Jun 16, 2020
Conversation with the talented Alt-Pop Duo- Berne
Nowadays we have a lot of upcoming artists in the industry, most of them focusing solely on their music. This alt-pop duo, focuses not only on showcasing their immense talent, but makes sure to use their platform to spread an impacting message.
Hailing from London, Deborah Borg Brincat and Gianluca Pulvirenti, who professionally goes by the name Berne is an environmentally conscious duo who released their debut single Oceans which was inspired by the refugee crisis and champions diversity. Having some successful songs like “Oceans” and “To the Lions”, Berne recently released their song Stay with a phenomenal music video.
Having more than 40,000 views on their YouTube channel, the duo is already on the path to success. The duo was kind enough to take out some time to talk about their music journey, inspiration and a message to their fans!
How did you start your journey as a music artist?
My first introduction to music was when I started taking piano lessons as a child and then singing lessons as a teenager. In my early teens, I discovered Vanessa Carlton and realized that playing and singing at the same time was a thing. Some years later, a friend introduced me to Regina Spektor and that was an incredibly key moment for my music career in terms of songwriting and performing.
As for Gian, he was introduced to playing music through post-punk bands such as Joy Division, Editors, Interpol and Radiohead. It unveiled a different kind of playing and a new genre of music which he loved. Throughout the years, he has taken inspiration from these bands and developed his own style which radiates our songs.
If you could have a chance to collaborate with one artist/band of your liking who might it be?
Ry X makes music that is deep, awe-inspiring and simply beautiful. We recently watched his live show with London Contemporary Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall and it filled our hearts with so much warmth. It would be an absolute dream come true to collaborate with Ry X and I’m sure we’d make something beautiful.
Who do you consider to be the biggest source of inspiration?
Musically, we are influenced by different artists, although largely within the same genre. I bring my Agnes Obel and Adna influences and Gian brings his Joy Division and Radiohead influences and it morphs into something that we like.
Lyrically, we are inspired by society and the environment and want our music to be a vehicle for creating change in our planet. As individuals, we feel encouraged to question the status quo and often think about the impact our actions have on our planet. Naturally, this made its way into our songs.
If you could choose one word to describe your music, what might it be?
We would probably go for ‘hopeful’. We are aware that our songs address issues that in essence are heartbreaking but we always make sure that the message is a positive one — one that encourages people to make small changes that will lead to big changes on a global level.
What can the fans expect from your music in the future?
We’ve got so many exciting ideas that we are currently developing and working on. We will be releasing more music before the end of the year, including remixes and acoustic versions of the songs which we are really keen to share! We will also continue to host our weekly livestream show Common Ground, which we started in lockdown. Common Ground brings live music from different artists within our amazing community and extended network, to our audience live on Instagram every Sunday at noon. Over the past three months, Common Ground has evolved to become a force of good in the music community when it needs it most. Follow us on instagram.com/soundslikeberne to stay in touch with us!
You recently released a phenomenal video for your song- Stay. Congratulations on that! What was the idea behind the video as well as the song?
Thank you so much — we are glad you enjoyed it! Stay is our plea to planet Earth for more time to reverse the damage we’ve done, before it’s too late. As more and more of us understand the urgent climate challenge, we’re inspired by positive changes people are really trying to make. It’s a serious situation, but it’s still repairable… just. We believe human spirit and togetherness will allow the globe to smile once again, which is what we wanted to represent in the visual.
We worked very closely with stop motion artist Carmen Mossaad to draft a narrative which highlights the power of people working together towards the same goal. We are seeing evidence of people doing things together successfully more and more these days and it is heartwarming and inspiring to witness global change happening first hand
Lastly, is there any special message you want to give to your fans?
Every single day, we are faced with so many opportunities to make a change, be it by choosing which companies to shop from and industries to support to how kind and compassionate we are with each other. We believe that collectively we can make the world a better place for all its inhabitants and every little change we make helps. It’s not about a few people doing something perfectly but many doing it imperfectly.
Berne is definitely one of the uprising duo in the industry and subscribing to their channel is totally worth a shot! It’ll take just a minute to go on to their YouTube channel and hit the subscribe button. Make sure you follow them on Instagram and all other social media platforms as well!
Thank you for reading this article. I would like to thank Deborah Borg Brincat and Gianluca Pulvirenti for taking out his precious time for this interview. I congratulate Berne on the success they have achieved so far and wish them luck in all their future projects! I would love to know your thoughts about this interview! If you liked this interview, please give it as many claps and follow me for more articles like these. It’ll be a great encouragement for me.
