Teresa Bergman is a brave, infectious folk-pop artist. The outstanding singer, guitarist, and composer from New Zealand has released her third album, a jazzy folk-pop inferno. A title and a statement combined, “33, Single & Broke” is the pinnacle of poetic discourse pop.
Bergman’s self-produced album pays homage to his folk roots while still retaining the complexity and groundbreaking originality we’ve come to expect from this dynamic performer. Dreamy piano, slick drums, and melodic basslines join warm acoustic guitar in the song. Bergman’s crisp, soulful voice and glistening, emotive chanson transport the listener back to California in the 1970s while also providing an edgy, contemporary soundscape with pulsating synths, experimental percussion, and lush backing vocals. The voice and the mix are what make it. Bergman continues to tell stories in the most authentic way possible with her impressive control and vocal versatility. Teresa Bergman’s message is unmistakable. She wants to raise awareness of the pressures that women face on a daily basis. She lends her voice to foster unity and dismantle taboos. While underpinning her songs with a sophisticated sense of dark irony, Bergman accomplishes this with a melodic lightness appropriate for cruising and grooving.
Can a house be a home before you build a nest in it? The latest single from Teresa Bergman, “Swallow,” explores the ups and downs of dating. The song’s cheeky 5/4 time signature is driven by a pulsating double bass line that takes center stage early on and is continued by an upbeat piano line. The song progresses, at times almost floating, with unpredictable rhythmic shifts and odd percussion. Bergman’s voice is incredibly expressive, and he asks incredibly expressive questions. The vocal range expands as the piece does. The singer combines elements of contemporary operette and avant-garde-pop with a more conventional jazz-folk vocal style. This jazzy, quirky song by a singer-songwriter is soaring art pop, an original piece of music that gives you the feeling of flying. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
TERESA BERGMAN: I’m from Wellington New Zealand but I’ve been living in Berlin for over 10 years now. I’ve always sung and I started playing guitar and writing songs as a child.
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
TERESA BERGMAN: I’m mostly self-taught. I’ve sung in a lot of different ensembles over the years – so you pick up a lot of ‘training’ as you go. My band are all formally trained jazz musicians – so it’s an interesting mix of backgrounds. Often we’ll be doing or playing the same things, we just have different terminology or ways of thinking.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘TERESA BERGMAN’?
TERESA BERGMAN: The Beatles would have to be my first and still strongest musical influence. For me their songwriting skills are exemplary. You never name a genre when you think of a great band like that – because the songwriting transcends those kinds of boundaries. Their use of complex harmony in popular music is very inspiring to me. Teresa Bergman is literally just my name 🙂 I really try to be myself as an artist – so just being me makes sense.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
TERESA BERGMAN: Well that depends on the listener. I think my songs offer a lot of depth and have layers to peel back if you’re willing to go there. I put a lot of thought and time into my lyrics – and I love puns and metaphors, so if you are a lover of language and lyricism I hope that would resonate with you. My vocals are the central point of many of my songs – so I think my music resonates with people who enjoy hearing a singer really feature her voice as an instrument. I experiment and show lots of different colours. My band and I also work very really hard to arrange the songs harmonically and rhythmically in catchy and creative ways. So I think people who can appreciate all the integrating parts in those arrangements resonate well with our sound. The sound itself changes a bit from record to record. My new album ’33, Single & Broke’ is warm, organic, folky, and jazzy.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as FOLK?
TERESA BERGMAN:
Sure, as a teenager I sang a lot like my idols. Alanis Morissette’s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ was a very formative record for me and I went through a phase singing a bit like her for instance. My first record was a process of trying out so many different styles and songs, I think I settled in my own style from my second album onwards. I wouldn’t describe my musical style as purely folk. I’m a singer-songwriter who plays folk-pop with a lot of jazz and soul mixed into it.
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
TERESA BERGMAN:
What a big question 🙂 We could do a whole interview on just this. In short – yes, I do think that music can and often should function as a catalyst for change. Intelligent music can spark critical and creative thought and emotive responses that move people to try new things, to speak up, to join into a collective cause. I really think if you have a platform to reach people and a microphone in front of you, use it to do good. My songs are an expression of my own problems, worries, feelings ideas and humour – but I try to give them a broader, societal lens as well. ‘Swallow’ for instance is about the tension between freedom and convention. Especially for women. It highlights the pressures faced by women in their thirties – pressures to answer huge life changing questions like whether to settle down and have children or not and whether to focus on work or family. Our societal narratives still predefine so much of of what we feel it is to be a woman ‘correctly’ – and if your path falls outside those norms there is a lot of pain and shame to deal with for many people. I feel those things – and I want change them. I hope that telling my story honestly with help breed solidarity for others and contribute to changing outdated stereotypes and narratives – one song at a time.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
TERESA BERGMAN:
On stage and in the studio yes. I feel extremely fulfilled by the creative and performative parts of my job .. or really vocation. In saying that, nearly every musician knows the pain of having way too much admin work and not having enough time for the art. From promotion, marketing, strategy, to playlist pitching, professional social media management, organising the band, organising & producing music videos, networking, managing the finances of your own business .. all of this is easily a full time job. It all comes back, unfortunately, to the upside-down structures in the music industry. Without the musicians there is no industry – yet we are constantly underpaid and our time undervalued. From total injustice in streaming distribution to a lack of state funding for the arts, things need to change so that artists can afford to do more art. I am constantly looking for ways to improve this balance in my work life – the more music I can do, the more fulfilled I feel.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
TERESA BERGMAN:
This is always a but different for me. Normally I write with the guitar, but sometimes on the piano and sometimes just in my head first. There is always a mood or feeling at the base of a new song. I often riff and improvise around and once something resonates then I start playing with it. Some songs are done very quickly and others take months.. or even years.
9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
TERESA BERGMAN: Probably making my own structure for myself. Before I became self-employed I was always within a structure from the outside – school, university, a couple of ‘normal’ jobs I had – that was all very easy for me in comparison to getting up every day and being my own boss. When you are just starting out there is no-one in your team to correct you, support you, guide you or tell you you’ve done a good job – pretty much your only daily reference point and motivational force is yourself. That is tricky for a lot of artists I think. These days I am very routinised to cope with that – I get up at 7:30 every day, do yoga, go to my co-working space to do admin or my studio to play or produce. That helps me to stay focussed and push myself.
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
TERESA BERGMAN: There have been some gigs that were definitely milestones – playing large festival stages the first few times for sure – Elbjazz or recently Burg Herzberg Festival for instance. Every time bringing out a new record is also a great feeling. I also produced my new album. That was a great step too. Next year I’ll do a collaboration with a 60 piece orchestra and my songs – that is definitely a surreal and wonderful thing.
11. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?
TERESA BERGMAN: There isn’t so much really … actually I find them quite funny mostly. I think what is worse for many artists on socials is when you put a huge amount of work and effort into content – a new music video for instance, often there is less resonance or just the same resonance as a simple selfie pic in a cute top – or something else that trivial. I’ve learned that it is VERY important not to define your worth on social media.
12. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
TERESA BERGMAN: Both! I live for live music – but I learn so much in the studio. Live performances are all about the present moment and studio recordings are a moment in time for the future – it’s lovely to have both.
13. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
TERESA BERGMAN: I think it’s beautiful that people interpret my songs for themselves. On my first album there is a song called ‘Walking in the Clouds’ – it’s about homesickness, but I heard a fan asked to have it played at their funeral – for them it was a song that lifted them out of the clouds – almost like coming home. When I heard that it moved me to tears. Music is so beautifully powerful.
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Photo credits: Mattis Schulte