For many artists, the global health pandemic and resulting quarantine have been difficult – perhaps, that’s putting it mildly. But despite the halting of tours and the general inability to get together, some have found ways to keep their creativity sparked. And, on some occasions, even to collaborate. Los Angeles-based dream-pop songwriter, Winter (born Samira Winter), has done just that. Prior to the pandemic, she composed a new track in-person with Brazilian singer, Dinho Almeida, of the band, Boogarins. But, more recently, the two got to collaborate digitally on an intercontinental music video for their shoe-gaze song, “Bem No Fundo,” which Winter recently released into the world.
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“I wrote the song and I was working on it and Boogarins were staying at my house because they were on tour and they had days in L.A.,” says Winter, who grew up in Curitiba, Brazil. “Whenever they’re in town, they crash with me. So, I asked Dinho to sing on this song and we went in and worked on it. We did the music video during quarantine. I had him shoot it on his computer when he was in São Paulo and I was in L.A. It was an international collaboration!”
The idea (or loose translation) behind the song’s title, “Bem No Fundo,” means entering the void – as in, the depths of the sky or the ocean. It’s the idea of leaping into something unknown and, potentially, magical or mystical. Something lasting but also something ephemeral. Something sacred but also something new and personal. This dualistic relationship, in many ways, is what fuels Winter’s creativity. It’s at the core of who she is. Nevertheless, this central relationship is also often hard to describe or define.
“Winter is definitely an extension of me,” says the artist. “But I would say Winter is ultimately the dreamy, more magical side. And then Samira, I guess I’m still trying to figure out who Samira is without Winter. I think Samira is grounded.”
No matter which persona is shining through in any given moment, there has always been something about shoe gaze and dream pop music that Winter has loved. She first began to fall in love with the gentle, almost hushed vocal timbres when she was exposed to famed Brazilian songwriters, Gal Costa and Rita Lee. In Brazil, Winter absorbed ideas about melodies and these stayed with her as she continued her creative journey. Later, Winter attended college in Boston, Massachusetts and it was there her love of (live) music solidified.
“I remember there was this venue called The Paradise Rock Club,” Winter says. “I remember going to see shows and thinking I really wanted to play. And I wanted to have a band so bad. I wanted to be on stage so much that it made me sad I wasn’t doing it.”
Winter began attending basement house shows in Bean Town. By exploring music, she says, she began to understand herself better, too. In a way, it created a burgeoning and now-endless loop of self-discovery and creative investigation. A sonic infinity sign, if you will.
“I feel like music has so much to do with identity,” she says. “Up until I found shoe gaze and dream pop, I hadn’t really found a style that really resonated with me, as a person. I get shivers to this day when I listen to that style of music. It penetrates my soul and echoes so deeply.”
Winter, who first started writing songs at 12-years-old, switched from a young dance practice to music. There was something about songs and songwriting that allowed her to more accurately and acutely express herself. After attending college in Boston, Winter moved the 3,000-miles, or so, to Los Angeles in 2013. It was there she began to find an inter-connected community of artists. For her, being around like-minded, aspiring musicians helped her to creatively continue on.
In 2018, She began to write the songs that would end up on her 2020 LP, Endless Space, which she released in July. The tracks are misty, elongated. They both lead and follow. They’re light, effervescent and, at times, terrestrial. On the album, Winter sings in the poetic Portuguese language (“It’s important for me to write songs in Portuguese,” she says). It’s emblematic of how the songwriter is always moving forward yet always staying in touch with where she’s been. And it’s that spark that makes her song, “Bem No Fundo,” and her collaboration with Almeida on it so special.
“I think our voices really blend well together,” Winter says. “Just doing an international collaboration during quarantine really shows you that you can really work with anyone in the world. It’s an example of how we’re all connected. There are no barriers to creativity.”
Dig what you hear? Here’s a good link for all things Winter.
Photo Credit goes to Jason Lester
