Defeated in the first round of the Olympics by the Kazak Shvedova, the Romanian Simona Halep had plenty of time this week to listen to the back-catalogue of Lupci, her favourite singer. A musical interview with the girl who’s, so far, more famous for her surgical feats than for her performances on the court.
How many tracks do you have in your iPod?
To be exact 572.
What’s your kind of music?
I listen to all kind of music. More specifically the music of my country, Romania, but I’m open-minded. Except maybe rock music. It’s too loud, too hard for me.
What’s the song you play the most at the moment?
It’s a song from a Romanian band called Smiley. And the song I really like is called
Dream Girls. They’re Romanian but sing in English and I love the love the voice of the singer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdifyRx1XVI
What’s your favourite artist?
Lupci. He’s not Romanian but he’s from Romania. He sings really well and I have all his albums. I’ve listened to everything he’s done.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8gCEe3HAFY
Otherwise, I also like Andra, the singer that represented Romania at the Eurovision.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsXukDXYcJA&feature=related
In a more western style, I like Andrea Bocelli. His voice calms me down. I listen to music half an hour per day. I’m quiet and it suits my personality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcrfvP11Hbo
What are your favourite places for this?
In the car. At the hotel. Before going to bed. When I wake up. It depends on the day and my mood.
If you had to pick good music to wake up, what would it be?
My phone’s alarm. There’s nothing better to wake up.
What music do you listen to in the dressing room before going out on court?
None. I don’t like it. I’ve tried and it’s not easy to listen to music and to then enter the court. I have to focus on my game. Every time I’ve tried, I thought I was not as into it. So if I had to listen to music that would be more after the game than before.
Interview by Maxime Marchon