Strolling through the beautiful hilly landscape of Toggenburg, we encountered wild creatures performing to the sounds of Livia Rita's new album Fuga Futura. To learn more about the artist and her music and to find out where these creatures come from, we asked her a few questions.

“I like when the world starts to become alive around me and I can just get absorbed in this fantasy gone real.” – Livia Rita

Who is Livia Rita?

I’m an ‘Alpine Witch’ and ‘soft nature creature’. I originally come from Obertoggenburg but studied and lived in London. Today I am based somewhere, everywhere and nowhere between London, Zurich and my native mountain valley. I make music, design, dance and film and use these practices combined to create worlds, mythologies and future visions.

You recently released a new album. What can you tell us about it?

It contains all the fears and dreams of my past 10 years, so it’s quite full, hungry and vibrant. It’s kind of my coming-of-age album in which I embrace inner emotional worlds and all their vulnerabilities.

The journey of making the album has been one of searching for who I want to be and who I could be. I started writing the music when I was very much caught in my bubble, but throughout the process, I started to crave sharing the experience within the community. For example from writing a love song to a friend, to writing it to all things earthy and cosmic. The album used to be called “Rewild” – before it turned into Fuga Futura; which means kind of “to flee into the future”.

How did the album come about?

Because I did it all for the first time and without guidance, the process was long, full of failures, yet full of possibilities to grow – but was also marked by quite wild and brave decisions. I really felt like I had nothing to lose. Together with my collaborator Tomii, we recorded during the hottest days of continental summer. We recorded in the depths of the alpine winter. We recorded in London in the late nights after busy days. We recorded as nomads, staying in other people’s flats. In the attic of the house, I grew up in, at residencies. I wrote the melodies wandering different landscapes; by the ocean, in the mountains, early mornings in city parks. We also wrote during moments of crisis but with steadfast excitement for things to come.

For Fuga Futura, you create your universe with its own inhabitants. Who are your creatures?

Creatures come from a lust for transformation, searching for new ambitious identities, and wanting to make cross-specials alliances and become closer to nature. Creatures are cool ‘because they have superpowers, wicked rituals, are full of meaning and are part of a community. Want to join us?

What role does the artist Livia Rita play in this universe?

I am the creator of the vision, but I also like to disappear into the universe to become a player myself and also let other people take responsibility. I like when the world starts to become alive around me and I can just get absorbed in this fantasy gone real.

You performed your album with the Creatures on a chairlift. What was the idea behind that?

The idea started during Corona - on the chairlift, because the infrastructure itself guarantees social distancing as well as constant fresh air. At the first attempt, I found the raw collision between the worlds super interesting, and so I established it as an annual ritual - like an annual excursion for the Creatures. Plus, I think flying is just so cool. And while the elite and the chosen stars sit at the exclusive fashion week, with a self-obsessed audience where everyone is also posting and streaming at the same time - we have more cows watching than people. Also okay.

Where are you heading and what is your next project?

Pretty soon we'll be writing music again for an EP, then there's a film project for which I’m currently working on the script. Next year we want to do a really cool live arrangement for a really cool live band and tour Europe in the spring, summer and autumn, hopefully having lots of inspiring beautiful exchanges with creatives and audiences.

Q&A by Dominik André