ANDRIANA CHOBOT – AN ARTIST SPOTLIGHT AND INTERVIEW
By Ralph Beauchamp
Andriana Chobot is an amazing singer-songwriter whose music straddles many genres including indie-pop, atmospheric folk and piano-driven rock. Her impressive alto voice caries each lyric with emotional weight and gallant arrangements. Songs like “Galaxy Eyes” and “Like It’s the Last Time” showcase her astute musical sensibilities. Her mixture of classical elements and stylish songwriting produces a sound that feels both lived in and modern.
A defining feature of Andriana Chobot‘s music is her use of impassioned honesty. Her songs ring true. That’s the reason her songs resonate so well with her listeners. Her themes of self-reflection, love and human frailties often balance vulnerability with a quiet resilience. Another characteristic of Andriana Chobot is her ability to construct cadences that flow naturally. Every note is in perfect position.
Whether performing solo or with her band (Andriana and the Bananas), Andriana Chobot brings a certain theatrical flair that is infectious. She uses her cinematic expertise to raise her performances to a higher level. Her shows are both engaging and musically uplifting. Her combination of poetic songwriting, lush arrangements and pure authenticity has established Andriana Chobot as a rising star with a uniquely creative vision.
Andriana Chobot will be performing Saturday, 7/18 at the 2nd Annual 21 Songwriters Music Festival: Vermont being held at the 14th Star Brewery & Black Radish Catering located at 133 N Main St. St. Albans City, Vt. The event is sponsored by Bigger Beast Records in conjunction with the Lakeshore Community Events Series. Free tickets are available on the Bigger Beast Records website.
Andriana Chobot was kind enough to sit with AMP for this interview.
AMP: Your songs often feel cinematic and emotionally immersive, Where do your ideas usually begin – with a lyric, a melody or an image?
ANDRIANA: Most of the time, my songs start with a few chords that draw me in while I am improvising on the piano. Once I find an emotional center that speaks to me, a melody begins to stick, and I develop the musical and lyrical story from there. However, I try to remain as open as possible to inspiration.
For example, “Neon” started as a poem written as a pledge and prayer, declaring my dedication to songwriting and the ongoing persistence of any person’s inner glow despite hardships. The main repeated Rhodes lick came next, and as I spoke the poem while playing it, the melody emerged. Other times, an overall vibe creates a few images that drive the initial lyrics, and the song’s underscore expands from there. Sometimes it is just a catchy vocal hook that I record on my phone.
AMP: What song in your catalogue surprised you the most during the writing process?
ANDRIANA: A new song in the works called “Purple Heart” surprised me the most recently because of the dense amount of lyrics and its rhythmic delivery in each verse. It is rare for me not to use fully dynamic melodies that stretch and shape words, but this song is the exact opposite. I have noticed that my lyrics have been less abstract recently, which is exciting, surprising, and terrifying all at once.
It feels like what I’m trying to convey in my performance is more relatable and honest. I have to stand strong behind every statement, which has forced me to be braver than I have ever been. The surprising part of these upcoming songs is not the choice to lean heavier into “rock,” but that I’ve had to be bolder with my own vocal and lyrical choices to match it.
AMP: Your music blends indie pop, rock, blues, folk, jazz and theatrical elements. How would you describe your sound to someone hearing you for the first time?
ANDRIANA: Inherently, all music is theatrical. But I try to raise the stakes, the tension, and the dynamics as much as I can, especially with the help of my band. I’ve been described as “Indie-Pop,” certainly. I’ve also been described as “Dinner Theater Rock” and “ABBA for the modern day Queerdo,” but I think I prefer “Heart-Rock”….a blend of the old and new, the light and dark, and filled with life like the pulse of time within our bodies.
AMP: You will be performing at the 2nd annual 21 Songwriters: Vermont on 7/18 at 14th Star Brewery & Black Radish Catering hosted by Bigger Beast Records in conjunction with the Lakeshore Community Events Series. What excites you the most about this amazing event?.
