I was recently introduced to Emaline Delapaix, a Berlin-based Australian singer songwriter. Emaline introduced herself to me as she is also a vegan, living on a mostly raw/organic diet, even with her busy lifestyle. She has an interesting story to share, and some free downloads of a few of her songs as wellTell me a little about yourself, Emaline. "I am completely independent, booking my own shows and have played concerts in Canada, USA, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, Poland, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Slovenia including lots of vegan/veggie events in Germany and Austria."
When did you become a musician? "I began playing music full time 4 years ago after packing in a crappy job in Toronto and moved to a caravan in rural Eastern Germany at the beginning of a very cold winter where I taught myself to play piano, acoustic guitar and baby celtic harp."What inspires you? About what do you write? "I write about love just like most songwriters do but I also try to write about the darker sides of life like depression (which I suffered from terribly until I changed my life and became a full time musician/vegan) as well as travel, nature, animal rights and a lot more."
It can be challenging to following a vegan diet. Do you do any of your own gardening? "I have a small indoor/window garden. This past year I have planted 3 types of tomatoes, spinach, lettuce, kohlrabi, Swiss chard and cucumbers so far and of course loads of herbs. I began foraging a lot this year and made my own honeys/syrups out of dandelion and red clover and collect a lot of nettle, dandelion leaves for salads, stews and stir fry. In a few weeks I will be collecting elderberries for syrup and quince for marmalade. I also make my own raw almond milk and apple sauce from local apple trees."What are your tips for sticking to your diet while traveling? "A blender, sieve for juices (as I don't have a juicer), wooden spoon, little citrus hand juicer, big bowl that can be used to sieve the juice and hold salad at other times, cutlery, chopping board, resealable container for leftovers, a knife and cutlery can all fit neatly behind my seat in the car."
Any good quick morning energy boosts? " A quick morning energy juice includes filling up the blender with a chunk of ginger, 1 lime, 1 kiwi, 2 apples peeled and a little water to help blend. I sieve the juice through a strainer (it only takes 3 min!) and then hand juice the oranges (blood when possible) with the hand juicer (as I like the keep the pulp) and add it to the the other juice. It sounds complicated but the whole process literally takes 10 min including cleaning up. So you can juice when you have no juicer and stay healthy while on the road."
Any fun facts you'd like to share with my readers? "I live with my Canadian rescued cat Reece who is big and red and resembles Garfield and we've been together for 9 years living in Canada and Germany. I travel a lot and being vegan can be tough on the road but it's possible. I am living proof! I also give a small % of CD sales (which are handmade and self recorded using recycled card and eco-friendly links) to local animal charities via online sales and concerts."
To learn more about Emaline, and sample more of her music, visit:
www.emalinedelapaix.com
www.soundcloud.com/emalinedelapaix
www.facebook.com/emalinedelapaixmusic
For a few free downloads, enjoy the links below.
