The Greek-American Diamanda Galás can sing up to 3,5 octaves. The black diva can sing harrowing songs and also move her audience. From vocal terror to touching blues. A phenomena.

Diamanda Galás is sometimes called a modern witch. Always dressed in black, raven-haired, dark make-up. And then that phenomenal voice which can make someone’s flesh creep. Her voice has a range of 3,5 octaves and that is pretty rare.

Galás is above all a passionate person and a dedicated diva with an impressive instrument which she can use for all moods and goals. She was born in California. Her parents are Greek orthodox and wanted her to play the piano. When she is 14 she performs as a soloist with the San Diego Symphony.

Galás has a difficult childhood and lives on the fringes of society. But everything clears up. In 1979 she performs at the prestigious Festival d’Avignon. She is the leading voice in the opera ‘Un jour comme un autre’ from the Slovenian composer Vinko Globokar. The piece is based on documents of Amnesty International about a Turkish woman who is tortured because of alleged treason.

Galás has a soft spot for political stories. And she has the voice to touch people with it. In 1990 she stands in the spotlight with the controversial ‘Plague Mass’, a requiem for people who died from AIDS.  She also includes her own background. At ‘Diamanda Galás (1984) she dedicates songs to the Greek women who were murdered by the military junta during the sixties and eighties.

This same Diamanda Galás can also touch people. Especially when she uses her voice for blues classics – like she did with ‘The Singer’ (1992) – like ‘I’m so lonesome I could cry’ from Hank Williams or ‘I put a spell on you’ from Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.

The singer’s music has never been punk or new wave. But her look and thoughts are. The biggest part of her work was released by Mute records (Depeche Mode, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp) and she has worked with Erasure and Recoil.