An expat group in Budapest, formed of international residents from countries around the world, has been the latest to join the trend of remote video collaborations bringing people together during the coronavirus lockdown.
“We, as a group of foreigners living in Hungary, want to express our solidarity with our Hungarian friends, colleagues, neighbours and hosts, with whom we are going through these difficult times together,” explains one of the singers. “This crisis is a struggle for many, and we hope that such a gesture of kindness could lift some spirits.”
The group took the project a step further, tackling the difficulties of the Hungarian language to sing the popular Hungarian song Neked írom a dalt (“I'm Writing You a Song”). “Learning the words, and getting the pronunciation right, with the correct syllables in the right timing… singing in a foreign language can be quite a challenge!”
Seventeen singers from ten different countries came together for the video, representing expats from the US, Turkey, Pakistan, France, India and beyond. “I think it was magical to watch the individual inputs of each of us with our different styles and voices grow together into one big beautiful piece,” says Julia, an expat from Germany.
“The project reflects my point of view on the world,” says Gabriella Karvák: “We are all one, no matter where we are from. I loved hearing the different accents, colours of the voices and the people.”
Many of the collaborators have yet to actually meet in person – and they hope to do so once the quarantine restrictions are lifted. “Future musical collaborations could evolve from this,” says a spokesman for the group. “Be sure we will let you know once the next project comes up!”
