#my music taste consists of everything but german songs I am so sorry

[ellenchain]

Do you have any German songs you associate with ghostsoap? 👀

I have to admit that I don't like listening to German songs that much 🫢 and the few German bands I listen to all sing in English haha...

BUT if I had to chose

Eisbrecher - Verrückt (Official Video | Combichrist Remix)

Kraftklub - Melancholie (Official Song) [Soap-Song]

Alligatoah - Willst du (Official Video)

Juli - Regen und Meer (Official Video)

Silbermond - Unendlich (Ofiicial Video)

Fettes Brot - Von der Liebe (Official Video)

Rammstein - Ohne dich (Official Video)

Bonus König (sorry, I was going through my German songs and Kraftklub is like... HIS band)

Kraftklub - Mein Leben (Official Video)

Kraftklub - Ritalin/Medikinet (Official Video)

... almost every song tbh

I don't really listen to the above-mentioned songs, but I know them from the past and the lyrics fit quite well, I think.

Maybe my German followers can add a few songs??

[florianwirtz]

2020 is coming to an end and honestly I don’t really believe it. I still feel like I’m processing events happening in May. But I wanna say that I’m proud that you made it through that year and hope many good things will come to you in 2021. It was an awful situation for all of us and I hope you are not too harsh on yourself if you didn’t achieve want you wanted due to what is going on right now.

I want to take the time and say thank you for making the majority of my time a good one. Regardless of what is going on sometimes, I’m glad I got to meet so many cool people here, friends I wanna keep for life and started to treasure. I’ve been keeping myself lowkey the past month but I hope you know that I still appreciate and love you.

now my list of special people in my heart. I hope we will see us in 2021 again and thank you for everything. ❤️

@modricmio - we haven’t been in much contact lately but I hope you are well! I know I can always count on you and I love you. After all these years, I’m still grateful that I get to call you my friend. <3

@trentalexanders - milaa! Although we’ve been knowing us for quite a long time already, I feel like this year we grew particularly close! I feel like we have the perfect banter rivalry friendship where we can have a mix of banter and serious talk! It’s always so fun to talk with you and push my James Justin propaganda (I’m sorry for being quiet for a while but I hope you know it’s always gonna be him) 😘 #teamjj 

@dancefaeries - I’m still mad that your first association with me is probably that Harvey Barnes pic 🙃 because I associate you with Boilerman and I think that’s waaaay cooler (we probably should do a rate the mascot list one day) Also your awfully bland taste in men. Regardless, it’s always good to see you on my dash even if most posts consists of complaining about how you’re much older than all of us and we’re all babies 😂

@footballffbarbiex - Amy, I hope you are well and didn’t forget me! It’s been an awfully long time since the last time we talked to each other but I haven’t forgotten you! I’m still sorry for never turning in my piece for the writing challenge (maybe one day I can make it up to you 😬) but I hope you know that you are still one of the most talented writers out there! I also enjoy our talks about how salad should be eaten and tomatoes shouldn’t exist. Because having good food opinions automatically makes you the best!

@stydiaherondale - Meliiii my love! Oder sollte ich sagen Jadon’s love? 😂 ich erinnere mich immer noch gern an den Moment zurück als du mich einfach mal angeschrieben hast und ich finde immer noch, dass es einer der besten Momente war. Weil wir zusammen gerade versuchen Erwachsensein zu meistern und beide iwie keinen Plan davon haben. Auch wenn du gefühlt 80.000 Clubs supportest, für mich bleibst du der einzige Dortmundfan den ich akzeptiere. 💕

@neckarinselstrand - es ist immer wieder schön dich hier wiederzusehen! Lia,  ich hoffe du hast 2020 gut überstanden und wir werden wieder tolle Konversationen in Spanisch haben nächstes Jahr 😁 Theoretisch sollte meins ja besser sein, aber ich muss sagen, ich kann immer noch nicht viel mehr 😂

@theweatha - we haven’t been much in contact lately but I hope you know that I still appreciate you! I’m proud of you going through with that idea of the podcast as it’s always a pleasure listening to you and Liz. I hope 2020 wasn’t too messed up for you and I hope you are well xo. May we talk more in 2021 again!

