Good People of vitruta: Lara Di Lara

Lara Di Lara, welcome to Good People! Let's start with the classic question: Who is Lara Di Lara? How did it start, how is it going, what is she doing?

Hi! Lara Di Lara is the solo project of Dilara Sakpınar. She started her professional music career in 2009 with 123, and over time, she decided to release the pieces she had accumulated, leading to the birth of Lara Di Lara. She began her journey with the release of her 6-track EP "Oraya Doğru." She has released the albums "Hazineler İçindesin" with 16 tracks, "Sudaki Çığlık" with 19 tracks, and "Eskisi Gibi Değil" with 13 tracks. Among these, she also released 8 separate singles and a collaborative 6-track EP "Denge" with Kamufle. Generally, the lyrics and compositions of her songs are her own, and she is either the producer or co-producer of all her albums. In addition to domestic and international concerts, she has performed three symphonic concerts with the Eskişehir, Istanbul, and Bursa Symphony Orchestras, which she finds very exciting. These days, she is preparing for the first concert of her latest album "Eskisi Gibi Değil."

Your latest album "Eskisi Gibi Değil" was released last week. When I first heard the title, I thought it was beautifully fitting. Why "Eskisi Gibi Değil"?

I realized that we often use the phrase 'eskisi gibi değil' (not like it used to be), and I liked that it has a dual meaning. Depending on the context, it can be negative or positive. I tried to explore this duality throughout the album. I drew on both nostalgia and our inability to let go of the past/habits, as well as the development of newness and its various effects.

Would you like to tell us the story behind the songs on this album? While listening, I felt like it’s not an album where I can just play a single song, but rather, I need to listen to everything in order, like reading a book or watching a movie. Is that what you intended while creating the album?

I think the stories of the songs speak for themselves. Or rather, I like leaving the interpretation up to the listener. As you said, listening to the album from start to finish is always something I desire, especially on the first listen. Afterwards, of course, there will be favorites or tracks people want to listen to more, but when creating an album, I always like to look at it as a whole and work towards that. Making singles is enjoyable too, but I think the place of an 'album' is always special.

There are a few interludes on the album, and sometimes you hear bird sounds, sometimes the call to prayer from city life, and sometimes the sounds of pot-and-pan protests. These interludes seem to play a connecting role rather than acting as separators between the previous and next songs. How did you decide on this? It felt like a very innovative approach to me while listening! :)

When I say a whole, I actually mean things like this too. I thought of them as short segments that connect rather than separate. They are like interconnecting stories that ensure the continuity of the album’s narrative.

We met at Giritli on a day when many other valuable artists were also performing. From that day to the release of this album, many changes have happened in your life; are there traces of those changes in "Eskisi Gibi Değil"?

Of course, there are! What I experience always affects my creations. Particularly in this last year, the most significant change that deeply impacted my life was the birth of my daughter. Naturally, this has also permeated into my album. Careful listeners will surely notice.

I'd like to ask another question parallel to the previous one: have the things that inspire you, the emotions you experience while creating songs, and the actual process of creation changed during this period you mentioned?

Generally, my inspiration always comes from life and nature. However, the current events and situations during the time I was creating the album become the triggers for that album. Therefore, what I experienced during the production of "Eskisi Gibi Değil" influenced this album, but there are also elements that remain unchanged.

Stepping away from the album for a moment, actually, one of the motivations for us to meet, as is the case with many brands that form our core, was your connection with Sweden as someone living in Istanbul. Being both Swedish and Turkish, what does this add to you as an artist?

Being half-Swedish and half-Turkish naturally brings multiculturalism. This allows me, as an artist, to create music that I believe is more universal. Being rooted in two cultures always enriches me.

We haven't talked much about vitruta yet, but I'm sure we have a lot to discuss in our future meetings; I'll ask about them then. Today, the impact of the album has overshadowed vitruta for me. :) Still, which brands do you like the most at vitruta? If you have any special stories with these brands, we'd love to hear them!

Haha, thank you! If my music could enchant you like that, I'm truly delighted! I do appreciate how vitruta brings together carefully selected brands. :) But I think my favorites are Camper, Chimi, Lar Studio, and HAY Design.

Click here to see the products used and chosen by Lara Di Lara for the shoot.