McKennitt reaffirms her love for Celtic music in new album

We are talking about Loreena McKennitt, one of the most sophisticated singer-songwriters in the world, who was in İstanbul earlier in the week for the Turkish launch of her newest album, “The Wind that Shakes the Barley.”

Since becoming infatuated with Celtic music in the early ’80s, McKennitt has been bringing her unique interpretation of traditional Celtic tunes — sometimes adorned with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern twists — to present-day music lovers around the world. Her newest album, released in Turkey through Odeon Music, is a nine-piece collection of traditional Celtic folk songs and the CD is billed as her “most Celtic to date.”

McKennitt also keeps getting closer to Turkish audiences with the references she makes to Turkish culture in her music. In her 2006 album, “An Ancient Muse,” the Canadian singer-songwriter “looked through the gates of İstanbul” and made references to important figures from this land, such as Sultan Mehmed II and Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi. The Turkish musical instruments the ud and kanun were also used in the album.

McKennit spoke about her music and her newest album during a recent interview in İstanbul while strolling down İstiklal Street:

This time you are not visiting Turkey for a concert, but to share your new album. Do you have a special bond with Turkey?

Actually, it’s a very special relationship which started in 1996. I remember I was so surprised when I was invited to play at the İstanbul Jazz Festival that year. I didn’t know that people loved my music this much in Turkey then. Our relationship had a wonderful start with a concert in 1996 but then when I learned that Celtic roots stretched all the way to Anatolia, I went after my roots, visiting archaeological sites in Turkey, traveling around Ankara, Konya, Safranbolu and Cappadocia. I was so impressed by the caravanserais between Ankara and Konya. Turkey’s rich culture and history are so impressive.

On your live CD “A Mediterranean Odyssey,” you showed your love for İstanbul with the title “From İstanbul to Athens.” How do you define İstanbul in your own words?

Cultural heritage in İstanbul is so powerful. You can feel the sophistication in the soul of the city, even on the streets, but I feel like the city is yearning to be understood, because it’s not appreciated enough despite its depth and wealth of culture. The old streets are so beautiful, and also the light… The city has a powerful soul and it’s hard to describe.

You once said you were impressed with the whirling dervishes. What kind of inspiration did they give you?

I know so many foreigners watch Sema rituals in a Disney-esque way without knowing the strengths and the depth of its meaning. This is so wrong. You feel so purified knowing the symbols of movements and it feels like pure love if you get into the meaning. I had a chance to watch a very private ritual for a small group of people and it was so inspiring. When you start to learn the meanings in a ritual, you feel love more and more.

In interviews, you say you continue to discover with each new album. What have you discovered with “The Wind That Shakes the Barley”?

I go back to very traditional music in this album and it’s an album which [has the feel of] my first moments of falling in love with Celtic music. This album is a reaffirmation of that love. I once more touch the first moments of my infatuation [with Celtic music].

You seem to put a spell on the audience with your music. Is this because of your love towards Celtic music?

We all have vulnerabilities, defects, and music heals our soul like medicine, according to our needs. This music is the biggest expression of love for me, and when you are deeply in love, God helps you in a way. I worked so hard to have what I have right now, brick by brick. I have been infatuated since the first time I heard this music and it’s so beautiful for me to have songs that ignite a spark in others.

You’re getting closer to Turkish listeners through references to Turkish culture in your songs. Any upcoming surprises?

The Canadian Broadcasting [Corporation] proposed that I do a radio show in which I can play different music from different countries that I visited before. So it means I am going to play some Turkish music on my radio shows. On the other hand, we have a travel book project, in which I will tell my memories of the places I visited. Of course, there are going to be beauties of Turkey, like İstanbul, Cappadocia and more, in that book.

The opening song of your new album “As I Roved Out” feels like the songs from the early years of your career?

I remember I first listened to the song “As I Roved Out” from an Irish band and that was one of the first [Celtic] songs I heard in the first moments of my infatuation. I guess you felt right, because it’s very close to the songs in the early years [of my career], back in 1985. But I don’t like to treat this traditional music like a museum piece. Instead, I love to find new ways of walking through their pathways.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed with this much emotional tones in your songs? What do you listen to in your daily life?

When I met with listeners who appreciate my music — it doesn’t feel all right when people say “fans” — at the music store [in İstanbul], they played my music for hours and I took a deep breath when I left the store. I love to feel the spirituality in my songs when I am on the stage or when I am writing songs … but I never listen to my songs. I love to listen to classical music and fados of Portugal in my daily life. I feel like we need all genres of music; just like it’s not possible for a single drug to heal everything in pharmacy, we need different types of music for different moods.