@julianbrandtrelated  - Ich weiß du nutzt kein tumblr mehr (ohne dich ists nicht dasselbe) aber ich will trotzdem sagen, dass du einer der coolsten Menschen bist, die ich hier getroffen haben (man findet echt selten Leute, die 100% immer das Gleiche fühlen wie man selbst haha). Ich hoffe, dir gehts gut und wir reden mal wieder öfter demnächst ❤️

@ehrenbrandt - was soll ich noch zu dir sagen haha? Mein Tag wär nicht mehr derselbe ohne den content den du mir jeden Tag schickst oder unsere täglichen Zusammenbrüche und Jubel über Leverkusen. Auch wie du immer wieder mein liveblogging über United tolerierst, ist einfach das Beste und ohne dich Fußball zu gucken, ist seltsam! Dass du mich am Anfang des Jahres noch besuchen konntest, war eines der besten Dinge in diesem Jahr ❤️ allein die unzähligen Insider, die währenddessen passiert sind, werd ich nie wieder vergessen hahaha!  auf das wir uns hoffentlich bald wiedersehen <3

@tottenhamsstuff  - you’re a weirdo. In a good way because so am I. Will I ever tolerate your taste in men? no - but if we’d agree on everything, it wouldn’t be the same between us, so I’m fine with that. I hope you are doing well with the situation going on at your country right now and I am sorry for not reaching out sooner. I’m glad I got to know you 🤍

@danieljamesmufc  - my favourite welsh ❤️ the reason why I always have an eye on the Welsh nt and I am an honorary fan! I’m glad I got to know you and although you rep a shit footballer, I think that’s fine. Also us sharing the same bland taste in men and knowing it never gets old. Grateful for our endless chats this year and hopefully one day we do will see each other, regardless if it’s in Germany or Wales. I hope you are doing well X

@zalimaaa - so actually I have no words for you because I feel like I’ve already said everything I ever wanted to say to you. But I will never stop saying how much I actually love you, the way you always care about me and help me out of every life situation, it’s hard to imagine what I would do without you. The first time we facetimed or when we rant about life or literally everything else, it feels like we’ve known each other for an eternity. I’m always here for you and the day we meet each other will be one of the best in my life. You always know how to make me the happiest, thank you for everything in 2020 <3

@emwritesfootball  - you know what you’re annoying but in a good way. Annoying because you will never stop to take that name from the chipmunk out of your mouth. Regardless of that, you made time during lockdown bearable and I will never forget the fun chats we used to have but also the rather serious ones! I’m grateful that I got to know you and hope 2021 has something better for you in mind! Also you’re one hell of a writer and thank you for dedicating so many pieces to me (even those with the wrong person 😘), I always feel honored to be a source of inspo haha.

@shockintha - Alice!! With you, everything is fun and positive and I feel like everyone needs a person like you in life. I feel like I already said what I always wanted to say to you on your birthday but I will say once again how much I appreciate you. I know I can always turn to you about literally every topic because we either absolutely agree with each other or have a vastly different opinion about it. And I feel like these dynamics are what makes our friendship so wonderful. Thanks for always seeing the positive things in life when no one else does. I love you and hopefully we will see each other soon! <3

@idiotsfc - Alicia!! Nothing will beat your weird taste in men but since it’s so amusing and making my day, I’m fine with it 😂 thank you for always sending me lovely messages in my inbox, I love and appreciate you so much and hope you are doing well 💕

@magicmartinelli  - I know you don’t like sappy texts so I will try to keep myself short. I think it’s super cool that you like my taste in music and literally every song I send to you and how you started liking CHVRCHES because of me ☺️ the way we are secretly both sore losers and get mad about our clubs is what connects us. See ya in 2021 and congrats for avoiding relegation so far!

