Rewriting History

Talking from London, Levy has just finished the premiere of her new show which she is bringing to Australia. “It was a really tense time, but really wonderful,” she says of the process of getting all the musicians and the songs together for the opening. “I have a new album which is called Libertad, and some of the musicians are from here in London, but [also from] Armenia, Germany – all around the world. So I came here to London to work in the studio for a week – a very intensive week – many hours each day so we could actually have the performance ready. We are very excited we are now heading to Australia.”

She sounds genuinely thrilled with how warmly received the premiere of the show was at the Barbican Centre in York. In fact, whenever she speaks of her fans it's with a sentimental gratitude that sounds authentic and surprised. She also expresses an incredible admiration for all the performers she gets to work with.

“I always feel that I'm lucky to be a musician, and I have been lucky to work with so many musicians. I have Armenian musicians, musicians from Iran, from Turkey, from Spain, from Israel, from Palestine – really from all over the place! It's such a joy because they make my life much more beautiful and much more colourful, as well as my music. I really believe they help me make something bigger than myself.”

Levy started her musical career quite late in life, at least by her standards. It wasn't until her early-20s that the idea of being a musician was something she entertained. Her father, a struggling workman musician, saw the lifestyle as hard and challenging, and wanted a better life for his children.

“My family all became engineers and lawyers and I thought that I was supposed to do the same,” she reflects. “My dream was to be a vet, the love of my life are animals, but I knew that when I was 22 years old that I was kidding myself and I was born to be a singer. With all due respect to my father, I need to be myself and be happy and honest with myself. So I decided to listen to my heart and sing, and when I was 24 years old I released my first album and started to live this life.”

Describing Levy's musical style as traditional is not entirely accurate. Although some of the songs she performs are over 500 years old, having been passed down orally over five centuries, she says she has no interest in merely regurgitating them in order to keep them alive. Instead, her modern take on Ladino music has seen her reach a much wider audience than the traditional songs ever could. It was actually her father who was the first person to transcribe thousands of these songs in the almost lost Ladino language onto paper, preserving them for future generations. She says that not everyone enjoys her interpretations of these songs that have been so painstakingly preserved by her own family.

“I must tell you, I'm not their cup of tea,” she says, of the older generation who still know the music from its roots. “I'm not a traditional, nice, soft singer that you can put on your radio while you cook and talk to your friend. Either people love me or they cannot stand me!” she laughs. “I understand that and I respect that.”

Yasmin Levy will be playing the following shows:

Thursday 22 November - Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane QLD
Saturday 24 November - Lismore Star Court Theatre, Lismore NSW