Paolo thought of himself as 100% Italian, but coming from a Sicilian father and Moroccan mother, he still saw something other than that in the mirror. He began his career making pop music, but, in 2020, after buying an Algerian mandole on a whim, just as the pandemic lockdown began, he found himself on a journey in his home recording studio which connected him to both his personal and musical ancestry. And after that journey, he now sees himself not as something other, but something more.

English translation read by Marco Caroselli.

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Ganna was born just a few months before the collapse of the Soviet era in a small village in Ukraine. As she grew up, she watched as neighbors, friends, and relatives all left to go west. Eventually her family joined the exodus and moved to Germany. But as a 13 year old, she found herself in a world so different, and with no one really to help her navigate her new environment, and struggled to fit in. Once old enough to chart her own path, she returned to Ukraine, but discovered it was no longer her home, either. Again, she felt like an outsider. It wasn't until a chance meeting with a musician at a jazz festival on the Black Sea coast, did it begin to become clear that making music was the key to her self-actualization.

Well, we've reached the halfway point in what will be this first season. I've got almost all the guests locked in to take you to the end of June when I'll take a summer break. I do hope this series has been as interesting for you as it has been rewarding for me to produce. 

Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.

Luzia was born of Angolan parents living in Poland during the communist era. When she was five, the family returned to Angola where Luzia found herself surrounded by children who looked like her but didn't see her as one of them. Then at 15, the family returned to a post-communist Poland, where once again she had to work for societal acceptance. It's only until she meets her partner, Polish DJ Jakub "Mentalcut" Smogur,  that together, through music, Luzia finally finds a place to call home.

One of the joys of this vocation is getting to meet and interview so many interesting people. While I have enjoyed meeting and chatting with all the artists I've gathered for this project, I really had so much fun getting to know Luzia + Jakub. I hope you enjoy spending some time with them as much as I did.  The photo for this episode is actually that of Luzia in Poland as a child on her way to school

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Two violin students - Marvin from France and Akram from Tunisia -  live next door to each in Belgium and hear each other practicing. Finally, Marvin decides to knock on Akram's door and introduce himself. They quickly become good friends, roommates, and decide to form a project, the Aleph Quintet, to express their cross-border friendship - blending jazz improvisations and North African rhythm and melodies. The quintet also includes another Tunisian-born musician, Wajdi Riahi on piano, and has received accolades including “Journées Musicales de Carthage” in Tunisia as well as the “Prix de la presse musicale” in France. But every year, they have to reckon with government bureaucracy which could end their project.

This episode was very special for me as it was the first one I recorded for this project. I tossed the idea around for almost a year before deciding to give it a shot during the WOMEX convention last year. When I was done speaking with Akram and Marvin, I knew I was on to something. And the next day, the two came over and gave me a heartfelt thanks for giving them a platform to tell their story.  It meant a lot and really sealed the deal on making this project a reality.

Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.

Sevana Tchakerian was born and raised in Paris, a child of the Armenian diaspora. She began taking music lessons at three and eventually received a master's degree from the Sorbonne in musicology. But while her studies were in western classical music, she always had a deep connection to traditional Armenian folk. In 2015, she moved to Armenia to run music workshops for rural children. Five years later, war broke out and she decided to stay on and met her musical partner, Armenian guitarist/producer Gor Tadevosyan. While continuing to do workshops together, now for child refugees fleeing the war zone, they founded Jinj. Mixing western music and Armenian folk, they dubbed their sound: “Armobeat.” But what exactly is “Armobeat?” Sevana says it's not really a definition, but rather a name to give them the freedom to explore what they are, whatever that may be.... but always grounded in melodies from a country struggling to be free. (Gor's English voice generated by ElevenLabs.)

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For our first episode I'm honored to introduce you to Angolan-French musician Lucia de Carvalho. Lucia was born in war torn Angola. At the age of six her mother took her and two of her sisters to Portugal where they wound up in an orphanage. Almost 10 years later, she and her sisters were adopted by a family in northern France. And this is when her journey to discover herself really begins.

Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.

This is an introduction to Hyphenated: Music + Identity,  an audio documentary series about immigrant and second generation immigrant musicians in the EU navigating their "hyphenated" identity through their music. It's about borders and frontiers both within themselves and their music. I hope to put some light on these artists, give them space to tell their story, and to introduce you, the listener, to new music and perhaps new perspectives on the world. Created and produced by veteran music+film journalist Ron Deutsch.

Please like and subscribe. Also, consider buying some of today's artist music or adding them to your streaming playlist. Or better yet, go see them play live. A playlist of music in this episode, transcript, as well as links to more information about the artist, can be found at our website http://www.hyphenated.eu. It's also where you can find other episodes and discover more hyphenated artists. And if you'd like to support this series, please tell a friend.