@donnyvandered - I feel like I’m repeating myself but it’s true that getting to know you was one of my highlights this year too. I have so much love to you and I feel like we are always on the same wave length when talking. Together with Radia we just vibe so well and I feel like if we’d ever do a triple meeting we’d get along so well. Facetiming with you both was so fun and hopefully we can repeat this much more often next year. I love you and I hope you are doing well. Thank you for everything and see you in 2021 ❤️

@duckysweater - seeing you in my inbox every time I’m here, makes me so happy and I hope you know that I have so much love for you although I don’t say it very often! You deserve the world and more, with you it’s never a bad day here, thank you for everything you do! <3

@kingkepaff - Lily you are a very sweet person and I hope you know that you are loved! You are always brightening my day when I see you on my dash and it makes me happy that you’re always in my notifications and thoughts. Love you lots!

Other blogs I like a lot (give them a follow too):

@fredtheredsarmy @tierneystescobag @jackiexxgroenen @lucystani4th @giirlinterrupted @footballerimaginess @felltoabove @yonceutd @dioogoo @inlovewithamess @barkleysbabe @turtlelightwood @songofachillespdf @leahwilliamson @joytayloranya @danieljamesthighs @skb7 @lea-schuller @ansu--fatsi @elleeceunknown @ivanafuso @farmers-league​

I also wanna say thank you to those mutuals who unfortunately deactivated or are inactive. You are always in my thoughts and I hope you are doing well.

Another special shoutout to my arsenal anon and german learning anon. I don’t know what you are up to but I hope you’re having a great time, it’s always good to have you in my inbox!

Also any other reoccurring anon who is always making my day or simply needs to rant, you make it worth leaving the anon feature turned on!

In the end, I love all of you very much. Thanks for making my tumblr experience the way it is

over and out, Liv XO

[i-ndil-cuimhne-ar-daniel]

Get to know me

I was tagged by the lovely @baphometwolf666 thank you very much, I really appreciate it 🖤 These tag games are always such fun. 

(edit, sorry for the cross-tag @thislovelyoptimist, and thank you for tagging me in your post!). 

Nickname: Belle, or Mumbles (as in, RocknRolla’s Mumbles; we share a love for cute tiger-ears on headwear 😂)

Real name: Ellen

Zodiac: Sagittarius

Favorite musicians or bands: My music taste is all over the place, coupled with flares of obsession. But, consistent contenders are Joy Division, Rammstein, Metallica, HIM, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Marilyn Manson. Everything else is more of a favorite song-type of thing, ranging from Cradle of Filth to Yiruma.  

Favorite sports team: Haven’t got one. But on occasion I watch soccer and rugby. 

Other blogs: in-stillen-nachten, but I still have it on lock. Recently got back into the habit of writing fanfiction, and I’ve been collecting the stories there. It’s mostly RPF, which is a whole new thing for me, so I’m a little uncertain about it. But if I ever find my courage, I might unlock it. 

Do I get asks: Not much, but really appreciate it when I do

How many blogs do I follow: I went back and looked up the answer I gave on a different post, because jesus-christ-on-a-flatbread, I still haven’t managed to unearth even the tiniest speck of self-control: “I just checked….uhm….a lot, let’s keep it at that 😂 I’ve clearly got no self-control, and, honestly, I’m fine with that. Seeing all those lovely posts just makes me happy ☺️”

Tumblr crushes: All the blogs I absolutely love? Hell, I love all you guys!! 🖤 Seriously, hugs and 💖 Happy-happy. Am going to be naughty and give a special shout-out to @thislovelyoptimist because you’ve been absolutely lovely to me and I appreciate that! 

Lucky numbers: 5

What am I wearing: Rammstein t-shirt (a green one, with sechs herzen die brennen on the back) and a pair of black boxers. Per usual, wrapped up in a blanket like a comfy burrito. 

Dream vacation: At the moment it’s just to go back to Ireland for a couple of weeks. 

Dream car: 1959 MGA Roadster, racing green

Favorite food: Love food! Favorite foods include: burritos - stuffed roti wrap - steak with mushrooms, onions, bacon and gravy - bobotie - mixed fruit triffle. 

Drink of choice: Cola. It runs through my veins. Coffee. And whiskey, preferably Ben Nevis. 

