On the release of the album Deep Song, Christine Tobin answers our questions:

Why did you become a musician and, in particular, a singer?

I had a big desire to communicate and music seemed the perfect medium. Since I was a child I've always felt that good music can cut through all the extraneous crap we cushion ourselves with. It’s a kind of magic that can touch us with what’s true and vital. The voice is very direct...I was given a voice and that’s what started me on a mission.

What music have you been listening to and is there any music which you would in particular recommend?

Recently I've been listening to Wayne Horvitz’s 4+1 Ensemble, Branford Marsalis’s Requiem and Karol Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater. That covers quite a diverse range of music but it’s all really great and I'd strongly recommend any or all of these CDs.

What are your main influences on your writing from outside music?

Some books and films have had a big influence on me, for example works by James Baldwin, Primo Levi, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, poems by Les Murray, Eva Salzman, and I was inspired to write a song after seeing Pedro Almodovar's film Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown. I also like to go out in the wee hours of the morning and see if I can spot foxes. I watch them and try and absorb their influence. I love their independence and gain tremendous inspiration from the fact that foxes are doing it for themselves.

How would you describe the balance in your music between traditional, jazz and popular?

I wouldn't like to describe or try and pin down any such balance. I don't like the word traditional, to me it suggests something that is pure and static - not interactive. The music I sing is a living breathing mixture of all kinds.

Are there any composers you would really like to work with?

I'd love to work with Mark Anthony Turnage. I really like his writing and think the influence of jazz in his music works very well.

How did you pick the standards for the "Deep Song" CD?

The track "Deep Song" is one of my favourite songs ever recorded by Billie Holiday. Very few people seemed to know of this song, so I really wanted to do it for that reason. I later read an interview with Billie where she named this as one of her favourites but regretted that it was so unknown. As you can imagine I was very happy that I'd recorded it and made it the title track. The rest were songs that I'd known and loved for a long, long time. You have added lyrics to compositions by Julian Argüelles and John Scofield among others.

What encourages you to write lyrics to existing melodies?

A very practical reason. If I really love a tune and want to sing it , I don't feel so good about doing a wordless vocalese thing throughout the whole form. So the solution is to write some words to sing on it.

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