By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
It takes a story like American jazz artist Melody Gardot's to truly believe in the healing power of music.
Gardot was a 19-year-old student when she was hit by a car, suffering brain and spinal injuries that landed her in the hospital for a year. But through music therapy, the now 25-year-old singer has not just fully recovered, but also has a flourishing career in music.
``It took years to recover to the place I am now, where I have the ability to do things I had never imagined. Even walking up a flight of stairs at that time seemed like an impossibility. So a doctor suggested music therapy as he believed it would help in many ways, and very naturally, I took to guitar. Progress came immediately in my speech and my mobility, as well as the discovery of facility for music,'' she told The Korea Times in an e-mail interview.
Music therapy, Gardot said, helped restore and rebuild the neural pathways in her brain and contributed to drastic improvement in her memory and speech. Her personal experience has led her to become a staunch advocate of the therapy.
As a child, she played the piano but in the hospital, Gardot took up guitar and started singing. After recovering from her injuries, she performed at various music venues around Philadelphia, and her demo record attracted the attention of Universal Music. She recorded her debut CD ``Worrisome Heart,'' which includes songs she wrote while at the hospital, and released it in 2006.
``I didn't choose jazz; jazz chose me. I've never aspired to make `jazz music,' I simply aspired to make music that was in a word, self-soothing and relevant to the resonating sounds I was hearing somewhere tucked in the back of my mind,'' she said.
Despite successfully transitioning from music therapy to a professional career in the field, she's not quite sure how it happened; ``that's a question for the gods,'' she said.
Her second album, ``My One and Only Thrill,'' was released last year. Gardot described recording the album as a ``dream state inserted into a wakened state.'' Her favorite songs are the title track and ``Deep Within the Corners of My Mind,'' because both ``make me want to curl up on a sofa and melt away.''
As a musician and songwriter, Gardot said she is inspired by ``greatness.'' ``In truth, inspiration comes from anyone who creates music with great soul and great essence. ... Music lyrics and melody all come at the same time, it's like being struck by lightning,'' she said.
Music is an important part of Gardot's life. She even gets poetic, describing music's effect on her.
``It's everything and it is nothing. It's vaporous and fleeting, but the greatest thing about it is when it comes, it comes on strongly like the boldest breeze and even if it lasts only for a moment in passing, the sweetness of its arrival sits like a wave upon water. Its stays with me even long after it's passed. It's as if it feeds my soul and then pumps through my veins,'' she said.
Her dark sunglasses might seem like a trendy fashion statement, but Gardot has to wear them all the time because of hypersensitivity to light, a lasting effect from her injuries. She is also sensitive to sound, which might seem like a problem when performing on stage with loud music and bright lights.
``I have special instructions for the lighting technician on how to still capture a beautiful image without blinding me. Sound wise, the music is mixed in my ears to have less abrasive tones from instruments like the bass and the drums,'' she said.
Gardot promises to give a memorable show at her first solo show in Seoul at the Centennial Hall, Yonsei University, Tuesday. ``The live show is not the same as the album. It's more vibrant and intentionally varied,'' she said.
Tickets are 77,000 and 88,000 won. The concert starts at 8 p.m. Visit ticket.interpark.com/global for bookings in English. For more information, call (02) 563-0595.