THE STORY

Having lived a life in the present and immediate future, the loss of my father in 2018 was a big bang that opened up a new horizon: the past.

Where have I come from?

During the communist regime under Ceausescu in the 80s, my Romanian parents left everything behind to start a new life abroad. Having been born in Switzerland and raised in London, my only connection to Romania was through music: Dinu Lipatti, Radu Lupu, Maria Tănase, Taraful Haiducilor, and many others making me vibrate with feeling.

Meanwhile, I find myself writing this in Sândominic where my grandfather grew up. This village lies in the heart of Harghita, a region in Romania populated by a proud Hungarian community going by the name of Szekely. Rolling hills recall Swiss sceneries, the summer season making a paradise bursting with colours, tastes, light, and plenty.

After spending many decades in Canada and Switzerland, my father had retraced his steps to the summers of his childhood and spent more and more time in Sândominic, where he connected with distant relatives who had welcomed him like a close friend. Ever since he had been laid to rest there next to his grandmother in late summer 2018, I have felt a deep compulsion to visit him and continue his reconnection with our roots.

This impulse led me East; crossing Germany, Austria, Hungary, and most of Romania on my road bike. Much like my dad, once I hit the road it’s all gas, no brakes, and after twelve intense days, my pilgrimage came to an end - to find a new beginning, a new understanding, and a new sense of belonging with the past nourishing the present.

Pedalling to my roots was at once cathartic and wholesome, and this album is powered by this inspiration.