{"id":18893,"date":"2012-07-18T20:14:45","date_gmt":"2012-07-19T00:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.zeitgeistworld.com\/?p=18893"},"modified":"2012-07-18T23:37:42","modified_gmt":"2012-07-19T03:37:42","slug":"the-new-m-i-a-or-santigold-interview-w-berlins-dena","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zeitgeistworld.com\/?p=18893","title":{"rendered":"The New M.I.A. or Santigold??? INTERVIEW w\/ Berlin’s DENA!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

(photo: Joachim Zimmermann)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She may not yet have released a debut album, but Berlin-based MC DENA<\/a> (Denitza Todorova) is already drawing lofty comparisons to artists like M.I.A. and Santigold based on the strength of singles “Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools” and “Boyfriend.” But where the latter ladies pen lyrics steeped in metaphors and nuance, DENA (for whom English is a third language) doesn’t concern herself with hidden messages or agendas. The simplicity and directness of her rhymes and self-programmed MPC basslines make her brand of “girl from the bloc” pop an infectious, refreshing game-changer. DENA first got noticed with her impressive vocals on two of The Whitest Boy Alive albums, and her first solo project is a 7″ by Finnish producer Jonas Verwijnen.<\/p>\n

Interview<\/em>\u00a0caught up with her at Jonas’s Kaiku Studios in Berlin, as she was putting the shiny finishing touches on her behemoth party opus, benevolently dedicated to art, fashion, and the pursuit of fun times.<\/p>\n

HOMETOWN: Bulgaria<\/p>\n

GOODBYE COMMUNISM: I left Bulgaria after I finished high school in 2004. I was in a German school. The political situation there in the ’90s was a little bit tricky. Bulgaria used to be a Communist country. After the Berlin Wall came down, there was this crazy anarchy. So, after graduating, and being able to speak fluent German, I moved to Berlin.<\/p>\n

HER BERLIN LIFE: I live in Kreuzberg. It’s like the Brooklyn of Berlin. For the eight years I’ve been here, it’s getting more exciting day by day. It’s not a town that you live in and it becomes boring. There are a lot of opportunities for networking. I’ve been writing like crazy and developing my tracks… trying to make it all more concrete. Because of the success of the video (“Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools”) we just dropped, I’m totally occupied with emailing and all that stuff. Otherwise, I’m composing, bringing all my beats to the studio, and making everything sound\u00a0fett<\/em>! I’m not hanging a lot at the Turkish market!<\/p>\n