Instruments: I don’t play any instruments, but would love to be able to play the drums, as they are my favorite. 

Languages: Dutch, English, German, and Latin, which is absolutely useless. But at least I got to go on a study-trip to Rome, so, go me 😂

Celebrity crushes: Daniel Craig, Till Lindemann and Paul Landers (but, really, they’re all 🖤 fine), Keanu Reeves, Dita von Teese, James Hetfield, and I just watched The Gentlemen and Charlie Hunnam is just 😍 as is Michelle Dockery

Random fact: When I was in high school, a bunch of us spend every other Saturday night throwing molotov cocktails into an abandoned bunker. The blasts were out of this world. The Saturday nights in between we would attend the punk or metal gigs held at the same bunker. 

Time for me to tag people. Some blogs I’ve followed for a while, and a few of the new ones. No pressure though. If you want to do this, I tag @thislovelyoptimist @tinnike @ofmemesandbands @krankes-gehirn @par-merlin @hanhan156 @wilderrweinn @paulschin @littlemsscareall jellybelly30 @thanatosx49 @thewrongbookshop @ghoul-whisper @one-air-ghoul @heavygloomxx 🖤💖 just noticed it was supposed to be 21 tags, but I’m going to leave it at this. But consider yourself tagged if you want to join in 🖤💖

[dreampvck-archived]

ok woW i see my last ask haha i'll try to keep it simple but i'll probably go over the word limit :D soo yess theres three dogs one german shepherd and two shih tzu! -- and yess i got side job on sat at my aunts trucking buisness so im not that broke anymore but also today in a couple hours actually i have a training trial? at this job so hopefully they get me if i dont fukc up!! and also did you hear back!!! -- ohhh~ i love checking out new or rec music!! so i will listen to it 🖤 (1) -ymt

i finally got an ao3 acct!! so expect my comment to be thereee but also go at your own pace im gladd you took time to work on it i can't waittt bub! 💕✨-- ahh my yoonmintae recs okk okk i'll put them in another ask so sorry for the spammm! >.

i've been listening to yoonmirae's new singleee i feel soo powered up now!! gahh it's called Kawibawibo 🔥✊🏼 also the recs : WHO IS JIMIN'S MYSTERY BF!! - pansexuall (its not done but ajdjs it's worth reading) -- Meme Works Makes The Dream Work - Taetaehyungie (its by my good friend :') im soft!!) -- Unmagical Moonlight - AlixSkyeDawg (rollercoaster of fucking feelss!!) -- so those are my top3 fav ajsksksk ok this is long hope our day goes good! ✨ (3) -ymt

ahhh lovely it’s so good to hear from u !!!!! i put my replies under the read more bc it got hella long oops :’’)

oaisdjfoisd okay i LOVE german shepherds !!!! 😍😫 they’re my absolute fave breed of dog ever !!!!!!!!! i’ve always planned to get one once im living on my own, they’re just so cute - i even have a name picked out n everything :(( but shih tzus are so lovely too !!!! one of my dogs was a shih tzu (he passed away two years ago) and he was the sweetest, most chill lil dog i’ve ever known 💓

omg yay !!!! congrats sweetheart !!! how did ur trial go ?? trucking sounds super exciting omg - do u enjoy driving ?? i hope ur having fun at ur new job !!! & yess i did hear back !! so i have a job at my local night club rn, but i’m on like a three-month probationary period before i get legit hired -- but i also got an email yesterday inviting me to a group interview at a similar place i also applied to !! i’m a lil torn on what im gonna do, tbh :(( i said i’d attend the group interview & hopefully i’ll be able to find out what their hours are like compared to this other club - atm i’m working longgg shifts super late (i dont get home until abt 2am) n i don’t know if it’s the healthiest thing for me :(( buT i’ve also been talkin to another one of my friends who works as a kitchen hand & i asked her to let me know when they’re hiring as well bc im so indecisive haha :’) the pay there is a loT better (an additional $6 per hour !!) and the shifts are still long but at least they’re during the day ya know ??  :’’)

