BTA // Ishtar: Music Is Like Perfume, It Is about Feeling

In an interview with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) just hours before her concerts in Plovdiv, Burgas, Sofia and Varna, singer Ishtar described music as "a perfume." "It belongs to something that is not really physical. Even though we use our ears, it is not physical at all," she said.

Spiritual, intuitive, deeply emotional, reflective, charismatic, independent, and contemplative, and a believer in the power of human connection, Ishtar portrays herself as an artist who rises above politics, materialism, and ego, centering her work on soul, love, and authenticity. This does not suggest an artificial image; rather, she comes across as someone who seeks to be a mediator between people rather than the focus of attention.

Even when she speaks about her career, the emphasis consistently returns to the audience, to feelings, and to the experience. She sees the world not through facts and achievements, but through energies, feelings, faith, and inner states.

“I sing to the souls. I do not sing to religions. I do not sing to your nation. I sing to your soul.” These words encapsulate the essence of her 30-year career. She does not define her identity through a specific musical genre or cultural affiliation, but through the idea of universal emotional communication. For her, a concert is, above all, a human encounter.Following are excerpts from Ishtar's interview with BTA's Dahnyelle Dymytrov:

As an avid concert-goer, I can say that you put on some of the most intimate, warm, and audience-friendly shows. What warms your heart today, and what gives you the strength to be the person we see on stage?

I think faith and being me. I mean, I really believe in what I do. I really love music. I love people. I am very loyal to what I feel about people. And the fact that I feel what I feel in Bulgaria, there is a reason. I really believe that the Bulgarian people are very authentic and connected to their history. They are very spiritual.

As a child, I was very connected to my center, to a faith. I had an understanding that we came here not just for success, not just to make money, not just to have children. There is something much more valuable and much more important than this. When I felt the power of music, my mission was to gather people through music. It is a tool for me to express what I really feel.

When I sing, I sing to the souls. I do not sing to religions. I do not sing to your nation. I sing to your soul. And for some reason, I feel that when I come here to Bulgaria, I feel something different. Like I have been here before in another life. I feel good. I feel that we are living with the same vibration. The Bulgarian people are very, very spiritual. I can say that they have a musical soul because music belongs to your soul.

What guides me in life is: be yourself, be who you are. Even if some people tell you it is true or it is not true. Do not try to satisfy others. I am talking from experience because when I was younger, I was the kind of person who did not want to disappoint people - my parents, my friends. I was just giving, giving, and giving, and in a way, I forgot who I was, who I am, what I want, what I do not want. That is why I think it is important to be connected to who you are, your roots; to just look for good; and do not judge people because of what they present. [...] I am trying to dig and find the goodness in people. I do not say, "Everything will be okay tomorrow." No. Try to find resources to make it good. Try to be part of the system that creates good. And never give up. I know that in the world we live in, it is very difficult to think like this. It can be a cliché. People might say, “You are too positive. You are too naive to think like this.“ I understand. I see all those things. I do not want to concentrate on what I do not have. It is hard because we are human beings. I am really trying to find the goodness in people, find good in what I do, believe in what I do, and love what I do.

What were you like as a child and what part of that child is still with you today?

I always liked being alone. It is not being lonely. I like to be alone because there is no noise, nothing bothers me. It is my time. Even now, I like to travel alone. I like to go to restaurants alone. This part has always been in me. [...] As a person who likes to give everything to the people I love, it was not always balanced with what I really needed. I used to give them what they expected me to do, and I felt very bad because I realized that if I feel bad, I cannot be good. If I do not feel 100% with what I do and where I am, I cannot give 100%. I think it is time, age, experience, and faith. I really believe that there is always somebody there. We are here for a reason. We are not here to be rich. We are not here for ego. Thank God that He gave me this gift—music—as a tool to express those things. Because music, you cannot touch. And music is not only about words and melodies. Music is about feeling.

What has been the most unexpected moment in your journey so far?

Betrayals. There are people who betray us. The closest people you can trust. There is a phrase from the Bible that says, "God, protect me from those I love and love me, and from my enemies I know I can protect myself."

Looking back on your 30 years on stage, is there a moment that made you stronger?

After 30 years of playing everywhere in the world, I have met thousands of people and crowds. Sometimes I sang even for three people. And it is not the amount. It is the quality of the moment. What I really understood is that music is like a perfume. It belongs to something that is not really physical. Even though we use our ears, it is not physical at all. It is very important for me to touch people and see how people who are very different from each other - different from me and from one another - still vibrate from the same thing. We all need joy. We all need hope. We all need love. No matter who you are, even the monster—if you treat him with love, he is a human being. If we put aside what we do not have and all our problems, and you come to my concerts—or another artist's concert—and just release and feed your feelings, not your body, not your ears, but your feelings, you realize that the person next to you may be completely different from you, may have lived a different life from you. Finally, you find out that we all need the same small things in life.

Ten years ago, you said your home has three rooms—Paris, Israel, and Sofia. Is that still the case, and what have you most recently added to the Sofia room?

I always say that because there is a song by Paul Young [sings the line Wherever I Lay My Hat/ That’s My Home]. I do not come very often, but when I come, it is not the quantity, it is the quality. I think that is the reason I decided to open my world tour in Bulgaria. Bulgaria offers me all the conditions I need: spirituality, joy, people respect each other. Very simple. There is something in the air, something historical, that sometimes our world forgot how to feel. I am sure there are a lot of things that I do not know about Bulgaria. Of course there are shadows too. I do not live here. But I talk from what I receive from my friends, from walking in the streets, from visiting Bulgaria, from going on stage. That is what I feel. I think this is very authentic. It is not cinema. It is not pretending.

What is the personal connection between the words “love” and “peace” for you?

In peace, there has to be love. In love, there is not always peace.

Over the years, do you find yourself saying “C’est la vie” more often or less often, as in your song?

Much less because “C’est la vie” means giving up responsibility and saying, “Life made me who I am.” No. You create your own life. You have the right to choose. Whatever you choose, that is your life. Whatever you project into your life, that is what you bring and what you are going to receive. I used to say it as a cliché phrase, but no. I would say “This is me,“ “C'est moi.“

Is there a word that best describes you as a person?

I am very complicated. I am loyal to myself.

How would you complete the sentence: “I am a person who loves…”?

There are so many things because as soon as you touch the word ”love,” it is not one thing. I am a person who loves simple people. I am a person who loves to be alone. I am a person who loves people. I am a person who loves real things, truth, connection, touch. I am a person who loves to ask questions and not take everything as if it was meant to be. I am a person who loves my kids. I am a person who loves God. I am a person who loves life. And this is very important because unfortunately today people forgot what it means to live. People survive; they do not live. People go to work, bring money home, feed the kids—but they do not live. I am a person who loves to live.