Singer Petya Dankova is an incredible talent, yet it is only now that she is truly revealing her amazing voice and her vocal technique to a broader public. The reason – the release of her debut album Sweet or Bitter which she presented at the A to JazZ festival held in Sofia a few days ago.

Sweet or Bitter is a blend of jazz, rock, soul and R&B in fascinating renditions. The album features: Miroslav Ivanov – guitar, Bojidar Vassilev – trombone, Radoslav Slavchev – bass guitar and Petya Dankova herself.

Petya Dankova has a classical music education and has continued to evolve as a performing artist and as a lecturer. Her love of music prompted her to found a music school of her own.

“I have always thought I would be a violinist. I have played the violin since I was a little girl and through the years I have invested a great deal of work and energy into my development as a musician. When I was at high school I was tutored in opera singing, but no one ever taught me pop or jazz interpretation or vocal technique. I was a member of the Indigo band which my mother set up. From there, five girls, myself included went on to create another band – Indigo Klamer – an ethno-jazz formation which, at one point I became leader of. My development as a singer has been greatly influenced by Vicky Almazidu, Milcho Leviev and Valery Kostov. They pointed me in a different direction as regards my musical training. As to my vocal technique – in my search for ways to sing a given song or fragment I have amassed considerable experience. Everything I have ever learnt about the violin as a technique I am now applying to my voice. As we all know, the voice is the crowning instrument.”

Petya Dankova’s debut album Sweet or Bitter features ten pieces, three of them in Bulgarian.

“This album took me four and a half years to make, and all that time I put a lot of effort into fine-tuning things,” Petya Dankova goes on to say. “But obviously I was not mature enough for it, because ultimately it fell into place this past year. We did the arrangements together with Miroslav Ivanov, Bojidar Vassilev, Radoslav Slavchev, Svetoslav Sotirov. I have learnt a great deal from them, they are invaluable as human beings and as professionals. Each one of the songs in Sweet or Bitter is based on a story from my own experience. I released this album now because it has a certain kind of energy that has to spill out to make room for something new so I can move on.”

At the beginning of September Petya Dankova wants to give one more concert, after which she will make a video to the title song from Sweet or Bitter. The music product is now available on all online platforms.