oiasoidjf omg u got an ao3 acct im so excited !!!! ahhh !!!!!!!! do you write fics & are u gonna post them, or are u just using it to bookmark n comment ?? also if u do pls lemme know ur acc name so i can read them 😫 ahHH im so excited for u !!!!!!!!!!!!! 💓 and omg ur gonna write a comment on hbts aHH ur so sweet 🤧 thank u honey !!! don’t feel pressured to tho ofc, i know how hard it can be to write comments on fics !!!!!!! 💓💓 and asdoifjsadf thank u !!! its actually so lovely to hear ur lookign forward to the new chapter !!!! ngl one of the reasons it took so long in the beginning was that i kinda had a crisis of self-confidence n i was like ‘mm the main plot is kinda wrapped up now, i dont think anyone even wants to read the rest ://’ but hearing that ppl are excited for it is sO reassuring, i can’t even express how grateful i am to hear it 💖✨

hA omg sweetheart no pls don’t apologise for spamming !!!! i love getting messages from u !!!!!!! 💓💓 also i should b the one apologising bc this reply is so heCKing long iajsdfiosdf oops :’’)

omg omg thank u for the recs !!!!!!!! i’ve actually had “meme work makes the dream work” by taetaehyungie in my ‘marked for later’ list for ages, n i finally got around to reading it after u sent this & it was so good !!!! ur friend is so talented !!!!!!!! ((also pls tell her i want a hobi/jungkook sequel aaHHH that ending was too cute 🤧))  i haven’t read the others yet but ive opened them in my phone & they’re all ready to go !!! aHH im so excited to read them, thank u for sending !!!!! 💐💖🌷

also holyy hECK i just listened to kawibawibo & it’s so good !!!!!!!!! i can’t believe i haven’t listened to yoonmirae before !!!!!! i love the beat of the song omg & the aesthetics of the mv are unreal ,, i’m kinda tempted to turn it into an edit ngl 😫 and that lil bit w all the female dancers ???!!! AHHH IT WAS SO GOOD !!!!! 😍

aiosdfi my music taste is super diverse, i dont rlly listen to one particular genre :’’) but i do like listening to chill/minor key covers of popular songs like these bc they make me feel rlly emo and calm:

billie jean - eden

you’re the one that i want - lo fang

say my name - olafur arnalds and arnor dan

hey ya - denm

me n my friends also often send each other playlists so i get a lotta variety & they all have really good music taste too !! also i’m gonna b super lame n predictable and say my fave korean artists are ,, bts :’’) they’re probably the only ones i listen to consistently !!!

i hope u have a lovely day today !!! 💓💓💓

[mrsrcbinscn]

BDRPWriMo Task #6 - 10 Short-Short Stories

Task #6: Write ten short-short stories of no more than a paragraph long.

Franny Robinson’s musical influences; ten interview quotes about other musicians and singers that she says inspire her work

i. Jenny Lewis

“I dunno, there’s just-” Robinson paused and with her palms flat up, made claws with her hands as she searched for the words. “-something so honest about Jenny. I had the honor of performing with her once and I was just in awe. I think I have a little bit of a crush on her. I was first introduced to her work in 2001 by a great friend of mine from college, Dani Weiss [currently a member of the American-Canadian newgrass band The Weepy Willows]. We were...going on a little trip -

Q: Acid or shrooms?

“My husband is sitting right there, oh god. Acid. In moderation, I think things like that can be worthwhile experiences. In moderation. We were doing acid in her apartment and listenin’ to music and she [Weiss] put on their album Take Offs and Landings. I was real into it from Go Ahead [the first track]. Which. I always liked chill music when I dropped acid, anything too loud and busy made me anxious. And when the followup, The Execution of All Things came out, it was like - I was like - just like, ‘damn, this woman is amazing.’ Her songwriting ability is just phenomenal and her voice- I feel like I’m sittin’ across from her and she’s tellin’ me stories. There’s- again, the only thing I can think of is this honesty about her.”

