Artist Interview : Natalia Pardalis & Manos Takos on ‘Summer Nights (Special Version)’
Summer Nights (Special Version) is an alt pop, electronic dance music sphere that is driven by romantic vocals, springing carnival instrumentals and a groove thet you can get enough of. The artists, Natalia Pardalis and Manos Takos create an atmosphere of warm and tropical sensuality that takes you back to vacation vibes, pina coladas and a carefree hip that is ready to move and dance. It is fun and enjoyable while being immersively evocative and full of sentiments. The artists talk to Apollo’s Harp about the creative process, the essence of the track and everything in between.
Congratulations on the release of ‘Summer Nights (Special Version)’! It’s such a festive and feel-good track. Tell us a little bit about the speciality of the track. What do you want your listeners to look out for and take away from the track?
Natalia:
“The song is part of my concept album ‘Nat’s Jazz ‘s House’ which is about a group of women coming together to discuss their romances, lack of romance or failures. The original ‘Summer Nights’ is one of the characters remembering that “summer night” so the special version is the actual experience of the summer night. We get to experience what the couple feels.”
Mano:
For me, this song has the perfect energy to make you dance move your body a little bit and make you smile when you’re not feeling good!What inspired this collaboration between the two of you? Natalia Pardalis and Manos Takos. Tell us a little bit about the story behind it.
Natalia:
A friend introduced me to Mano on social media. When I heard Mano sing, I knew he was the singer for the track so I sent Mano a message asking and he luckily like my crazy idea too.
Mano:
It all happened by accident or maybe it was meant to happend as some fans of mine in Vancouver knew Natalia and I think Natalia was looking for a Greek male singer to make a special version of the song summer nights and my fans told to Natalia we have the singer thst you’re looking for! In the beginning I was struggling a lot with the lyrics and I couldn’t find the right lyrics to write but one day I woke up and I wrote the greek part within minutes and I loved it!There’s a lot of styles and genres that you reference across the song. How would you two describe your styles, both individually and collectively? And how do you think they manifest together in this collaboration?
Natalia:
I would call myself a crossover singer that has many influences from classical,jazz, pop, Greek traditional and pop, and Latin Pop. I also enjoy hip hop and musical theatre. If it moves me, I like it. I was definitely influenced by Latin jazz and pop and Greek Pop (Laïko) music for this track.
Mano:
Well to be honest the music that I sing in Greece is totally diferrent from Natalia’s music but the feelings that a song can make you feel are the same so i think the feeling was the thing that brought us together to make a song that is gonna cheer you up!!The track also has so many different evocative dimensions. It is a summer song, with sultry underpinnings, dreamy romance, and a whole lot of groovy charm. How did Manos’s involvement change the original composition and how do these tie into the theme?
Natalia:
Thank you for such a wonderful description of the song, as that’s what I hoped the song would invoke. The original was about the female’s experience of a summer romance but with Mano’s wonderful sultry lyrics, it has changed completely. For me, it metaphorically represents the long distance love affair that Greek Canadians have with Greece. We are here in Canada, longing for Greece but we know that Greece is waiting with open arms for us.
As Mano sings: “Σώματα ενωμένα
Η αγάπη θέλει τρελα Πάμε έλα , έλα ....” (Take me with you, your kiss feels like summer. You enchant me, bodies as one. Love is all about about craziness). It is everything I hoped for and more in the retelling of this story.During this collaborative process, what are some of the values that you absorbed from each other that make you better musicians and artists?
Natalia:
Mano is such talented wonderful human, we felt a synergy from the beginning. I’m so honoured that we have been able to meet and work creatively together. Although we grew up in two different countries. I feel we grew up with much of the same traditions, work ethics, and ideals. Sometimes, as Diaspora Greeks we don’t always know if we fit into the culture modern Greece or if we are just holding on to the pocket of culture that our families brought to Canada. Working with Mano has really assured me that our culture, traditions and even practices of faith holds all of us Greeks together regardless of where we live in the world. It is what creates “φιλότιμο” filotimo in us - there is no English word for this but it kinda means a sense of pride in everything one does, from small acts of kindness to supporting one's community to doing the right thing. I’m very honoured that Mano has done this song with me.
Mano:
Natalia is such an amazing person - very humble - she knows what she wants and I think what made our chemistry even better is that we both have Greek blood in our body!! She made me better as an artist as I’ve tried a new style of music that I didn’t really know and that is something I really like!!
