Birmingham born wordsmith, Oriana Bohème, is a boat-dwelling songwriter and vocalist, whose fledgling curiosity for music was kindled by Carlo Curly, at one of many organ recitals she (reluctantly) attended with her parents. It is her early initiation into choral traditions, however, that has been a salient theme in her own music.
In the Studio (Going slightly mad!)
In 2023, Bohème spent two weeks at Black Bay Studio, under the guidance of Pete Fletcher and Cal Roden, emerging from the Outer Hebridean studio with a collection of 15 tracks entitled, 'The Tigers of Bardo'. It comprises a selection of her own original songs, as well as cover songs by Cesária Évora, Simón Díaz and Jorge de Altinho.
'The Tigers of Bardo' symbolises a "life-on-pause moment", when all that is good and bad is suspended in a single memory frame. There is no reason, no sense. It is ours to reassemble. The choral electronic title track, 'Paper Tigers', marries Bohème's "ageless and extraordinarily engaging voice" with her “unconventional, massively visual and often sobering lyrics.”
Often found conversing in other languages, Bohème is as at home singing Venezuelan folk music as she is singing a Cape Verdean morna. It is her love of the open road that has helped to shape the artist that she has become. Not one to shy away from a challenge, her curiosity has led her off the beaten track on explorations of far off lands, with one such adventure - a motorbike trip across South America, that left her in a life-threatening condition in a Peruvian hospital. It is her rich experience of life that has provided her with many stories to impart - stories that need to be heard.
through the lens
Bohème has a keen eye for photography and never ventures too far without her trusty camera. She has spent years documenting her travels through photography, some of which have been exhibited in Italy. She uses her own photographs as her cover art.
Having spent several years working intensively behind the scenes with Guillemots and Fyfe Dangerfield, Bohème's desire to shine a light on her own musical endeavours has been nurtured by collaborations with Greig Stewart, Baldo Verdú and, more recently, Dan Glendining. Bohème co-composed and demoed, 'Le Rossignol', for French-Lebanese singer, Yara Lapidus, in 2020.