ii. Hizuru

“Japan actually has a vibrant history with jazz music, so I’m familiar with a lot of Japanese jazz and have had the honor of working with many talented Japanese jazz musicians. I don’t know very much about Hizuru, actually, other than I love them. I have been experimenting with incorporating traditional Cambodian music with, you know, jazz and other western styles of music. That part of my culture is very important to me, so I want - I want to show the world how beautiful instruments like tro and chapei are. Anyway- I was struggling with a balance of sounds when in 2017 I stumbled upon a Hizuru song called - oh, god, I don’t speak Japanese, so I’ll probably butcher this. The song is called Ushiwakamaru. It is an instrumental piece, as is the entire self-titled album, and the blend of traditional Japanese music and modern jazz on that entire album is perfection. I hope they come out with more soon, I am hungry for more, truly.”

iii. Ella Fitzgerald 

Q: Of the early jazz vocalists, who inspires you the most?

“Oh my god, Ella Fitzgerald. Well - mm, no, absolutely her, no question. I am by no means implying I live up to her standard, in fact I never will, but I have channeled her. Especially in my earlier work when I was a bit more concerned with going what jazz fans want, expect, and love versus taking lessons from those who came before me and building on that with my own ideas, my own voice. If that makes sense? She was classic. It’s Only A Paper Moon was, I think, the first jazz song I heard when I was little. Or, it was the first that really struck me. [laughs] My oldest brother used his birthday money to buy an Ella Fitzgerald album for me on vinyl so I would stop running around the house singing the only lyrics I remembered. I think it was like [singing]- Say, its only a paper moon, sailing over a cardboard sea...and I forgot the rest so I could just repeat cardboard sea like three times.”

iv. Patsy Cline

“I’m from Georgia,” laughs Robinson, running a hand through her hair as she pulls her feet up under her on the chaise lounge in her Swynlake home. “Like, out in the country in Georgia. You couldn’t grow up there in the eighties and not have known who Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton were. Dolly was more, like, relevant and current, but Patsy’s a classic. And as a woman whose natural register is lower myself, I really appreciated being able to sing along decently well without much effort. We don’t - we don’t get to see alto voices in popular music a lot. Pop, even the jazz music that gets a following outside of hardcore jazz fans. Hitting the craziest high notes does seem to be a current trend across the genre spectrum.”

When asked if that was a bad thing, Robinson simply shook her head. “I don’t think it;s positive or negative one way or the other. It’s just an observation.”

v. Ahmad Jamal

“I mean, if you want to talk jazz pianists, you can’t not talk about Ahmad Jamal. On Green Dolphin Street? Autumn Rain? F---, man, leaving him out is criminal. He’s been in the game for five decades, that’s longer than I’ve been alive. I only hope to be on his level. Like, I hear words from his piano. I understand what I’m supposed to be feeling, thinking, or seeing when I listen to his work. And with instrumental music, that’s a challenge. Classical? I struggle to listen to classical music. I think it’s beautiful, and I really respect classical musicians, but unless I’m explicitly aware of what picture this piece is supposed to paint in my head, when I tell a classical expert what a piece makes me feel, they’re usually like ‘ACTUALLY...’

vi. Édith Piaf 

“My father - well, he’s technically my stepfather,” Robinson said, scowling at the word like it was a swear. “But, he adopted me when he married my mother, and my biological father may as well have been a sperm donor. Anyway. My father is from Switzerland, and they have four official languages there. He speaks them all, plus English, plus he learned to speak Khmer when he married my mother. He’s so cool, my dad. He’s from a Francophone-Italophone Swiss family, so I grew up listening to a lot of old French, Italian, and some German music from him. I still don’t speak German and Italian though, [laughs] sorry Dad.”

“We listened to Édith Piaf a lot together. I was very protective of my mother as a child, you know how kids of single moms are? My mom was my superhero and I was used to American men thinking they had a right to touch her because she was just a poor foreign woman who owned a restaurant. So when my future dad started hanging around, I hated him. But he was determined to make me like him so I’d let him marry my mother, and he’d take me for ice cream and play Édith Piaf cassettes in the car. He’d tell me about what the love songs meant, and didn’t tell me about the songs that weren’t, and told me the love songs are how he felt about my mother. He was like, ‘Dara-’ my legal first name is Darareaksmey, it’s Khmer. My parents usually calls me ‘Dara.’ ‘Dara, if you let me, I’ll be good to your mother, and to you.’ I eventually got tired of him begging me to marry my mom so I let him. [laughs]

I asked if she ever regretted giving him her blessing.

