We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dalal Bruchmann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dalal, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
It’s all a bit of a paradox, isn’t it? If you don’t take a risk it’s also a risk. If you do take it, it either works or it doesn’t.
I often wish I had a better grasp on the difference of what’s a wrong gamble and what’s the right risk. For sure when it comes to work, definitely when it comes to love.
Life in general comes with a big fat R plastered all over it, but then there is also the heart of our nature.
I’m a Taurus. I like stability, I like security, I like to know where I’m going but somehow I always end up in situations of the unknown, of a depth I haven’t wandered before because my heart seems to be okay with jumping into a bit of cold water… My Mama has in some way always been like that too. “Go do it, try it, risk it”. Life has dealt her the harder cards but she has not folded.
I think I’m a little scared sometimes – of becoming too guarded, too analytical, too self-conscious to not want to take a risk anymore … I don’t want to lose that part of me… that has a little appetite for the unknown.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I was born and raised in a small town in Austria, Europe. I wanted to learn how to play the piano and violin when I was very little and then somehow was fortunate enough to make music my profession; as a composer, singer and pianist. I particularly enjoyed playing (and I greatly miss this) in various different orchestras and ensembles in Europe during my high school years and later my stint at the University of Music and Performing arts in Graz. I studied English literature and art history at the University of Vienna and finished my degree in Graphic Design, Film and Animation from SAE Institute and London Middlesex University.
For a short while I also really wanted to study astronomy and history; topics that interest me greatly but well… I didn’t. (:
2011 I started my career in the United States and settled in New York. I was so lucky that my first Pop Single made it into the Top 100 Billboard Charts. Unfortunately, I had a health scare only a year later when I got carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty furnace, which put a lot of my plans and really my whole life on hold for a while. After I recovered a bit I decided to head for sandier shores and give Los Angeles a try. I met a Producer from Washington DC, Nathan Jolley, who became one of my longest collaborators and wonderful friend. We produced an array of EDM and Pop records, wrote for other artists and performed with our little band in and around LA.
I also wanted to put my love for classical music on paper and Nate, even though he thought I was a tiny bit crazy, went along with everything.
Now we create EDM records with classical accessories
I also began to write classical compositions for life shows, art projects and some short films – all for free, because I needed to get my feet wet, gather material… learn. I don’t regret doing that but I realized quickly that one is easily taken advantage of in this business.
One project led to another and another and then to my first project with singer, songwriter Maesa Pullman and her husband, Producer Jason Hiller. I first met Maesa and Jason when they tried to carry music equipment through a heavy door, I ran to help grab some cables and we started talking… I’m so very grateful that this simple encounter has resulted in the creative collaboration we have now. We found that our styles wove together organically; Maesa coming from an Americana, Folk area and me rounding the corner from the EDM and classical rooms – and tada – we met in the middle. For every project we create story specific sound palettes and scores and our Producer Jason Hiller creates unique mixes, even utilizing analog technologies in the process. Together we have since scored five feature films, several short and art projects.
In 2018 I started to work with Warner Classics. The Warner family has been incredibly kind, warm and open in our collaborations. I recorded two albums with them and we recently finished a neoclassical solo project of 36 piano Singles, which can be found on all streaming platforms.
I’m also incredibly thankful to Canadian violinist Angele Dubeau, who chose my classical piece “Eos” to be included in her album “Elle”. I wrote “Eos” over many mornings on my piano when the sun was just about to rise over Marina Del Rey and I’m so happy that Ms. Dubeau has taken my little piece out into the world and performed it in the most amazing venues such as the Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur in Québec, at the Church de La Pietà in Venice, Italy and the Maison Symphonique in Montreal.
In 2023 I was asked to join the wonderful Yamaha artist family, which has been a great honor.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the social part of it. My work takes me places and I get to meet the most wonderful people. People from all over the world, from every background, who speak different languages and have different approaches to life. You have to chance to meet people that are just exceptionally good at what they are doing – which is very inspiring.
It’s also wonderfully motivating to be working with live musicians in a creative atmosphere.
The creative world is a tough world, unpredictable and it often asks too much of you.
I’m incredibly thankful to everyone who helped me find my feet in this business and to all the people that gifted me a moment of their time to listen to my work.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I think my goal is quite a selfish one at the moment. I think sometimes in my field it is easy to fall into a pattern of “your life is your work and your work is your life” – I too found myself falling into that trap. So my goal is to find a balance between a career and a home life.
In terms of a mission: I think the idea is a gratifying and rewarding one that there is something I can create that goes out in the world and takes on a life of its own.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.dalal-music.com / https://www.musicbymaesaanddalal.com
- Instagram: Dalalmusic
- Facebook: Dalalmusic
- Twitter: Dalalmusic
- Other: https://www.warnerclassics.com/artist/dalal
Image Credits
All photos owned by Dalal Bruchmann One photo: Dalal Bruchmann and mother Maria Harmony