Francis Goya is a 69-year-old Belgian classical guitar player with a Latin flavor who has sold millions of albums worldwide – enjoying particular popularity in the former USSR ever since his ‘Moscow Nights’ song established his reputation behind the Iron Curtain in the 1980s during the Cold War.
The Belgian maestro is currently on a Ukrainian tour.
Q: When you were 16 you formed your
first group, so you have been performing for more than 50 years.
Francis: Actually, my career is even longer,
as I started out when I was 14 with a group set up by my brother.
Q: Did your brother also play the
guitar?
Francis: No, he was a drummer. My friend was
the guitar player.
Q: Half a century on stage! How have
you managed to stay in the saddle for so long?
Francis: I think I was just determined. When
you are young you think about rock n’ roll and just want to play. Then you
become more serious and begin to have professional ambitions. My career was
guided by an interesting story – something that happened to me just after I got
married. I was attending a rock festival with my wife and watching bands that
seemed like gods to me. I saw one group in particular and become despondent as
I felt I’d never play with them. I told my wife, ‘that’s it. I’m giving up
music and selling my guitar.’ I went to a music store and offered to well them
my guitar. The man in the store thought I was crazy to give up and told me
about a group he knew who were looking for a guitarist – it was the group I had
been in such awe of at the festival!
Q: That sounds like divine
intervention.
Francis: Yes. It is unbelievable. I was very
shy at first but my wife encouraged me. Initially I was very intimidated by the
band members even though we were the same age, but we had a meeting and I was
accepted. It was very beautiful.
Q: Maybe it was fate.
Francis: It was my fate. Then I started to
write music because I knew only notes. Then I started to work in the studio for
different artists. I became a professional in the space of one week. It was a
dream with a group that I dreamt about. After that, I was inspired to compose.
At that time, I was 22 years old. I had almost given up and sold my guitar. It
is quite a story.
Q: It sounds like the plot for a
novel.
Francis: Yes!
Q: So you could say that you chased
your dreams and your dreams came true?
Francis: Absolutely. It was also down to
luck and meeting the right people at the right time. Then I recorded my first
album, ‘Nostalgia’, which was just a tune I’d written for my father. I made the
demo on a dour-track recorder I had at home. I had made lots of tapes prior to
this. One day a producer asked to listen to some of my recordings. He picked
out ‘Nostalgia’ and said ‘this is a hit – you have to record it.’
Q: That was back in 1975. ‘Nostalgia’
became your big international breakthrough.
Francis: Yes. My first single sold well in
Holland then Germany, Romania and France, leading to an album.
Q: Do you remember your first tour?
Francis: Yes. It was in South Africa. I was
very nervous. At that time I didn’t speak English well, I don’t want to say
that I speak English well now, but at that time my English was non-existent. In
my first press conference I had to rely on improvised body language. But
everyone was very nice.
Q: Luckily for you, music is a
universal language. When you are talking about music, the most important thing
is to give your soul to the audience.
Francis: You have to transmit music to the
audience. If you can touch them and give the impression that you play with soul
and honesty, that is usually enough. I can feel my audience I and I know when I
am touching people with my songs.
Q: Did you ever imagine that you would
become a global star?
Francis: Never! Before I made ‘Nostalgia’, I
was playing jazz and performing mostly as a backing musician. I never thought I
would be a star. When you set out to do something, you must not listen to
people who say it is not possible. Just get your target and go!
Q: During your numerous tours, you
have been to Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Is there any part of the
world where you haven’t performed?
Francis: I have never had a concert in
Australia. I would like to go in sometime. I am not young anymore, but if the
possibility arises, why not? there will be nice possibility, why not?
Q: Where do you take your inspiration
from?
Francis: Sometimes when I am visiting
different countries and I listen to folk songs and songs from the country I
tell myself, ‘this song would be good on the guitar!’ Sometimes I make an album
with songs I don’t compose, but most of the time I play my own songs. I find
inspiration visiting many countries. Inspiration for compositions depends on
the mood. During holidays I always have my guitar with me. She is my second
wife – as my wife herself tells me. Sometimes I play and a song comes to me in
such way that I don’t have any doubt it will be a hit. I just play away and the
melodies come. At present, I am planning to make an album in Ukraine, using
Ukrainian songs.
Q: That is a beautiful thought. Which
album is your favourite?
Francis: It is difficult to say. I made
albums of my own songs and albums from covers, and I also make albums for TV
advertising. I like the albums with my own songs best. Each song has its own
atmosphere.
Q: You have recorded fifty albums,
many of which have reached gold and platinum status. While you are composing a
song or album, do you feel that this one will be successful, while that this
one will touch the soul of the crowd?
Francis: It depends not only on myself and
the other musicians, but also on the media. I have compose many songs, but very
often their release depends on the market. Today’s songs have to be sold on the
Internet. The majority of companies are not interested in instrumental music
now. You have come to them with something new. I wish I knew how to do it.
Q: Your career must have involved lots
of ups and downs. When were the most difficult periods?
Francis: I had a challenging time in the
early 1980s because I lost my producer and my manager. I did everything by
myself and an artist cannot do that – no artist can sell himself. He needs
someone to do it for him. An artist has to make the music. It is not so easy to
organize tour and promote music. If you don’t have a good PR team, then your
chances of success are very small even if you have a hit. That’s life.
Q: What sort of music do you like to
listen to?
Francis: Many kinds of music. I like jazz,
Latin, African romantic music and some eastern music. I listen almost
everything.
Q: Who are your favorite groups?
Francis: I am a big fan of U2.
Q: As well as your music, you are also
the Founder and President of the Francis Goya Foundation. What is the aim of
the foundation?
Francis: The foundation was created for the
poor kids on the streets. I have a musical school in Marrakesh. My foundation
pays for the courses for these kids to study. We are currently focused on
Morocco but I would like to expand the foundation worldwide. While in Ukraine I
have spoken to groups working with displaced persons from east Ukraine. If I
can, I hope to be able to help these people.
Q: You are currently touring Ukraine.
Is this your first time in Ukraine?
Francis: No, this is my second tour. I came
about 8 years ago. I was in Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipropetrovsk. It was a great
experience.
Q: Your current tour includes concerts
in Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa, Lviv, and Kyiv. What are your expectations
for the tour?
Francis: Of course I will be very glad to
see people attending the concerts. I want to touch the people with my music. It
will not only be guitar this time – we will also have piano.
Ahead of his 6
October Kyiv concert, he spoke to Ukrainian journalist Denis Jatsyshyn.
CONCERT INFORMATION
Francis Goya in
Kyiv
October Palace
6 October
From 19:00