“No, never. He’s my dad, and the two boys he brought into the marriage are my older brothers. I’m my Swiss grandparents’ only granddaughter, so they spoiled me even from Switzerland. No, we’re family.”

vii. Dolores O'Riordan

Interview date, 26th of January, 2018

Q: Let’s talk about something I just found out about you from your Twitter feed the other day.

A: Oh, no, should I tell my husband to cover his ears?

Q: No, it’s rated H for Husband. 

A: Excellent.

Q: You’re a huge fan of Dolores O’Riordan. Which, I wouldn’t have guessed. But on the day the tragic news of her passing broke, you Tweeted out a tribute to her including ffive meet and greet pictures of the two of you together- the first, correct me if I’m wrong, is from 1994?

A: Yes, yes I had actually seen then the year prior, when I was thirteen, but ‘94 was the first time I could afford a backstage package with my babysitting money. The other four are from 1999, 2002, 2010, and 2016. I loved The Cranberries, they were the first concert I dragged my husband to when we were dating.

Q: Safe to say you’ve been a hardcore fan for-

A: Two and a half decades, yeah. Yeah, The Cranberries are one of my all time favorites. Dolores O’Riordan’s voice was...everything.

Q: You’re a jazz artist, primarily. What’s consistently drawn you to The Cranberries?

A: [laughs] Other than being a teenager in the 90′s? I mean, her voice. She changed the game for what it meant to be a female vocalist in rock music. And up until my second year at NYU, I wasn’t sure where I was going with music. I loved rock, I loved jazz, I was into R&B, I loved bluegrass. I sang in several bands in high school and college, and The Cranberries were usually on the setlist. Her voice was amazing. I idolized her as a young vocalist, even if I ended up gravitating toward a different genre.

Q: You uploaded a cover of Dreams with Irish alt-rock singer and guitarist Padraig Chen, and Irish indie musician Siobhán Walsh as well. How did that collaboration come about?

A: Padraig’s been a friend of mine for a long time; we met through a mutual friend who is also an Asian-diaspora musician in the UK and Ireland and it was a match made in music heaven. We’ve collaborated a lot. Siobhán is a friend of Pat’s, and we all looked up to Dolores, so we just got together and made our little tribute to her.

viii. Badi Assad

“I was first introduced to bossa nova...probably during my sophomore year of college. Her voice is like butter, but frankly, that’s not the most interesting thing about her. She combines traditional jazz, bossa nova, other Latin music elements, and traditional Middle Eastern sounds. Anything that is a marriage of different tastes and cultures is interesting to me, and when its done as well as she does it? Forget it. She is one of the best jazz and jazz-adjacent guitarists out there today. I really admire her. I hope to perform with her one day, it’s genuinely a dream of mine.”

ix. Ros Serey Sothea

“One of my most unexpected musical influences...well, I don’t - I don’t think she’s so much unexpected, as any of my following outside of my small Cambodian or Khmer-American following won’t have ever heard of. Ros Serey Sothea is one of the most important singer in Khmer popular music history, she’s called the Golden Voice. My mother would sing her songs to me as a child, whichever of them she could remember. Under the Khmer Rogue, which my mother survived, something like 90% of Cambodia’s artists, dancers, musicians, and singers died or were executed. She was one of them. And my mother’s favorite singer. Most of the master recordings from her and other singers like Pen Ran and Sinn Sisamouth were destroyed by the Khmer Rogue, so whatever recordings we do have of Khmer rock and roll from that era are so, so vital to preserve and keep record of. Even though I am a jazz music educator, at my lower level, more generic classes where I have the wiggle room to do so, I talk about Khmer music of the 60s and early 70s for a class because I feel so strongly about the legacy of this music.”

