Show at Cork Opera House is a ‘homage to mothers’, to remember that we all come from them

SINGER Camilla Griehsel, who brings her show Mamasongue to the Cork Opera House on May 12, says that songs can bring humanity together.

She realises that she could be written off as being naive for believing that if warlords were to get in touch with their common humanity, there might be no more fighting and strife in the world.

The Schull-based singer, originally from Sweden, says we all come from the same source. Her show is in part a celebration of mothers.

“It’s a kind of homage to mothers, to remember that we all come from them, which is a very unifying thing,” says Camilla, herself a mother of three grown-up sons and grandmother of two.

“The first thing that develops in the womb is hearing. You hear your mother’s heartbeat. There is safety in there and warmth. You first hear the human voice which is that of your mother.”

As a child in Stockholm, Camilla used to be “wheeled out” to sing Swedish folk songs for her parents and their friends and relatives.

I remember the power of singing in front of grown-up men. Some would cry. I could feel their softness and vulnerability. The room would transform. We were all connected to each other. For me now, it’s all about getting back to that source, that feeling.

Camilla would love “to sit Trump down or Putin or Netanyahu and to convey to them that you can’t mess with the mother energy. I would like them to be quiet, to listen and learn.”

Now in her late fifties, Camilla is also acknowledging personal growth through her show, which features international musicians.

“As a woman and a human being, I’m taking the reins of my life. It’s a constant transformation. You learn new things and let some things go. It’s very much a journey.

“The show is also for my mum who I was very close to. She died eight years ago, shortly after my husband (the musician Colin Vearncombe aka Black) died.”

The year 2016 was a tough one for Camilla, who also lost her colleague and friend, Fergus O’Farrell, of the band Interference. He suffered from muscular dystrophy and died at the age of 48. Camilla feels the presence of these three significant people in her life.

She talks about a pact she made with her mother when she was still alive.

“My mum used to go out at night in Stockholm and look at the moon. I do that in West Cork. We promised each other that whoever went first would meet the other under the moon.

It’s lovely to have decided to do that. It’s comforting. I feel my mother around all the time.

Having had so much tragedy, Camilla says it has made her think about what is really important in life.

“It makes me less afraid to confess that I’m still hopeful and not cynical. Some people find that strange. But I choose that. That is my reality.

“Otherwise, what is going on out there would be too overwhelming. It’s like which wolf do you feed, the white one or the black one? You live in your head mostly so make sure it’s a nice place.”

Grief is ongoing for Camilla.

“The shock of losing people close to you goes, but there’s more space for grieving, which makes it more painful in a way.”

But Camilla, who comes across as a passionate person, finds plenty of solace in music. Her show is in six languages, reflecting the different cultures of the musicians playing with her.

She is fluent in English, Swedish and German and has a working knowledge of other languages including Spanish.

The show was recorded and released as a double CD last year. One of the songs from Mamasongue is Happiness, written by Paul Buchanan of the band, The Blue Nile. It was performed by Camilla as part of the Interference tribute concerts in 2016 and became a hit on social media with more than two million plays worldwide.

Her close association with Fergus O’Farrell, of both Interference and Dogtail Soup, led Camilla to incorporate four of his songs into the show.

She is backed by leading musicians; Congolese guitarist, Niwel Tsumbo, South African bassist, Concord Nkabinde and Irish percussionist Eamonn Cagney.

Camilla will be joined for her Cork Opera House gig by Johnny Taylor, who will be guesting on piano. She will also feature eight Ukrainian choir women whom she met in West Cork.

“They are very traumatised, very emotional, and very grateful to be singing. I’m full of respect for them, how they cope with it all.”

Camilla has more than 30 years of professional experience as a pop recording artist and an avant-garde opera singer with traditional jazz and South American folk in the mix. She describes as “horrendous” her experience of being a pop star in the ’80s. She joined a Norwegian band, One 2 Many, after its lead singer had left.

“Most of the original band members had left. But they had a recording contract so most of the songs were already there. The record company wanted me to sound like the first singer. So that was kind of soul-destroying work for me. We were No 1 in Norway and had several top 30 hits in America. We had a radio hit Down Town (not the Petula Clark song).”

Camilla was 22 when she joined One 2 Many. She hated the media exposure that came with being a pop star.

Not being able to express myself wore me down. It kind of eroded my confidence. We were next to the Bee Gees in a recording studio at one stage and we had Michael Jackson’s backing vocalists come and sing for us. One of them was Sheryl Crow. I was trying to be cool.

“Oh my God, after nine months of touring America, I wasn’t actually happy. I just thought I’m going to jump off this and get back to my own core and what it is that I sing about.”

The rest of the story is one of musical fulfilment for this versatile singer.

For tickets to the May 12 show, see www.corkoperahouse.ie/