Yana Couto is a pianist, composer and a producer from Poland who composes a variety of songs for independent projects, theatre, film, and advertising. Her compositions explore leitmotifs and simple melodies that evoke emotions and imagery. Don’t miss our conversation with Yana Couto about composing music, influences, creative rituals, upcoming projects, and life.

What first drew you to composing music? Was there a particular moment or influence that made you realize this was your path?

In my case, it was a long and gradual process. I remember watching movies from a very young age and being enchanted with film scores. I was curious about film composers and often checked who wrote a particular score for a movie. Back in high school, I watched Three Colors by Kieślowski and discovered Zbigniew Preisner - I remember checking his Wikipedia page and learning that he didn’t have any formal education and that sparked some hope in me, that maybe this could also be my path one day.

The first times I tried composing I was about 18-19 years old and it was an outlet for me to transform emotions and experiences at the time, and I realised that through improvisation and composition, I can be more present and find a peaceful place inside, but I didn’t see it as a way to live my life back then. Years later, when I was studying MA in Journalism, I decided to start weekend Music Theory and Composition postgraduate studies in Warsaw, and then followed by a second Master’s in Film and Theatre Composition. 

Today, I look at composition as my true calling, a safe space where I can express my ideas and transform emotions into this beautiful music language. I feel inspired with every new collaboration, every new live performance and feel that this is a very true way of living my life. It took me some time to realise that and embrace it fully, but I am really happy where I am right now and grateful for this path. 

Growing up in Poznań, how did your surroundings and culture shape your musical sensibilities?

Poznań is a medium-sized city in the Western part of Poland, with access to music schools and concert venues, but it’s not booming with art and culture the same way cities like Krakow or London are. My parents were aware of my sensitivity and I started my music education in primary school. We would also go to some concerts occasionally (I remember vividly listening to Bolero by Maurice Ravel and the strong effect it made on me), or seeing Nutcracker ballet at the Grand Theatre. I remember the thing I enjoyed the most was sitting on the balcony and peeking under the stage to see the musicians play live. I always enjoyed watching movies, going to museum exhibitions. Growing up I also travelled quite a lot as I was interested in exploring other cities abroad, and meeting new people.

Your work often incorporates leitmotifs and minimalist melodies—how did you develop this compositional style?

It came to me quite naturally, for me melody is an important part of music, something that people can hum and go back to. There is a lot of emotion in each melody, and making it accessible and minimalist creates this meditative calming effect, which I seek in my music quite intuitively. Sometimes making music feels like a meditation, or a prayer, and it fills me with this sense of peace and hope. 

Do you have any specific rituals or habits when you sit down to compose?

There is one habit I do every morning which is called “Morning Pages”, where I sit quietly with my own thoughts and write down whatever comes to my mind, filling out about two or three pages. It’s a cleansing process, and allows me to set for the day, reflect on emotions and ideas that pop up on that day. When I start composing, it mostly comes from improvisation, laying my hands on a piano, playing some chords, passages, humming a melody, simply waiting for a theme to emerge.

When I work on a specific score for film or theatre, the process usually starts with talking with the director about their vision. Then it’s reading the script or analysing the scene, imagining where the music can take it to a new place. 

Which piece of music that you’ve composed is your favorite, and what makes it special to you?

It’s difficult to pick favourites. I like my last album The Great Hope, I think it’s a great musical story and connects well together into this beautiful calming listening experience, and has been the turning stone in my career. I’m quite proud of how it turned out and even though I hadn't planned any physical release back then, I decided to release a limited edition of the LP just recently while I was going on my first tour. 

You describe your music as having a touch of Slavic romanticism and gentleness—what composers, artists, or experiences have influenced this? Are there any unexpected sources of inspiration—visual arts, literature, nature—that seep into your compositions?

I’m inspired by many things and people - often these inspirations come from stories or experiences that happen to me or my loved ones. I wrote “Lullaby for J.” for my little nephew, Mr. Olympics was inspired by a story of my friend’s brother, just to name a few. 

When it comes to broader influences, I am a big fan of Eastern European art, especially film, books, performance art and music. Zbigniew Preisner and Arvo Part were some of my early music authorities, whose work I admire and respect deeply. Marina Abramovic for me is an example of a performance artist that often touches very important concepts with the use of symbols and simple gestures. I enjoy Milan Kundera and Wiesław Myśliwski writing as it always takes me to new places and I admire their way of capturing the inner thought processes of their characters. 

What has been one of the most rewarding collaborations of your career?

Every collaboration I had in the past has been a beautiful learning experience, and I have to say honestly that they have all been extremely rewarding. I enjoy working with other artists and I truly believe this is the space where the most magic happens.  

One of the most surprising one is probably the most recent EP “Isolde” with OS.SO, where the process was so intuitive and introspective. We didn’t know each other very well before we started working together, but it felt as if we were finishing sentences for each other. We enjoyed the process and outcome so much we actually started wondering if we should turn it into a full album.

Can you share any details about your upcoming projects or collaborations?

At this point, I am finalising music for a theatre play, which will premiere at the end of May and I really look forward to it, as it’s a deeply moving story with lots of personal meaning to me, and I was very inspired throughout the whole process. The soundtrack consists of piano pieces, but also more ambient sounds, vocal parts and two original songs. It was also the first project where I took on writing lyrics inspired by the story.

At the same time, I am working on my upcoming solo piano album, which is coming together quite intuitively and is yet another exploration of minimalist sound and space. Then around summer I’m planning on working on another project with a wonderful artist and singer Edyta Krzemień. 

Finally, from your perspective, what is the meaning of life?

I think the meaning of life is to discover who we are, our inner voice - and how we can best live our life according to that. I think success can’t be measured in things and numbers, and it can be different things for different people, but for me it’s about authentic connections, creating something beautiful, learning something new about myself and the world around me while living a good life filled with kind people and wonderful memories. I think everyone should try to find their purpose and fulfill it however they can. Sometimes it’s not easy to live the life you want, and there are a lot of things that might be standing in a way, but the pursuit of understanding yourself and things you dream about and feel energised about is probably the most important task in life.