From the moment Carina’s voice is heard, one cannot doubt the talent and years of practice that must lie behind it. In fact, the musician and visual artist of Armenian origin, who grew up in Lebanon, studied music since childhood and later was trained as a musician at the Levon Shant Music School there.
Those years of training have paid off in the release of Carina’s debut single ‘Al Hasna’, a gorgeous ambient track that puts her crystallic, haunting vocals on full glorious display. The track first came about in 2015, during a trip to India. The trip was a spiritual journey for the songwriter and was created before she had to leave.
Carina shared the following about her creative process on an Instagram post: “After literally soaking in divine energy for a year, the time to leave had come. Little did I know that those heartbreaking moments of goodbye, where I held back my tears in pain, were only temporary. A swift magical moment reminded me that energy was limitless and that I was actually taking a temple home with me”.
The track from the upcoming album features layers of mixed percussion, cello, guitar and flute with Carina´s longing voice suspended above like a bird soaring through the wind. The whole ensemble was recorded and mixed at the One Hertz Studio in Beirut and afterwards mastered by Martin Ruch in Berlin.
‘Al Hasna’’ is accompanied by a music video taking the viewer on a visual journey through Carina´s universe of spirituality. In this world the singer appears as mere shadow circling around in the midst of fireworks and shifting colors.
Her upcoming album ‘Safrit Rishé’, set to release on Friday March 18th 2022, is the outcome of a successful crowdfunding campaign. Self-produced and arranged, the project was recorded in collaboration with musicians playing cello, double bass, violin, flute, drums and percussion. It will furthermore feature the artist’s own illustrations, with each song representing a different stage of her journey.
On the same day of Carina’s release, Egyptians can experience Carina performing live in Alexandria, as part of the Bab Elbar diversity festival at the Jesuit Cultural Center. The show is free, but will have a limited seating, and will also feature artists from Egypt, Tunisia, Sweden and Finland.
Watch Carina’s 2019 live performance of her song ‘Hanoun’, yet to be released.