Danny Clinch
Brazillian Girls
Issue #30
Sabina Sciubba wants you to make love — not war — to her music
By Mia Horberg
Published: December 1st, 2006 | 12:09pm
Before my interview, I counted down the minutes anxiously, scouring my brain with a Brillo pad for questions to ask Sabina Sciubba, lead singer of Brazilian Girls. Her voice has narrated everything I’ve taken in for the last few weeks and added a hint more attitude and purpose to my step. Regardless of what language she employs, her deep, sultry voice adds a sensual warmth to her band’s songs.
The Brazilian Girls create a Pangaea of musicality. The concept is one that could easily be screwed up, but the unity of the quartet’s improvisational minds is instead one of wedded bliss. Trance, rock, dancehall, bossa nova, a film-noir score, and jazz are the pillow top mattress upon which Sciubba’s multilingual vocals make love to ironic storytelling. Sciubba, who speaks five languages (German, Spanish, English, Italian, and French), was born in Rome but grew up in Nice and Munich before settling in Brooklyn.
I called Sciubba’s cell phone and was greeted by a voice reminiscent of Nico but without the heroin-induced despair. In fact, each syllable was filled with life.
Everyone seems pretty hung up on your band’s name. One girl, no Brazilians. Were there ever any other names in the running?
There were other names in the running, but we went with that one because we thought it was silliest. We kind of figured everyone loves Brazilian girls, so we went with it.
Do you think you’re a little bit psychic? I read about how you came up with the lyrics to “Die Gedanken Sind Frei (Thoughts Are Free),” and it all came together quite nicely.
I am certainly superstitious (laughs), so I think if I told you I was psychic, I would lose every psychic hair on my body. It’s true that in the case of “Die Gedanken Sind Frei” there was definitely a mystic feeling to it. I’m sure not just in mine, but in everyone’s lives, things just come together. If you pay attention to little signs and indications that life puts in your path, I feel like life becomes more generous in helping you. I think Goethe said once, I can’t repeat it literally, but he said once you make a decision or commitment to go for it, to take a step and take a risk, all of a sudden the other things will fall into place, and life will help you because you took the initiative rather than waiting for things to happen for you.
For the new album, Talk to La Bomb, was there a certain element that you really wanted to stand out from your 2005 release?
We didn’t really have time to think about it. We did it really quickly and recorded in four months. We pushed it out like a baby and watched it grow and thought, “Wow, this is different from our other baby.” But they are also very similar. This one is a little darker. We have a sense of humor and a sense of irreverence. We are a little rebellious. You know that song “Pussy” was a bit of a hidden political statement. Politics are scary now. America’s not the only one letting the right wing takeover happen. Right and left are almost becoming the same thing. It would be a huge moment for the world if we impeached the president. It would be a major step for the most politically passive country. But everyone’s multitasking. Nobody really has the time. They keep people so fucking busy so that they don’t have time to care.
What language do you dream in?
I don’t really remember speaking any language in my dreams. For me it is more about images and situations. But in life, when I swear, it’s in Italian. When Didi [Gutman, who plays keyboard and computer] and I speak, it’s in Spanish but we talk about business only in English. I think certain languages are more appropriate depending on what you are talking about.
I love your deliberately funny lyrics sitting on top of erotic beats, sung by your sultry voice. Are you trying to get people to have sex to ironic mood music? Because I think it’s working.
Well, we aren’t trying to make people have sex to our album, but mostly our music happens spontaneously. There’s not a lot of premeditation. We find that a really good record, you can make love to. I wouldn’t want to make love to our record. I would probably puke I’ve heard it so many times (laughs). But if people are having sex to it that’s great!
You’re known not just for your music but also for your stage aesthetics — such as wearing a lacy net over your face — what’s it like to go shopping with you?
I don’t like to go shopping. I don’t like to be in the stores, it’s like the female hunt scenario. I like clothes that are extravagant with a sense of humor. Either you look hot or you have a sense of humor. I have a problem with the intimidating fashion thing. Like when a girl says, “Oh, I wish my ass was as thin as hers,” I hate it. It’s like I always cover my eyes, people can imagine they’re pretty or ugly, but it doesn’t matter, they’re there to hear us play music.
If you were to learn a sixth language, which one would it be, and what’s the first thing you would learn how to say?
I like this question! (Pauses for a while) I think it would either be Arabic, Japanese, or Russian. If it were Arabic, I would learn how to say, “Can you give that to me all in 20s?”
I wish I had an opportunity to be able to say that in English.
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