Hi everyone! My name is Alexia Chambi, I am a Danish-Cypriot singer & songwriter based in Copenhagen.

In June 2021 I went to the Descover: Hydra retreat, an experience that fuelled my heart with the light of Greek sunrises, an ocean of creative inspiration & new beautiful friendships. My time in Hydra was an experience of falling back in love with life & art; all the details of the island, the lemons at the bottom of the trees, the peaceful nights under the starry skies, the late night swims, all of it found its way into my notebook & inspired new streams of songs. 

When I first became aware of the 3-week Hydra Residency, I knew that I HAD to find a way to attend. I am a singer & songwriter based in Copenhagen & traveling has always been a major source of inspiration for me. With the help from local music funds, (@ dpa_musik #KodaKultur) I was able to make the trip. 

There were so many elements that made the trip; the workshops, of which my favourite was one on Greek Mythology, the fellow residents who introduced me to a variety of mediums, the nature, the kindness of the locals & the amount of art & music on the island. There were so many moments during the residency where I was in deep wonder of the world. Sunset was my favourite time of day, always different, always magical. The most magical however, was sharing those moments with the other residents & the people we met on the island. Meeting artists from all over the globe felt like an introduction to a million worlds & I grew everyday from the conversations & the workshops. One of the best nights was a dinner at Tassoula’s where my fellow resident, Trevor placed a guitar in my hands. What started with me playing a few of my songs, turned into a full on sing-along, with musicians from all walks of life joining in to play their music. 

During my time in Hydra, I was finalizing my four-track EP ‘I blossom while I cry’ & making a zine to go along with the release that featured a variety of artists’ interpretation of the songs from the EP. It was important for me to create a space that opened up for a conversation about the themes on the EP; tumultuous love, feminism, human behaviour etc & I felt very inspired by seeing the pieces that the different artists created, how they found their own stories in the songs. 

I think now more than ever, I am in a mindset of inviting collaborators into my universe. For the past couple of months I have been sketching ideas for a concept EP & written songs with different producers & co-writers. I don’t think I would have been ready to invite other creatives into the songwriting process, had it not been for my time in Hydra this summer. It gave me perspective & reminded me that the creation of art is not only a language of self-expression but a language of community & connection. 

I’ll see you in Hydra!