This is Vanessa-Mae's interview during her Greek TV appearance on Sunday 8/2/1998. Red stands for hostess Roula Koromila and blue stands for Vanessa-Mae. You may imagine Vanessa speaking fast, being very animated (gesturing with her hands etc) and smiling constantly.
Vanessa, I would like to welcome you...
Thank you it's great to be here! I would like to try to say "gia sou Roula" ("hello Roula") and also I would like to say "herome pou ime edo" ("I'm glad to be here").
Hey, your Greek sounds great [laughs].Vanessa did you expect that you would become so popular playing a "difficult" instrument such as the violin?
Yes, it's true.You see I've always played the violin as a classical instrument since when I was 5, but when I started trying new things at the age of 14–15, it was like a gamble, I didn't know what people would expect.But when the first pop album "Violin Player" came out, many people around the world loved it and subsequently, when I did the world tour that followed, it was great to see how many different kinds of people really loved the violin.So, I didn't expect it, I just did it for myshelf; I wanted to do something new for the world of violin and the music and it came through.
World tours, live appearances, awards, interviews... can a 19 year old girl cope with the weight of so many obligations?
Yeah, I think so , because it didn't come as a total shock to me; I started giving interviews, playing concerts when I was 12, so I think that when it became more rock'n'roll and more hectic at the age of 15–16, I wasn't unprepared. I have always liked to travel, and people who liked the music and bought the album, always want to hear the person who plays to talk about it. Ok, I may be doing interviews every week, but it's always a pleasure.
What is the meaning of success for you, besides being loved by the fans?
I think that succes is something that is... a personal definition. I think that for anything I do, it's a success if I've done it as best as I could do in that situation, if I'm happy with my performance, whether it's a concert or anything. Success is, giving everything through your work, through what you love.
How does your family cope with your success, how does your boyfriend cope with it?
They're really excited, my family is great, and they're really excited by what I've been doing and they've always played a big part in my success
Would you like sometime to perform at the Acropolis?
Absolutely yes. I'd love to play at the Acropolis, definitely. This is my second time in Greece. The first time I came I didn't have a chance to visit the Acropolis, but I remember studying at school about Greek mythology, we did the Greek philosophers, so I really-really would like to bring a part of my music into my studying of Greek culture and to play at the Acropolis for all the Greek fans, I'd love it.
Tell us, how do you imagine yourshelf 20 years later?
Twenty years! I hope I'd still be enjoying music. I think music will always be a big part of my life; as long as I enjoy it, as long as the people keep giving their appreciation to my music... But I think I'll be working at different things, that don't interest me at the moment, but music is always going to be my thing ,in 20 years or in 30 years.