{"id":48176,"date":"2015-02-10T20:53:57","date_gmt":"2015-02-11T01:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=48176"},"modified":"2015-02-12T07:56:00","modified_gmt":"2015-02-12T12:56:00","slug":"interview-with-jacky-bastek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2015\/interview-with-jacky-bastek\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacky Bastek"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Christophe Pauly<\/span>
\n– Senior Photojournalist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Jacky Bastek is a finger-style guitarist and composer from Frankfurt, Germany. In 2014 she played her first live shows and started to share her music online getting a positive response right away. Her entry to the ‘Lowden young guitarist competition 2014’ went viral in the first few days and got over a hundred thousand views within a week. The video of her recent song “No Exit” gained even more attention reaching over 3 millions views in a Facebook post in less than two weeks. <\/p>\n

Christophe Pauly recently caught up with Jacky Bastek who talks about her upcoming studio album and how she came to play finger-style guitar.<\/p>\n

\"Jacky<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: I recently discovered your music via Youtube, and I was very impressed by your technique and your beautiful voice. When and how did you develop your skills? Did you learn to play the guitar by yourself?<\/p>\n

Jacky Bastek: I basically started to do this after I had seen Jon Gomm playing. I was impressed by the drumming that he does on his guitar. And when I saw this, I wanted to do it myself. So, I tried to play some songs and try it by myself. Then, I met Mike Dawes in person at the Musikmesse, and he gave me some lessons. I then continued to teach it to myself.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Did it take a long time to master the techniques?<\/p>\n

Jacky Bastek: I started to play finger-style in 2013, I think. So, that was 2 years ago. And I started to play the guitar in 2010. In fact, I\u2019ve been playing music all my life. I started to play the violin when I was 6. So, the whole string thing seemed very natural to me. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: What do you usually listen to? What kind of music inspires you?<\/p>\n

Jacky Bastek: I listen to a lot of music and different genres. I listen to finger-style music, of course. But I was used to listen to a lot of metal music when I was a teenager. Nowadays, I listen to Progressive Rock music. I also listen to Classical music, as I play the violin, too. And I sometimes listen to Jazz or Bluegrass music. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: You\u2019re preparing your first album.<\/p>\n

Jacky Bastek: Yes, I\u2019ll start the recording at the end of March. And I hope it will come out in the summer. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Have you prepared a lot of songs for this album?<\/p>\n

Jacky Bastek: Yes, I have finished almost all of the songs. I\u2019d like to write two more songs, I guess. I\u2019m in the process of writing a new one now. I\u2019d like to write a song that includes a violin. So, it would be a duet of guitar and violin. I like, both, instruments, so I\u2019d like to include them, both. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: I heard that you sing on some of the songs. Will you sing on every song this time? <\/p>\n

Jacky Bastek: It will depend on the song. I\u2019ll sing on half of them. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: What are those songs about?<\/p>\n

Jacky Bastek: You know, it\u2019s always different. One song, for example, is about a play by Jean-Paul Sartre. Another one is about the school system in Germany, and some other songs are about my experiences or about friends.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Did you already find the right artwork for your album?<\/p>\n

Jacky Bastek: Yes, definitely! I have a really good friend who\u2019s an amazing artist: Julia Gisella (https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JuliaGisellaArt<\/a>) I\u2019ve known her since kindergarten, so it\u2019s really nice to have her drawings for me. So that will be very exciting.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: How do you plan to play your songs live? Will you play alone?<\/p>\n

Jacky Bastek: You know, the album will be me playing the guitar or the violin and singing. So, at the moment, I only play alone. But I\u2018d like to record an album next year with a friend of mine. She\u2019s a piano player, and we like to play together. She writes some really good songs, probably because she comes from New-Zealand (laughs).<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Would you dream of some collaboration with other artists?<\/p>\n

Jacky Bastek: I would love to do something with Jon Gomm because he\u2019s my guitar god. But, if I could choose someone I would really work with, it would be Joe Hisaishi, a Japanese composer that I admire, because he\u2019s my favorite musician ever. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Do you plan to tour outside Germany?<\/p>\n

Jacky Bastek: Yes, I\u2019ll probably play in England this summer with a friend of mine who also is a guitarist. I know some guitarists all over the world, so I hope to go to some great places. I also hope to play in the United States, as I have some fans there. Thanks a lot for your kindness. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: We hope to hear soon from you!<\/p>\n