Lada Obradovic Project: THE PORTRAIT OF A PREGNANT BUMBLEBEE

Lada Obradovic - drums, percussion; Maxime Berton - tenor/soprano saxophones; Matthias Legner - vibraphone, marimba; David Tixier - piano; Miha Koren - double bass, electric bass

"The music is the reflection of life, the vision of the world, the scream that transmits the tones of the universe." This is how Croatian drummer, composer, and bandleader Lada Obradović describes her new project.

THE PORTRAIT OF A PREGNANT BUMBLEBEE explores the versatile boundaries of truth, lies, pain, joy, inspiration, weakness, and a variety of other human emotions encapsulated in one word: music. A person's feelings manifest in different ways and are not only expressed through various means but also interpreted through different perspectives. Although one can find complex human perceptions and constantly changing emotional states in each individual, true feelings are ultimately captured and expressed through one value: honesty.

"I began collecting parts of this project long ago by searching for traces of separate motifs that appeared over time as frames of the same recurring idea. I realized that they indicated a clear path based on the observation of socio-problematic aspects of our society. After collecting, remembering, and ultimately writing down all the parts that screamed the same message, I understood that they had matured to this point, from which the project could take root..." Thus, THE PORTRAIT OF A PREGNANT BUMBLEBEE can be compared to a "musical pregnancy." Nine pieces for nine months of pregnancy. The result is an exciting musical journey along the long road of anticipation.

The first composition, "Scream," focuses on the diverse perception of human appearance and the senses that challenge our beliefs of perfection and imperfection. Additionally, "Scream" deals with the visible aspects that make us feel most alive. "Lying Stone" refers to the well-known feeling of being trapped in a relationship going nowhere; a love blinded and manipulated by cold passion, ultimately leaving us disappointed and alone again. The third piece, "Kids of Glue," is dedicated to children living in hunger and poverty; children growing up without the protective hand of parents. "Young Girls Dream" is the most "corrupted" piece of the album, full of turmoil of consciousness, unexpected changes, and disconnected parts. This composition represents young women struggling with serious self-perception issues, having lost the notion of what is worth living for and hiding beneath a cloak of self-destruction stemming from a terrible loss. "Guilty as Charged" originated from one of Lada Obradović's recent experiences, where she faced prejudice, giving her a sense of captivity and constriction. "In a feeling of weakness caused by fatigue from aggressive thoughts screaming in my head 'I am innocent,' then slowly losing significance through the wicked thoughts of others and fading into new, imposed ideas of opinion change, and then new concepts of the question 'Who am I?' arise." Although "L.E.A." is one of the newer pieces, its melody fragments trace back to Lada Obradović's childhood. "Flying Home" describes the transience and exhaustion caused by moving through different countries, giving Lada a sense of being lost. "Awkward World" encompasses the terminology of bureaucracy. "Confronted with unrealistic concepts of governance and administration, I grasped the chaos in which we are forced to live. Baseless pride, aggression, and disgust towards anyone and anything different and unknown are strongly questioned - how does one live in this atrocious world?". "Million Dollar Smile" is, in other words, a "piece in images"... a heartbreaker. The piece is written with a language of interrupted phrases outlined by tormenting attempts to seek a simple way of life. The piece was originally titled "Immigrant Song" before being renamed to the boundless "Million Dollar Smile."

For more information, visit: www.ladaobradovic.com