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The Strength of Joy: An interview with Desta Haile

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photo by Mikhail Porollo

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"When I move to a new place, the first thing I do to make myself feel at home is go on lots of long walks to get to know my way around the place," says singer-songwriter Desta Haile.   It's easy to tell Desta, 24, has lived in many countries.  Barbados reveals itself in her love for reggae, ragga, soca, dancehall, calypso, and her ingrained passion for beaches.  Ivory Coast developed her imagination, love of travel and fear of poisonous garden snakes, not to mention her respect for Ivorian musical giants like Magic System and Alpha Blondy. Jordan was where she made some of her closest friends.

In 2008, Desta released her EP Fortuneteller, a collection of songs she wrote at the age of 17 that blend electronic elements with reggae and West African afro-beat. She is currently promoting ONE, an album she co-wrote with The Elements, a ten-strong group based in Brussels with members from Belgium, Columbia, Spain, Congo, French Guinea, Ghana, England, Eritrea, and Chile. Their music is a fresh fusion of soul, funk, pop, afro beat and acid-jazz.

You've lived in Thailand, Barbados, Côte d'Ivoire, Jordan, the UK, Belgium and Brazil, and you speak English, French, and Portuguese fluently. Please explain?

My parents worked for the UN, so they had to keep moving for their work. My mother's English, from York. If you're interested in gender studies and women's rights, here is her website: http://www.gendercentric.org. My dad, Reesom Haile, was a poet, but he could do that from anywhere!  I had to constantly adapt to new places and that usually meant getting the language on. I moved to Brazil with my boyfriend. We first went in 2005 and adored it, so we moved there for a year. Our flatmates didn't speak a word of English or French so we learned Portuguese quickly. I love languages. I've studied Spanish, Dutch, Arabic, Tigrinya, Turkish...and now I'm learning Tagalog since I live in Manila. Can't get enough!

Who are your biggest inspirations?

My family. My boyfriend. Friends. Writers, artists. Good cooks.

How long have you been making music?

Professionally, for 7 years. Since I was 17.

How did you get involved with The Elements?

After a year in Rio I was back in Brussels. A mutual friend of mine and The Elements percussionist, Jojo, put us in touch since they were looking for a singer. I had a little audition with the boys which went well, so I started composing with Yovanny, the guitarist. It went quickly, a couple people left, a new horn section fell from the sky, a backing vocalist rocked up. We had our first gig together in February 2008. We played anywhere, everywhere, as much as possible and produced our debut album together, released it in July 2009. It's my number one favourite music project to date. It's a funny, funky family.

What is your creative process like when you composing with Yovanny and the rest of the band?

Slow and steady, since there are so many of us! I either bring a song in that I'd written before hand and then the band gets on it. Or I make the first demo with Yo, and we layer in the other instruments by section -- rhythm, horns.

What was the inspiration for your song entitled, "Washington D.C."?  (See lyrics below)

What aspect of music do you enjoy more: creating and writing music or performing in front of an audience?

Hmm... I love being onstage, especially with The Elements...but I think I prefer the creating and composing bit. It's exciting, making something brand new, catching a melody in your head and putting it down. Magic and mysterious. Therapeutic.

Where are some of the places that you draw your creative inspiration from?

My favourite cities in the world are Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul, and now my current home Manila. But as long as I have a big stash of good books at home I'm down with staying in wherever I am. I find journeys themselves good for giving me ideas...train rides, flights, metros, buses, trams, cabs...movement is good! Growing up, I'd say Barbados, Ivory Coast and Jordan were the places that marked me most, and inspire me still.

How has the creative landscape in the places you’ve lived helped you develop as an artist?

It depends on the place. For example, Brussels has been great for me, as it is a very multicultural place, very metissé. Everybody speaks a whole bunch of languages. You can see all kinds of live music. I've gotten to work with people like Zap Mama, rapper Baloji, crooners like Michael Bublé, gospel choirs, French pop stars, The Elements! I've gotten music work there that's taken me to New Zealand, Russia, Australia, Tunisia, Norway, the States, and Turkey. Brussels can feel like an airport lounge sometimes. I guess, all in all, living in so many different places has made me pretty open, flexible, observant...I love experiencing different cultures, hearing different stories, histories. Already in my family it gets pretty crazy-- English, Eritrean, Thai, American...

Who are some of the artists that you like and listen to?

This answer could take a very long time... let me think. I love Eddy Grant. I love Saïan Supa Crew. I adore Bobby McFerrin. Afrika Bambaata and the Soulsonic Force. Afrika Bambaata has got to be my favourite DJ too. Sade. Tribe Called Quest. Mos Def. Finley Quaye. Fela Kuti. D'Angelo. De la Soul. Gilberto Gil. Caetano Veloso. Ella Fitzgerald. Bob Marley. Toots and the Maytals. Cesaria Evora. Sezen Aksu. Mulatu Astatke. Antonio Carlos Jobim. Cymande. Marcelo D2. Lenny Kravitz. Ed Motta. Smokey Robinson. UB40. The Flamingos. Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Howlin' Wolf. Tracy Chapman. Nicole Willis and The Soul Investigators. Rotary Connection. TLC. Salt'n'Peppa, Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Joe Bataan. The Fugees. Sly and the Family Stone. George Clinton. Parliament Funkadelic. Arrested Development. James Brown.Monday Michiru. At home I normally listen to my favourite internet radios: http://www.soulsendikasi.com (Istanbul-based radio, old-skool soul, r&b, gospel, blues) or http://www.wefunkradio.com (mainly hiphop and funk).

How would you describe yourself?

Happy.

What’s next?

Working on an album with a great Filipino producer/musician, Alvin Cornista. Getting a busy 2010 schedule together with The Elements. We're already planning stuff for 2011, like a project playing The Elements' repertoire with a 50-piece orchestra!  More travels are always on my mind. Another thing I'm kind of dreaming about is opening an Eritrean/Ethiopian restaurant in Manila, and making it a kind of African Cultural Centre too. A place for great food, music, films shown every couple weeks, textiles, jewellery...from all over the African continent. The food would have to be strictly habesha though. I could literally have injera and wot every day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. My boyfriend's Spanish/Belgian, the first time he saw me bust it out for breakfast he was a little shocked.

Lyrics for Washington D.C.:

i lost a love so great it brought me to my knees