“I went on a tangent,” Robinson said apologetically. “Where was I? Oh, Ros Serey Sothea. Right, so her voice was just-” Robinson put her arms out to her side and swayed to the imaginary music in her head. “-you could just kind groove like this to only her voice, nothing else needed. Her voice danced on top of the backing band. My mother managed to get her hands on some records, her siblings who remained in Cambodia sent some to us and her other siblings who were resettled, in the mid-eighties. So, I was six or seven before I heard my first Khmer song from a record player or a cassette instead of my mother’s voice, even though she’d been singing to me since I was born. These songs are still incredibly important to Cambodians today, and diaspora as well.”

I asked her if that had anything to do with the semi-viral success of her recent  cover of 70′s singer Sieng Vannthy’s ‘Console Me’. 

“Oh, for sure.” Robinson said.  "It’s the first time I professionally recorded a song in Khmer, a lot of people were surprised I spoke the language.”

x. Dolly Parton

“Okay, Dolly probably has less of an influence on my music than my persona, I’ll be honest. But her music means so much to me. At my wedding, during toasts, my mother mortified me by throwin’ in video footage of my first ever live performance from ‘89. Little nine-year-old Franny was on stage in little secondhand cowboy boots, this horribly 80s lookin’ frilly dress, my hair in little twin braids, singin’ and dancin’ to Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That. To this day, my husband still brings that up.”

Q: How do you mean Dolly Parton influenced your persona?

“Great question. So, our origins are similar. Kind of. She grew up poor one of twelve children, I grew up poor, one of three. My family eventually was lucky enough to make it out of the poverty I was born into but we were still always poor, you know? Like. I remember my mom rationing her food so I could eat enough until that stopped when I was about seven and my mom didn’t have to make a meal for herself last two meals.  And we’re both from the American South.”

“I grew up on Dolly. She’s the queen of our people [laughs] and I’m not even being facetious. We love her. Can’t get enough of her. And I include myself in that; Dolly Parton is an icon. She is unashamed of who she is and where she comes from, which really struck a chord with me. As the American-born daughter of a refugee, I was always caught between two cultures. Am I Cambodian, am I American? Which can I claim? My mother taught to me my Cambodian culture, our Vietnamese friends taught me about Vietnamese culture, but my white father was from Switzerland so I didn’t learn to be American until school. That’s when I started droppin’ my G’s, sayin’ y’all and ain’t, and asking my parents to make grits for breakfast when they’d never eaten them before in their immigrant lives. I wanted so badly to just be seen as American, to be seen as just a girl from Georgia. If it weren’t for my mother refusing to let me speak English to her at home I would have lost my Khmer. She spoke English just fine, but English was for Out There.”

“My mom taught me to be proudly Cambodian, but I’m not just Cambodian, right? I mean, I’m biracial, sure. But more importantly, I’m bi-cultural. I’m not just Cambodian, I’m American - Southern, if we wanna get real specific. Both of my cultures are vibrant, and beautiful, and are equally important to me. My mom taught me not to be ashamed to be the daughter of a refugee - she didn’t get into specifics until I was older, but she was always made it clear she had Been Through Some Shit and could handle anything. Even now, when I go through something difficult I just tell myself, ‘Mom survived genocide, you can do whatever this is.’ I knew how to be proudly Cambodian, I knew how to wear traditional dress to nice events, and wear Khmer wedding clothes for my wedding instead of a white dress. But I didn’t know how to embrace this other part of myself - because wasn’t raised in the default Middle America. Even my American side is a type of odd culture, isn’t it?

Dolly Parton taught me not to be ashamed of the other half of where I came from. She is unapologetic about bein’ who she is. She is proud of where she came from. And I want to be the Dolly Parton of my rural Georgia town. My identities as Cambodian and Georgian are more important to be than my identity as, like, an American person in general. I want people to think, ‘that’s a Georgia woman’ when they think of me, just like you look at Dolly and say ‘that’s a Appalachian girl’ before you just go ‘oh, she’s American.’