motel void

Virtuosity and magic on the instrument and voice, thwarted by the directness in the narratives; the courage to pull the existing pop appeal into the future with a certain weirdness, coupled with self-confident demeanor and a clear message: MIRA LU KOVACS has created a lush house with a garden in the memory of the music-interested public on her recordings, on and off the stage.

MOTEL VOID: How did your early work with your project Schmieds Puls influence the trajectory of your artistic career?

MIRA LU KOVACS: Schmieds Puls was not my first band ever, but it was the one that i celebrated so many milestones with. I learned so much, for example: how to write an invoice and what is a fair fee. It was the first band i played guitar in, i didn’t see myself as an instrumentalist until then. for me that was groundbreaking. This project gave me so much confidence. With Walter and Christian on bass and drums there was so much freedom in what to bring on stage and how. We all had a background in jazz, but we all love pop music and simply good songwriting, so whatever happened in between the genres was our thing and I think that’s still mine.

MOTEL VOID: Your new single “Shut the Fuck Up and Let Go” has just been released. Can you share insights into the creative process behind it, and will this track be part of a larger upcoming album?

MIRA LU KOVACS: That hook of this song – shut the fuck up and let go – was an actual mantra of mine. I am quite tense most of the time and i know i am usually overthinking. Things been getting better in the past few years. For some reason I finally manage to let go of the obsession to control every situation I am in.

I think I am still brooding most of the time, but i am kinder to myself and i am able to relax. to talk to yourself and actually give yourself permission to let those mean voices shut the fuck up does work!

I’ve been fantasizing about a sort of meditation album lately, this song might be the first step into that direction. Eventually it became part of another collection of songs though, which I will release in November. The album is called “please, save yourself”, which i find fits very well with that song. The mantra keeps on saving me every day.

MOTEL VOID: Beyond music, you’ve explored theater productions, festival curation, and sound design. How have these interdisciplinary ventures shaped your artistic identity and approach to music?

MIRA LU KOVACS: I think different challenges ask for different treatment – if that makes sense ? And to learn what situation, what combination of personalities, instruments, compositions need what in order to have an aura, an identity that draws you in. from all these projects I think I learned great flexibility.

MOTEL VOID: As someone based in Vienna, how would you describe the current music scene there, and what role do you see yourself playing within it?

MIRA LU KOVACS: That’s hard to answer, haha. But the viennese music scene is great, really blooming right now. It kind of re-invented itself 10 years ago. There was sort of an awakening taking place, so I don’t feel like I have to travel to the big cities anymore to experience great inspiration and concerts. It’s all happening here.
and I suppose I can’t really speak about my own role in it, I am deep in there 😊 I feel very included, definitely.

MOTEL VOID: Who or what is your biggest inspiration at the moment? Your music brings to mind artists like Aldous Harding, whose performance I saw last year. Do you find any connection or influence from her work?

MIRA LU KOVACS: That’s great, I love Aldous Harding! So, yes! I think the obvious connection is our shared love for acoustic instruments. And I love the fact that she performs sitting in the classical guitar position 🙂

I am also a huge fan of Adrienne Lenker and Beth Gibbons. Both are completely different but similar in a way that they carry themselves. I recently got into Paula Cole again – she is known best for her soundtrack for Dawson’s Creek, but her whole album “this fire” is pure magic. It’s edgy and weird and definitely not for every one, but I’ve been listening to it since I was 9 years old, so it maybe has an even bigger meaning to me now.