Sayan - Savoie by Maria Teriaeva

"Sayan - Savoie" marks Maria Teriaeva's third solo album, self-produced and independently released. Spanning 2022-2024 and recorded between Annecy and Paris, the album captures her emotional journey in exile. Maria balances external chaos and inner peace through more structured compositions, using her Buchla synthesizer alongside guitar, electric organ, and vocoder. Parallels between the French Alps and her childhood in Siberia shape the album’s central theme and title.

"While working on this album, I found myself reflecting on what unites us, rather than divides us, especially now. In places that seem so different—Siberia's Sayan Mountains, where I grew up, and the French Alps in Savoie, where I ended up—I noticed common threads: snowy mountains, a closeness to nature and shared scents, a slower pace of life, and solitude. Most powerfully, I felt a deep sense of familiarity, with flashes of childhood, even in a foreign place."

The album reveals deeply personal shifts—embracing oneself, looking back and forward, and finding a sense of freedom in a new, more comforting home. “After years of restraint back home, I’m starting to be more open and true to myself, especially as a queer person.” The music, too, carries this newfound confidence, echoing her journey of self-acceptance and inviting listeners to feel a sense of connection—and perhaps even share a smile or two along the way.

Maria Teriaeva is a Siberian-born, Paris-based musician and composer. She uses the Buchla modular synthesizer as a framework for her music combining it with acoustic instruments and voice.

mariateriaeva.com
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