Olja Frolo (Loell Duinn)

Musical Discoveries: Olja, would you please tell us some more about your musical background.

Olja Frolo: I was born and raised in Labin which is a small town rich with different historical and cultural landmarks of Celtic, Roman and Slavic heritage, located in Croatian region called Istria on the shores of Adriatic Sea. In addition, I must say that Istria is known for the uniquely complex style of folk music that is based on hexatonic musical scale and two part singing in specifically tuned tonal relationships.

Since my birth, or better, the awareness of my existence, music was part of my daily life. I was surrounded by a big family that at all times--for better or for worse--was finding relief and joy in singing with the sounds of the accordion and guitar. Ourhome was always filled with their beautiful sonorous voices.

At three years of age, along with my five year older sister, I joined the choir "Minicantani." It is a mixed choir that performs all over Europe as a part of Italian minority / community in Labin. Later on, in my school years, I was also a part of the school choir.

Afterwards, my musical life became slightly neglected because those were the years when one is exploring the world around him and the word within him. The years of growing up when you are changing and it is quite normal to try to change all that surrounds you.

How did Loell Duinn begin?

Alen and I knew each other from school days and for a time we were part of the same group of friends. Sometime in the spring of 2003, after numerous conversations about music and musical aspirations, we began a collaboration that was, as we are now discovering, the realization our dreams and the birth of our love.

We named this union Loell Duinn. Alen discovered in me the potential I did not know that I possessed. He opened a completely new world in me in which I am now complete.

What kind of music did you listen to growing up?

In my earlier days, I listened to a variety of bands and various music styles that have almost nothing to do with what I am today and what my musical preferences today are. As I mentioned before, I did a lot of self researching like most of the people do and now I have found my path that I live wholeheartedly.

I do not have any specific role models in music, but I am quite impressed with Dead Can Dance and in particular their vocalist Lisa Gerrard. I also like Loreena McKennitt, Elizabeth Fraser and Madredeus' singer Teresa Salgueiro, amongst others.

How did the Retrospectives 2003-2008 album come together?

We named the album Retrospective 2003-2008 because it includes the compositions that were created since the founding of Loell Duinn in 2003 and over time until 2008.

On the way to the release, there have been various things that have affected Loell Duinn negatively but were positive for some members of the band in a way that we were forced to have a three year break. The break ended with our invitation tothe Wave Gothik Treffen festival in 2010 and the Dark Bombastic Evening 3 festival in 2011. After these festivals, We released our album and the video for the song "Embraces (Swan Song)" and continued to work moving forward in the world of music.

The songs are mostly compositions of pure heart and the power of it, love of life and all of life's treasures that we have forgotten.

How did you work with the other musicians to bring the album to its final stage?

Our work together has always been successful and easy, considering we're the people who, when it comes to music, have similar ideas and we complement each other. Alen is the one from whom begins the very vision of Loell Duinn. He mostly writes all the compositions and lyrics with my occasional help in a visualisation of the lyrics, plus I'm doing all sung passages alone, of course, with Allen’s support.

Regarding the arrangements, I am giving some advice but that work is mostly done by Alen Zarifovic (classical, acoustic guitar), Patrick Šcira (keyboards) and Goran Brezac (drums, percussion). They are without a doubt the foremost artists together with other "new-old" members Ivona Kiršic (flute) and Saša Boškovic (bass guitar), who with their presence and participation contribute to richer, organic more emotional sound of our music.

How do you characterize Loell Duinn's music?

I experience Loell Duinn's music and the sole process of creating as a creature that grows in me and amazes me with its beauty every day. It is something that is beyond us all; filled with life and riddled with unique coexistence of grief and joy, like life and living are, and its beauty is goodness of spirit that lies within us all.

Listeners might expect a new birth in the knowledge of the persistent duality surrounding us.

What's it like for you to be on stage in front of various size audiences?

(Laughs). I must admit that there is a certain nervousness/jitters that imprison me in my choice of words at the moment of contact with the audience. Everything is easier when I communicate by my singing. Furthermore, to be on the stage in front of a large, medium or small audience is not that much important, importance lies in the exchange of emotions and energy between us and the audience.

We all have to enter into this magic circle of everlasting feeling. In that precise moment I become flustered, my skin dreads with pleasure, something between laughter and crying (positive of course). Wonderful feeling.

Are there plans to tour outside your country?

Of course. Plans for attending new festivals still and always exist. We are currently performing a bit less because of the preparations for our new album.

How far will we go? To the end of the world, if there is an end! We have open hearts; we love life, music, people and what people have to offer but in a non-materialistic meaning of the word: True lovers of nature and spirit.

What besides music are you involved with?

Although I would love that music is my only employment, this is impossible. As the other members of the band, I work for a salary and I have to be satisfied because at the present times there are lots of unemployed people.

Besides, as I said earlier, I am a great lover of nature and animals, I love my family and all the people of good heart. I'm involved in recreational sports, a little writing, painting, reading books, creating and listening to music and occasionally I watch a movie or some interesting TV series with my husband Alen.

What are the plans for a new Loell Duinn album?

We have to complete the "split" album in collaboration with the Serbian artist/project Tamerlan represented by our dear friend Timur Iskandarov.

Afterwards we will continue to work on our new album to be released later this year or early in the 2013.

All the material for he album is almost complete and it seems to be very interesting because it has some new elements but in our typical melancholic light/dark approach, just like Loell Duinn is.

What are your hopes and dreams musically and for your life?

Hope, faith, love and dreams always exist. They are the originators of everything, so I hope that with our music even we can find a small and pure place in the "great plan of the universe" and no matter when it will happen. I would like it to be more open hearts, people that have not lost hope, people who believe in love and have dreams.

When dreams are concerned, hmmm, it would be nice to be part of a movie soundtrack; that would make me even more enthusiastic, and faith; I have faith in Loell Duinn.

I have no personal desires unless they are related to a greater good and/or my family, so may we all live in God's grace, in peace and serenity. More than this I do not need.