About us - Sweet Winds

Sweet Winds is the musical and vocal duo created by the initiative of the french ethnomusicologist, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Raphaël Parejo (short biography here), with the german female singer Lilofee (see short biography here). For more details, you can visit the websites of the two artists (see at the end of this page). Sweet Winds also incorporate occasionally or in more sustainable ways others musicians and singers, as is the case of the female singer Zilan (since sone years), in 2022 the fiddler and multi-instrumentalist Kike Pérez and more recently the accordionist Julen Murga Olabegoya.

In addition to their work in Sweet Winds, both artists run their own musical programs, Raphaël with french songs (https://raphael.vaucourte.rparejo.eu/), and Lilofee with german songs and ballads (https://lilofee.kuschick.eu/).

General repertoire

Sweet Winds presents a wide and eclectic program of songs and ballads from Europe and other parts of the World, since the early Middle Age to modern contemporaneous songwriters. The duo sings in various languages, as English, French, German (common actual German and various actual and historical dialects), Spanish, Euskera (Basque language), and a few others (Nordic languages and Hungarian). In addition, when Zilan sings with the duo, they perform also in Greek, Arabic, Turkish and Kurdish languages. An important part of their musical project is issued from their own musical researches in archives and old publications (collections of songs), and in some cases stem from their own field work.

The two produce their own arrangements and interpretation of the songs. The musical accompaniment is based on various types of guitars (acoustic guitars, classical guitars) and other stringed instruments, some wind instruments, frame drums and other percussions. They also sing «a cappella».

In addition to their general program of international songs and ballads, Sweet Winds presents also thematic ones as: Drinking songs from Europe (one general concert and two specific ones: Saint Patrick’s Day and Oktoberfest concerts), Hallowe’en and Samhain (old seasonal Celtic festival) related songs and ballads, Songs from The Seven Seas (about mariners, sailing, legends and imaginary beings related to the oceans and seas), songs and ballads about mythological and/or imaginary and supernatural beings (trolls, mermaids, lamias from Basque Country and other parts of Europe, vampires, werewolves, and so on), Songs for the Seasons, Love Songs… For more details, see here: https://sweetwinds.rparejo.eu/concerts-programs/thematiconcerts/

The Celtic Path: a trilogy of concerts

More recently, they present with Kike Pérez a trilogy of concerts called the Celtic Path about Celtic music. The Celtic Path includes in particular a namesake generic recital of songs, ballads and instrumental music; an extended program for the Saint Patrick’s Day; and a program of songs and instrumental music from pubs and taverns of the Celtic world.

The recital the Celtic Path and the two other ones include songs and instrumental music from the British Isles, some Nordic countries, France (Brittany) and other regions of Europe with Celtic cultural influence.