Voce Nova, made up of Natalia Tsvi and Gilad Paz, have made a name for themselves bringing different genres together. Their latest release is a mashup of Bizet’s “Habanera” and “Smooth.”
CCM: Why did you choose this piece – what does it mean to you?
Voce Nova: VOCE NOVA’s songs are always created for our live shows, and the “Habanera” from Carmen has been on the list of songs we have wanted to cover since we started working together in 2018.
When we decided to add new songs to our existing catalog in 2021, we took time to think about what song would be a good match for this all-time opera hit. After throwing around several ideas with our creative team, our co-producer, Lisa Katz-Paz, came up with the awesome idea of pairing it up with “Smooth”. This Santana & Rob Thomas collaboration is a crowd favorite, and the Latin flair really worked for this mashup. It’s truly the South of Spain meets Spanish Harlem!
CCM: When did you first hear it?
Voce Nova: Like many others, we can’t really pin-point the exact time when we first heard the “Habanera”, mainly because it’s so prevalent in pop culture, being featured frequently in film, TV, etc.
“Smooth” was a huge hit when we were teenagers, having come out in 1999, and that’s when we first heard it. Fun fact: Gilad used to sing this song when he worked as a singing waiter in a restaurant in his home town in Israel.
CCM: What are some of the elements from the original that were important for you to keep and what were some of the new ideas you are most excited about?
Voce Nova: Both of these songs have a sexy element that made them such a good match, and it was important for us to preserve this feeling throughout the mashup.
We also wanted to preserve the Latin rock flavor of “Smooth” which is highlighted by the awesome guitar work from Aviv Mor, who really rocks Santana’s sound and style.
The addition of Spanish trumpets, suggested by our music producer Assaf Averbuch, really transports the listener to the South of Spain, and paints a picture right at the top of the song.
A musical change we made that was kind of risky but really works, is when Natalia starts the second verse singing the “Habanera” in the original major key and then switches to singing it in the minor key when Gilad joins in. We always joke that Gilad is the “executive in charge of weird harmony and counterpoint”, and he really rose to the occasion with this idea!
CCM: Were there any challenging moments in this piece?
Voce Nova: Mashing up songs always has its challenges.
With this one we first had to decide how the songs would be woven into each other in a way that would make sense. Then we had to figure out how to make the transitions seamless despite one song being in a major key and the other being in a minor key.
In addition, the “Habanera” is written for a mezzo-soprano voice, so one of the challenges was how to make it fit into Natalia’s soprano voice so she could perform it comfortably. We decided to transpose the key up, which also lent itself to showing off Natalia’s incredible high notes.
CCM: Tell us a little bit about the production of the track?
Voce Nova: Since Assaf is located in Israel and we’re located in NYC, the production process always has several stages to it and is done remotely.
These are the essential steps: we come up with the idea and create a very rough, Frankenstein’s monster-type track as a reference for Assaf. We then have a phone call to discuss the track’s structure and decide on the key that would work for our voices. Next we get a piano version from Assaf on which we record vocals. He then takes this guide into his studio and builds the track around it. When the track is finished we revise as necessary, and then record the vocals again on the final track to make sure they work for a live performance. After we finalize the track, if we plan on releasing the song as a single we record vocals in an NYC studio (in this case, Mirrortone Studios in Chelsea).
Stream “Habanera vs. Smooth” on Spotify now!
www.vocenova.com