ANDRIANA: As I mentioned, I try to be open to any inspiration. You never know what can inspire, and how a performance can affect one’s thoughts. Being able to see what’s in the zeitgeist via songwriters’ interpretation is not just illuminating, but can provoke unspoken parallel discussion, along with catharsis, healing, and understanding. What hits with my creative friends? Tell me what the poets are doing, how we’re coping, what are we needing? And how are we all navigating the fast-paced world of self-promotion? Are we keeping afloat in the expectations of creating murky content? Just being present at 21 Songwriters can put you in the seat of being an active observer, if you want it.
AMP: Your arrangements often move through different moods and textures. How intentional is that emotive journey?
ANDRIANA: I think that, as humans, we inherently contain multitudes. We have different voices that are active all at once throughout a life experience. Anger sounds different than sadness, sadness sounds different than joy, and joy sounds different than anger. But one song or story can contain all of those.
When the song lends itself to it, I can propel the story to its next page by the natural evolution to a new texture or mood, all while still commenting on the main theme. It could be representative of a comment from a friend, a news headline, a lesson learned, or a regret realized. Even just a popular anecdote that’s “said” nowadays. All this collected can create a song. The amalgamation of different moods and textures is just an amalgamation of everyday life.
AMP: Who are some of the artists that have shaped your creative voice?
ANDRIANA: I started playing the monumental compositions of old classical composers like Chopin, Schumann, Bartok, and C.P.E. Bach, and grew up listening to my parents’ rock vinyl alongside the millennium’s alternative rock, pop, and folk playing on the radio. It wasn’t until I found my piano “God-mothers,” Regina Spektor and Amanda Palmer, that I started to consider that I could write my own songs with lyrics!
I always liked singing a cappella and composing my own instrumental songs on the piano, but I never thought to put the two together. Since then, there have been plenty more piano-centered artists who have shaped my creative voice, including Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Rufus Wainwright, Sarah McLachlan, Kate Bush, Freddie Mercury, Alicia Keys, and Ben Folds. That being said, I have plenty of other influences who have also shaped my voice who aren’t pianists.
AMP: Beyond music, what inspires your songwriting – books, films, visual art or everyday experiences?
ANDRIANA: As I hinted at before, you never know what can inspire! A late-night walk around the block, an old painting that pulls at the heartstrings, a gritty documentary on TV, or sitting in a state of strong emotion – all have inspired songs that I’ve written.
AMP: The title of your song “Return to Sincere” is intriguing. What does that song mean to you personally?
ANDRIANA: “Return to Sincere” is a statement that is true and false all at once. Even when we are stating a lie, there is truth in the reasoning as to why we chose to lie. We are ever-evolving; we cycle through feelings, preferences, and eras. But there are people, core memories, and emotions that we return to honestly and with sincerity. I think that “Return to Sincere” is also about the conclusions that we repeatedly return to as a society, too.
AMP: Do songs evolve after playing them live for a while?
ANDRIANA: Yes! Now that I have a band backing me up there are considerations that happen when there are up to 5 other musicians involved! Lyrically, sonically, and intensity shifts happen – sometimes it’s planned, and sometimes not!
AMP: How does performing solo differ from performing with your band, Andriana & the Bananas?
ANDRIANA: I think it mostly depends on the vibe of the venue and the people in the audience. I’m usually more confident with my band behind me, supporting what I’m trying to convey and interpreting the song in their own way. But there is a certain vulnerability and closeness that comes with playing solo to a listening room crowd that can’t be reproduced with a dynamic band in front of a bar’s audience. My band also challenges me by getting me out of my bubble or echo chamber and brings different perspectives to rehearsal.
AMP: What do you hope listeners take away after hearing your music or seeing you play live?
ANDRIANA: That yes, life can be complicated and that it’s gonna be ok. All that overflowing with a fun, possibly different chordal and lyrical experience. If listening to it leads to more awareness, healing and understanding, I’d feel honored to provoke such things.
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