Cut in half is the debut album by Berlin-based performer and multimedia artist Elena Herrmann also known as Eddna. Her first work references the moon, understood as an evocative feminine figure, an image that represents a multitude of interconnections made of rituals, magic and imaginary worlds. Being a project characterized by a strong introspective vein, this work also reflects the history of many women and presents itself to the audience as a disjointed puzzle where, to each piece corresponds a state of mind that is turned into sound. The synthesis of all this is encapsulated within the single Cut in Half, an eight-minute track cut into three parts that is then rejoined through a music video with a short-film flavor. In this video Eddna exhibits not only her singing qualities but also her ability as an actress who can move very naturally in front of a camera.
Who were you before becoming Eddna?
Elena – Imagine one of those famous film scenes in which a character is trying to write an important letter and balls of crumpled paper start piling up. Replying to this question felt a bit that way. Who were you, who are you now, who will you be? Those are the questions contemporaries, including me, ask themselves a lot – too excessively I feel. I don’t think that choosing Eddna as my artist name turned me into someone else. Making music, telling stories, creating visuals and performing on stage on the other hand have surely altered me in some way. I would say that Eddna is a genuine persona, a part of myself that I truly become whenever I am creating, singing or performing. She is stronger, more confident and she conjures up or feels emotions that my private self doesn’t always dare to. When I am performing on stage I mostly forget about myself, I fall into a sort of trance, encountering energies that I didn’t know of but I am sure have been part of me all along. After the performance I often look back and almost feel detached from the experience. Forgetting about oneself is something I recommend people to do every now and then. It can be the source of powerful encounters and discoveries.
Music is closely connected to my body. Even the softest, slowest sound can make me move in seemingly unrelated rhythms.
What is your artistic background?
Elena – I initially come from dance, performance and film. Though I have learned to play the piano since I am a child, started writing music at the age of 16 and listened to all kinds of music excessively ever since, I have only realised in the last years that music is the form of artistic expression which moves me by far the most and which I want to pursue professionally. This was after starting my studies of Fine Arts at Universität der Künste Berlin and it came like a “delayed shock”. Music is not really part of the curriculum so there were moments in which I doubted the choice of my studies. However I realised that I want to think of and produce music within a visual, performative and theatrical framework, so now I am at peace.
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How does the creation of your songs start?
Elena – Most of the time inspiration for creation comes unexpectedly, in moments of being wonderfully overwhelmed by forces bigger and stronger than me. Roaring oceans, lush hills, turbulent winds, the inner turmoils of emotional landscapes. A line of text or a small melody then catches me from behind and takes possession of me. Those are the moments in which I get excited and rush home or try to find a way to document the fleeting idea. Besides these rather magical moments a song might also start after a phase of experimentation on my computer, playing with recordings, samples, sounds and instruments. After some time I end up with an archive of sounds and text. Some of these fragments will find a form together in such a harmonious or beautifully disharmonious way that it makes me think that they were always meant to be together.
I have only started taking vocal lessons around two years ago. Strangely, I was not one of those children that can’t help singing all day long. Only now I have fully understood the value of having a voice and I feel almost relieved. Listening to old demos and hearing how my voice has matured makes me appreciate aging. I know that there is much more potential which I have to unleash. In that regard artists such as Meredith Monk and Björk but also traditional ways of singing from countries such as Japan or Bulgaria are deeply influential.
Inspiration for creation comes unexpectedly, in moments of being wonderfully overwhelmed by forces bigger and stronger than me. Roaring oceans, lush hills, turbulent winds, the inner turmoils of emotional landscapes.
How do you relate your body to music?
Elena – Music is closely connected to my body. Even the softest, slowest sound can make me move in seemingly unrelated rhythms. I love when my whole body is engaged in a musical performance – from the tip of my tows, over my thighs, my belly, up to my fingers, my neck, my jaw and my scalp. My voice informs the body and vice versa. Even writing lyrics is often connected to bodily and visceral feelings. I feel a deep connection between natural phenomena and processes within my physical body and soul, which allows me to poetically express the latter more easily.
Forgetting about oneself is something I recommend people to do every now and then. It can be the source of powerful encounters and discoveries
How was your song “Cut in Half” born and why did you decide to make it the single of your album?
Elena – The song was born at night, in a moment of depression and restless exhaustion a few years ago. I observed the moon that only showed half of her face. “The moon is cut in half and I feel nothing” – a frightening realisation for a 22-old woman and yet something I am glad to have experienced and overcome. I decided to make it the title track for several reasons. One of them is that it contains the whole range of my musical expression, from real instruments and subtle vocals to dense and rough soundscapes. Originally it was an 8 minute track which I decided to “cut in half” in order to create a dramaturgy in the album. I remember the excitement I felt as a teenager when I went to see a ballet and there was an intermission. Returning to your seat, hearing the orchestra prepare for the second part and staring at the curtains in expectation of the story to be continued was a magical moment. In a way I see Cut in Half Pt.1 and Pt.2 as those moments of tension on the album. They are havens on a journey from darkness to light, from depression to joy. The moon plays an equally important role for the album as does water. They are in close relation to each other with the moon being the creative force for the ocean’s tides. Tides are two-faced, as is day and night, as is the soul, as is the moon.
Who are you talking about in this song?
Elena – I’m talking about depression inhabiting me like a second persona which is how this illness felt to me sometimes. Like someone visiting me, taking up my space, taking over control, finally becoming me, or me becoming it and then leaving with no clear explanation. After it has left I often struggle with even remembering its previous existence. I know that it’s an internal part of me but thinking of it as a visitor helps me to accept its temporary presence, to stay patient and to finally be able to let go of it.
Magic becomes more and more visible to me and with it the realization of its realness. It baffles me.
In your intimacy, what does the moon represent and what evocative value does it assume in your music?
Elena – The moon has been a guiding figure in my life since I can remember. She has always been an opera singer, singing from the depths of her soul and for a long time I though that everyone sees her that way. Whenever I look up to the sky her brightly radiating presence gives me consolation and calmness. In the first song I wrote at the age of 16 under the artist name of Lunamanel I sing “The moon and the stars let the night seem less scary and depressing”, so in a way my album Cut in Half is closing a circle with the moon appearing not only in the title track but also in the accompanying music video. Maybe she is my creative force and life-long friend.
What role does magic play in your daily life?
Elena – Magic becomes more and more visible to me and with it the realisation of its realness, it baffles me.
What do you think will happen to your career and what do you hope will happen in the next years?
Elena – It’s hard to say what’s going to happen to my career but after this intense and energy consuming production of my debut album I am enjoying the spark of a new beginning. Whilst I try to share my album with a bigger audience and hope to play many concerts, I will start working on new music. Recently I moved to Japan and will be there for 7 months. Thus a lot of performing and new creation will happen in this wonderful country where the moon has its own holiday called Otsukimi (お月見) happening at the end of September. Let’s stay in the present though. I am sitting outside of a café in a small street of Shibuya in Tokyo. It’s late summer. The air is still warm and moist from yesterday’s heavy rain.
