth. Click here for more WOMAD info.

Click here to read The 13th Floor review of Buika’s latest album, La Noche Mas Larga