Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Cécile Nordegg feat. Maria Sala

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

There are so many early memories connected to music. I grew up in a family where music was everywhere — from classical opera to Frank Zappa, from Arnold Schönberg to Jazz. Music was always present, like a natural language in our home.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

My passion for creating music began with words and voice. Speaking itself is music. The spoken word, with all its subtext, already creates sound. When you linger on a word, stretch it, or shape it differently, you create music simply through language.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

There are two projects on our journey right now — two stories to tell.

The first is an inspiring tour through Senegal and neighboring countries, accompanying the release of our new album ON TOUR IN AFRICA. The project grew out of an invitation to DMX in Dakar in 2025, where live recordings from our performances became the foundation of the new album. Blending original compositions with vibrant African musical influences like Ouz Kora and Moiussa Diagne, the album reflects a powerful exchange between cultures.

Through collaborations with artists such as Maria Salamon, Ouz Kora, Moussa Diagne, Lamine Faye, Cheikh Ndiaye, Konstantin B. Schmidt, Carina Haselmayer and Josef Schultner, ON TOUR IN AFRICA celebrates music as a universal language and embodies the spirit of EUROPE MEETS AFRICA.

The second project is called NO-SAd Songs. NO-SA, a playful combination of the names Cécile Nordegg and Maria Salamon, becomes ‘NO-SAd Songs’ and will be an album for itself… This musical encounter focuses on the positive impact of experiences that may initially even feel uncomfortable or challenging, and it invites us to dance.

“Il faut danser sous la pluie” — we must dance in the rain. To dance even when it is raining, or precisely because it is raining.

In this project, my lyrics and my voice meet a wide range of musical styles, rich in emotional depth and lyrical refinement. Maria Salamon mixes and remixes with her innovative approach, her unmistakable violin sound, and mostly original compositions, creating a unique and unconventional musical landscape.

Together, this combination forms a distinctive sound world that takes listeners on journeys and into dreams — while above all allowing us to dance freely and breathe.

“Il faut danser sous la pluie” — dance when it rains, because it rains.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

That’s a tough one. It’s always hard to describe the sound you live your journey with. I would say that mixing sounds, styles, genres, generations, and cultures is the essential message of my music. It aims to surprise with every move and let the sound play and change in every moment.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

I learn every day. The surprise of each moment constantly changes everything. In just a minute, things can be different. The lesson I’ve learned is to stay open to each day’s challenge — you can be sure it’s waiting just outside.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

My first tool is silence. Then comes the sound of my voice, followed by the feeling of Maria’s violin and the sound of the piano. And it should be a dialogue between an acoustic and electronic sounds.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

My favorite album right now is TangoWerk from NHOAH and I just heard a newcomer with high potential called Mello1 with his latest song Grüne Couch.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

To feel free. To laugh and cry. To escape their lives for a moment — and then to rediscover them. Very ambitious, I know.

What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

Music can guide you and make you fly again, even when your wings seem broken. Even when it rains, music makes you dance — and that is exactly what our NO-SAd Songs project is about.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

My dream venue would be an amphitheater, where you are surrounded by the audience and truly in the middle of the people.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

I would love to perform with Frank Zappa — or laugh with Gioachino Rossini.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music?