Vesper Wood, the solo project of Christina Wood, will release Instar, a transcendent, soul-stirring debut album on March 1st. Originally from Kentucky via Germany and London, Wood is better known as half of the UK electro-pop duo Kaleida. Recorded in Bristol, UK with producer Ali Chant (Perfume Genius, Aldous Harding, Soccer Mommy, Jenny Hval), Instar follows Wood’s journey to finding peace, hope, and strength while honing in on what it means to be a woman. Some songs helped Wood process problems she was encountering with her reproductive health, biological clock, lack of support, lack of awareness of women’s health issues, and inherent sexism in our society. The result is an emotionally stark, organic LP that seems to radiate righteous fragility and a gossamer spirit of healing. It is her most raw, honest and authentic work to date.
In an effort to get better interview questions, EPB has recruited artists to draft questions for other artists. For these bright and trenchant questions to Vesper Wood EPB sought out Luna Keller, a rising European musical star living in Tenerife, Spain.
Luna Keller (LK): How did you discover your passion for music?
Vesper Wood (VW): I think I was just born with it! I remember singing to myself a lot as a very small girl. I loved singing in the church choir too, and I got really into old Appalachian music for a while. Then I got obsessed with Bjork as a teenager. It’s been a lifelong thing.
LK: How do you write your songs?
VW: I sit down and play around on the computer and the keyboard with various sounds and out of a weird internal fog comes some melodies, progressions etc. At the time I don’t have much of a clue what I’m doing. When I listen back after some space I can see what is good, what to refine, add to, complete etc. It takes a long time for me. It’s all very intuitive. Usually some words are there, some kind of essence of the feeling/meaning I’m singing about, but I have to complete them later, after the arrangement etc. I guess over the years I’ve learned a lot about structure and I follow that too now.
LK: Not only have you lived both in the US and the UK, you’ve also travelled a lot, how did this influence your music?
VW: I suppose I’ve gotten into music from all over the world as a result – Azerbaijani mugham music, Icelandic kveda music, Huayno music from Peru, Indonesian gamelan are some of my favorites – but more importantly I think traveling just opens your heart and makes you more human. And that’s what you sing about ultimately, on some level.
LK: Instar is a beautiful and very personal album. You said that it helped you process the difficulties you’ve experienced recently. How does it feel to share this intimate project with the world?
VW: Good. It feels like it’s genuine, so I’m glad about that. I hope some people find solace in it.
LK: You also said that this album has a “healing feminine spirit” and it helped you processing the problems you’ve had as a woman. What does the album mean to you?
VW: I guess making a few of the songs helped me get through some of the anger and sadness I was feeling about some issues I was having with my reproductive health. It kind of allowed me to transcend the disappointment and grief, to prevail, by making something new. So it feels sort of triumphant.
LK: Of all the beautiful songs on the album, is there one that you hold especially dear and why?
VW: Not particularly – they’re all important to me on balance.
LK: Instar was recorded in Bristol last year, how was the recording for you?
VW: It was intense! I went down to Bristol from London 3 or 4 times for short periods and overall we recorded and mixed the album in 3 weeks. It was a good process, and I learned a lot. Mostly about not being a perfectionist, because that’s the way Ali Chant, who I recorded with, works. He’s a very sharp man, knows so much about the entire process and all his random instruments and synths…knows people too and how to work with neurotic artists…and how to get the best out of something. Making the album has given me a lot more confidence in my instincts and my skills. Ready for the next one.
LK: How has your experience as a woman in the music business been so far?
VW: Even for this album, which I think is pretty clearly a DIY endeavor, I’ve come across people who still assume that a man did the production, wrote the music etc. That really makes my blood boil, but you have to be gracious and just keep working. Otherwise, my experience has been ok – it’s more internalizing the idea that you can’t do it, aren’t good enough, that has been something I’ve battled with. For Kaleida we protected ourselves a lot by sticking together and keeping creative control over all elements – so we sort of blocked out the sexism and just got on with it. I can’t say what our career would be like if things were more equal though. We’d probably also have had more confidence…we’re kind of in this transitional generation, where we had ambitions and knew we should be equal, but had fewer precedents…we were a bit older when all the strong role models like Beyonce started doing their thing…so it’s been more of a mind-struggle for us than for some of the younger artists I think.
LK: If you had to describe the album in three words, what would they be?
VW: Unrefined, emotional, beautiful.
LK: Have you planned to tour soon to share your wonderful music live?
VW: Yes – 4 shows coming up in early March in NY, D.C., Brooklyn, and West Palm Beach,
