Untitled - Tarom

COVER STORY
46
„Am sim]it o fericire anume... / I felt a certain happiness...“
® I threw the letter in the garbage.
In a few days, I got a phone call
from the Conservatory: “Damian,
you won the scholarship, aren’t
you interested“
AND THAT’S HOW YOU ARRIVED
IN THE UNITED STATES.
I arrived at Berklee in September
1997. The program normally
lasts four years and I graduated
from it in nine months, with
place where I was born. I wanted
to give back to Romania what it
had given to me. I wanted to share
with Romanians a little bit of my
happiness, through my music.
Then I returned to the United
States and edited the concert. I
toured throughout America for
two years, for PBS, which has 348
affiliates.
In 2004, a promoter from
Belgium contacted me, from the
La noaptea balurilor / The Ball’s Night: James Brown, Joe Cocker, Damian Dr\ghici [i/and Shaggy
® {I A{A AI AJUNS ~N STATELE UNITE.
Am ajuns la Berklee `n septembrie 1997. Programul normal este de
patru ani [i eu l-am terminat `n nou\ luni, cu Magna cum Laudae. Am
f\cut cd-uri la New York, `n Olanda, c‚ntam la festivaluri de jazz [i
„world music“. M-au contact cei de la American Public Television [i
m-au `ntrebat dac\ vreau s\ fac un show. Le-am spus c\ singurul loc `n
care a[ vrea s\-l fac e Rom‚nia, unde m-am n\scut. M-am mutat aici [i
am preg\tit „Damian’s Fire“, un mare succes, 72.000 de oameni, cea mai
mare scen\, cele mai multe lumini.
NU MAI CÂNTASE{I ~N FA}A ROMÂNILOR, AI AVUT EMO}II
Nu venisem acas\ de 12 ani. Pentru mine, a fost foarte important nu
numai din punct de vedere muzical, dar [i emo]ional. Am concertat f\r\
bani, un cadou f\cut locului unde m-am n\scut. Am vrut s\ `napoiez
ceea ce mi-a dat mie Rom‚nia. S\ `mpart cu rom‚nii pu]in din fericirea
mea, prin muzica mea. Am plecat `n Statele Unite [i trei luni am editat
concertul. Apoi am f\cut un turneu `n toat\ America, timp de doi ani,
pentru PBS, care are 348 de canale.
~n 2004, m-a contactat un promotor din Belgia, de la Noaptea
Balurilor, cel mai mare tur din Europa, peste 120 de concerte. M-a `ntrebat
dac\ n-a[ vrea s\ fiu cap de afi[, al\turi de James Brown, ®
Magna cum Laude. I made two
CDs in New York and the Netherlands,
I played in jazz and world
music festivals. PBS contacted me
and asked me if I wanted to have a
show. I told them the only place I
would like to have the show was
Romania, where I was born. I moved
back here and made the preparations
for Damian’s Fire, a big
success, with 72,000 spectators, the
biggest stage, the best lights.
YOU HADN’T PLAYED ON A
ROMANIAN STAGE BEFORE,
WERE YOU NERVOUS
It hadn’t been home for 12
years. It was very important for
me not only from a musical standpoint,
but also emotionally. I
played for free, as a gift to the
Balls’ Nights, the biggest tour of
Europe, with over 120 concerts. He
asked me if I would like to headline
concerts together with James
Brown, Joe Cocker, Cindy Lauper
and Shaggy in Belgium, the Netherlands,
Germany and France. In
France the performances were
held by me, Zucchero, Gypsy
Kings, Natasha Saint-Pier and Chimene
Badi. Every evening I performed
in huge concert halls in
front of 25,000-30,000 people. It
was a dream of a lifetime.
THE REASON YOU CAME TO
ROMANIA THIS YEAR WAS
THE FILM...
I am working on a documentary
about gypsies, about the talent
of this ethnic group. The action ®