There are moments in an artist’s life that seem to light up the entire path traveled so far. For me, one of those moments was appearing in The Woman Magazine. From the moment I learned that I would be featured in its pages, I felt a special emotion. It was not only a professional confirmation, but also an opportunity to share a part of my soul with readers. As a jazz singer, I am used to expressing emotions through music, telling stories through sound rather than words. That is why the interview in The Woman Magazine held a special meaning for me. It was one of the rare occasions when I could put into words what I usually let music express. That is exactly why I consider it one of my favorite interviews.

How I Experienced the Interview

When I began the conversation with the magazine’s team, I immediately felt a warm and friendly atmosphere. It was not about standard questions and predefined answers, but about an honest dialogue. I was able to talk about my beginnings, my artistic journey, and how I grew close to jazz and later to bossa nova. I was happy to discover that beyond the technical side of an interview, there was genuine interest in my story and in what I feel when I sing. I felt heard, understood, and most of all free to be myself. I believe this freedom is the same one I feel on stage when I improvise and let the music carry me.

What the Magazine Feature Meant to Me

Appearing in The Woman Magazine was not only a professional experience, but also a deeply personal one. The magazine is known for giving space to authentic life stories and experiences of women. Seeing my story among so many inspiring examples meant a great deal to me. It was not just a moment of visibility, but also confirmation that the music I bring to the audience, through jazz concerts or evenings dedicated to bossa nova, resonates beyond the stage. It helped me understand that jazz is not only an art of sound, but also a way to share emotion and build connections between people.

Jazz and My Life

For me, jazz is more than a musical style. It is a language through which I express what I feel, a universe where improvisation, freedom, and authenticity are essential. Every time I step on stage, I feel that I am not simply singing, but living a unique and unrepeatable story together with the audience. Bossa nova also holds a special place in my heart. It is a genre that blends elegance and delicacy with a subtle, almost hypnotic energy. For me, bossa nova represents calm, nostalgia, and the joy of simple yet meaningful moments. Each performance is an invitation to introspection, to dreaming, to a brief pause in the middle of everyday life.

The Impact of the Interview on Me

After the interview was published, I received many messages from people who said they saw themselves in my words. Some became curious to discover more of my music, to attend jazz concerts in Bucharest, or to listen to bossa nova for the first time. Others told me that my story inspired them to follow their passions, even when the path is not always easy. For me, this is the most beautiful gift music can bring. It has the power to touch souls, create connections, and inspire. If the interview in The Woman Magazine managed to convey even a part of the emotion I feel when I sing, then I know it was all worth it.

Looking Ahead

This experience reminded me that the artistic journey is not only about the stage, but also about how you share the story behind the music. I feel motivated to continue creating and to look for new ways to bring jazz and bossa nova closer to people. Through my music, I want to keep expressing the authenticity that accompanied me in the interview. I want to carry forward the stories hidden in every melody and invite people to introspection, but also to celebrate the joy of being together. Every interview, every public appearance, every concert is part of this journey. If The Woman Magazine represented an important step, I know the future will bring many more opportunities to tell stories, whether through words or music.

The interview in The Woman Magazine was more than a journalistic experience for me. It was a moment of reflection, honesty, and openness. I felt I could truly be myself and that my story could inspire, just as I hope my music does. As a jazz singer, I live each day with the desire to bring emotion and beauty through music. Whether it is the energy of a vibrant concert or the intimacy of a bossa nova evening, my goal remains the same. I want to create a bridge between my heart and the hearts of those who listen. If the interview in The Woman Magazine managed to convey that bridge, then I feel I am on the right path. My journey continues with emotion, sincerity, and the promise to always give more through every note, every lyric, and every appearance on stage.

 2025 is a special, anniversary year that I want to mark with the start of this blog. It has been ten years since I began my chapter as a jazz singer on the magical stage of Green Hours. My debut concert was on December 28, 2015. How has time flown? I don’t know, but I feel the need to make space for oases of reflection and to feel the rhythm in which the past has settled. I feel like talking to myself about this intense and complex relationship I have with music. I often open my journal, but now I’ll leave it out on the table, in plain sight, hoping someone might see themselves in these lines that carry more than elegance, brilliance, and smiles, the highlights of concerts.

