Artists Recommend: Ariel de Balkan
Artists Recommend: Ariel de Balkan
From busking around the Acropolis to Sepolia studios, the R&B musician shares her musical journey and influences spanning Alicia Keys to Goran Bregović.
For the third installment of “Artists Recommend,” I wanted to highlight some local talent. Greek Of The Moment readers may be, to some degree, familiar with Ariel de Balkan, the 27-year-old producer, singer, and songwriter who has been performing her loungey R&B compositions around Athens for a few years now. I happened to be in Ariel’s presence and privy to experiences she had to share about her relationship to the music industry back in May, while attending the Athens Music Week conference. Despite being unable to make it to her live showcase then, it was a lot of fun to get in touch over email a couple months later and have the chance to learn more about her musical roots and creative process first hand.
Read on for my Q&A with Ariel, where she recounts her journey from busking around the Acropolis to writing at a Sepolia studio and talks going pro, genre exploration, and musician empowerment — of course, complete with her music recommendations spanning Alicia Keys to Goran Bregović.
This interview has been lightly edited for context, clarity, and uniformity.
Evi: Please give us a basic introduction of yourself!
Ariel: My name is Ariel de Balkan, I’m 27 years old. I was raised in a small village in northern Greece, right next to the Turkish and Bulgarian borders. I consider myself a Balkan girl with Balkan music influences. Being raised in a classical music environment, I started playing the piano and the accordion at a young age. In high school, I learned how to play some chords on the guitar and started writing lyrics. Five years later, I found myself in Athens, busking around the Acropolis area. A few months later, I had my first acquaintance with music production and that’s when I really fell in love with making music. My goal is to empower other women and non-binary people to get involved in music-making. Currently, I’m building a music hub called UnderTheShe Records for the empowerment of musicians; a safer space for us to feel comfortable to write and produce and release our music.
Evi: How would you describe your sound?
Ariel: This question always catches me off-guard. My sound revolves around the feeling of being under or near the sea. I love making R&B and hip-hop songs with samples from the ocean but I don’t feel restricted by genres, so I let myself free to explore pop and other styles as well. My favorite way to explore sound is through synthesizers. Have you ever stuck your ear inside a big shell? It gives you the feeling of being under the sea. That sound describes my preferred synths. I also love making melodies and chord progressions — it’s my thing. I use my voice a lot when making music — not just for singing lyrics, but I use my vocals as an element of the instrumental part as well.
Evi: How did you get into making and releasing music?
Ariel: I was very lucky to meet a really motivating music production teacher, Dan. He has helped me a lot to get into the concept of making music and releasing it. He has also acted kind of as a mentor to me, explaining the current state of the music industry and sharing his own experience. This is how I started, now there’s no hesitation anymore.
Evi: Is there a message you’d like to transmit to listeners through your music? Any goals that accompany your process?
Ariel: The only thing that comes to my mind is that as artists, we shouldn’t feel chained to a specific style or vibe. We can write love songs, or use swear words if we like, or switch to pop all of a sudden, or write songs about social change. Nothing should limit us. There’s one song I wrote, “DRUNK,” that I don’t find easy performing live because it doesn’t really fit my character. But it was so much fun to write! It felt good releasing it. My listeners were kind of surprised and didn’t hesitate to comment on it, but I don’t really mind. When you feel the creativity pass through your body, you shouldn’t stop it — maybe you’re just meant to write something completely different today, that’s ok! My goal is to keep enjoying making music even now that it’s slowly turning from a hobby to a profession. I will never let it become routine.
Evi: Share a little bit about your latest project!
Ariel: My latest release, “More like you,” is my favorite one so far. We wrote and recorded it with IamOMNI, an amazing hip-hop artist from LA. Omni is a powerhouse of ideas and energy. I don’t know how to explain it in words, you have to meet him in person. He brought a beat by Vincestrumentals, a producer from Belgium. We wrote the song in a studio in Sepolia — the writing process was electrifying. One would go in the booth, record a verse, then the other one would get an idea, write it down, go in the booth, then all over again. I don’t think I have written a song faster, we were in the zone.
Ariel de Balkan Recommends:
Franz Schubert — “Die Forelle, Op. 32, D. 550”
Ariel: “Die Forelle” is a song that my mom used to play on the piano and sing to me when I was very little (under four years old). The melody of this song is one of the first melodies ever stuck in my head. I wasn’t really aware of the name of the song, but the main melodic line stayed with me for years and I wished I knew the title so I could listen to it again. One day, I sang it back to my mom asking her if she [knew] it and she said, “Aha! You mean ‘Die Forelle!’” I was so glad I got to listen to the song again. It had left its imprint on me.
Alicia Keys — HERE
Ariel: HERE is my favorite album of Alicia Keys’. It’s where you can really feel she has matured as an artist and activist. The songs are about social change, they touch on addiction, war, the working class, body image, the environment, and race. This album is so raw — I’m struggling to find words to describe it. The passion in her voice is [on] a different level. Alicia is my favorite artist in the world and all of her music is exceptional, but this album has a special place in my heart.
OSTON — “Burton St.”
Ariel: There’s something about a good, breakup pop song that will make you melt. I couldn’t avoid mentioning it as I listened to it recently on Spotify. Tracks like this make me want to produce more pop music. The lyrics are so intimate and they kind of activate all the senses of the body. Also the concept of “not being broken about someone” that the artist refers to in the chorus is very liberating. I’m really inspired by the songwriting of such songs. At last, let’s not forget about the energy of the bridge that also mentions the title of the song. Very clever arrangement!
Goran Bregović — “Mesecina”
Ariel: One of the composers I really look up to is Bregović. “Mesecina” was one of his songs that my dad [was] obsessed with. We used to listen to it a lot when I was a child as he had recorded it from a TV channel where an orchestra played it. I’m really inspired by the Balkan brass instruments — they have a very characteristic mid-high pitch sound that challenges the ear while at the same time it can be obsessive, listening to them. The complex melodies of Bregović and the pulling and pushing of the tempo are creating a unique feeling to the listener. I used to think that the saxophone was the king of the brass instruments but when you consider Balkan music, I believe the trombone is the most integral part of it.
Béla Bartók — Romanian Folk Dances
Ariel: In a completely different world, about 10-13 years ago, I used to take part in a classical music masterclass called “Internationale Musiktage” that took place in northern Austria every summer. The last year I joined, my teacher suggested that I study the Romanian Folk Dances by Bartók. I remember it being my favorite piece to learn and perform. I firmly believe that spending so many hours studying Béla Bartók’s work has helped with my ability to create different rhythms and complex melodies when I write songs.
Keep up with Ariel de Balkan on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Check out her music on Spotify and SoundCloud.
You can find all music mentioned on “Artists Recommend” in the “Of The Moment: Artists Recommend” playlist:
Check out the series’ previous installment with Berlin dream pop duo Bad Hammer, here. Interested in more ramblings from me? Have a look at the archive, here.
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