What has this decade of jazz been?
     In short, a dizzying array of contrasts that shaped me: I learned patience through hours of practice and wrestled with impatience to reach where I dreamed. I savored the pure pleasure of music and felt that dull anxiety, the insecurity lurking around the corner that clings to me before concerts. I needed encouragement to go on stage, endured many concerts with a wildly beating heart, and struggled with long-standing shyness. But above all, and as the engine of continuity, were musical communication and improvisation, that magical dialogue in the high spheres of jazz, alongside exceptional musicians and talent—the divine will.

     Once I “got into it,” I began to experience enchanting exchanges with the audience, encounters with remarkable people, breathing the air of so many venues, historic, cultural, unconventional, even the trendiest and, of course, I collected a series of dresses and accessories that came alive with the music. :D

     But, essentially, music for me is a portal to the splendor of this world and to the best and most beautiful part of myself and those I share it with, musicians and audience alike.

The Terror and Magic of the Beginning

     I feel myself from ten years ago. When Rozana invited me to perform my first jazz concert, I was simply overwhelmed, not just with joy, but with a wave of excitement that lifted and scared me at the same time. I had been a loyal spectator at Green Hours and longed to be on stage, but it seemed like a distant mountain with a long path to climb. So many musicians from around the world had played there, so many educated people had come to listen to concerts, I felt their presence in the walls of the club.

     The concert approached, desire grew, and pressure became suffocating. It had to be perfect. I had to fully live that fulfillment because I loved this music with all my being. Yet before me lay a vast unknown, very uncomfortable at the time: the experience of being in front of an audience, many pairs of eyes fixed on me from behind the spotlight, which I can only imagine, because often I don’t see them during the concert. Dark thoughts and fears invaded me: What if my voice fails? What if they don’t like it? What if I forget the lyrics? An endless chain of “what ifs.” That’s how my imagination sabotaged me. In reality, there was only one answer: live the experience and draw conclusions afterward.

     My chance, my angel, was the support of my colleagues. Debuting with Alexandru Olteanu was a blessing because he is a person with rare musical empathy. I learned quickly: for a jazz vocalist, it’s vital to feel supported by the musicians sharing the stage with you. Then came the invitation from Cătălin Milea, who brought his saxophone and added color and an unmistakable expression to the recital.

The Wings Received from the Audience

     I remember that night perfectly: I was flooded with emotions, all the colors. I was timid, delicate, angelic in the eyes of the listeners in that first encounter. It was worth every moment, and the most precious lesson came after I passed through the fire of the experience: the audience had felt the concert like a breath of fresh air. I had been so trapped in the web of my critical thoughts, minor frustrations, and mistakes that I saw as catastrophes, that I couldn’t see the big picture. Perfection didn’t matter, authenticity did. Our trio managed to build and share a real emotion. The experience of the first concert was revelatory. The audience’s reaction settled in me. I began to shift my thoughts toward this, toward what we create in music, what we experience together, and I felt my wings begin to grow. I realized then, with sharp clarity, how crucial the role of the audience is in my life as an artist. The audience is fulfillment, nourishment, inspiration, friend, guide, it is home.

     This is how my path opened, with a thrill of emotion that still accompanies me, and this is how the Sorina Rotaru Jazz Band was born. This was and is the beginning. This blog will not only be about me, but also about the journey we take together, me and those who listen. I will write about concerts, the creative process, the emotions behind the scenes, meetings with other musicians, how a repertoire is born and how it transforms from one evening to the next.

    The first decade was full of challenges and discoveries. The next one? I face it with the same curiosity with which I take the stage for a new improvisation. I don’t know exactly what it will bring, but I know for sure that I want to explore more, create collaborations, experiment, and let jazz intersect with other art forms.

     And I also know I want to continue this conversation with you. Music does not exist without those who listen, just as introspection does not exist without those who receive and resonate.

     Ten years of jazz. Ten years of contrasts, emotions, and discoveries. And now, a new beginning. Welcome to my blog, the place where I will write the story of the next decade, note by note, word by word.