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Firstly tell us about yourself how did you get into writing and performing and who are your biggest influences? I’m a Blues-Rock singer-songwriter-bassist. I’m a French 23 years old. I grew up in Hong Kong but I’m now based in Brighton, UK. I have just released my first EP New Blood, after releasing 6 singles. When I was 14 years old it was the real turning point where I decided to be true to myself and to others by finally saying I wanted to make of music my life. Before then I was very shy about it, even in front of my parents I wouldn’t sing. I listened to ‘Oh! Darling’ from The Beatles and it’s this McCartney song that was kinda like a wake up call. So I immediately bought a bass, started singing and a couple of months after I was having my first gig at Hong Kong’s legendary live music bar: the Wanch. Automatically I started writing my own songs. It all came very quickly after this realisation and I haven’t stopped since then.
My biggest influences would directly be The Beatles, Queen and David Bowie. That’s the artists I’ve got under my skin. With them and that we can maybe hear more in my music there’s Rickie Lee Jones, The Pretenders…Powerplay Magazine recently reviewed my EP and they found some Sheryl Crow and Janis Joplin similarities which are extremely flattering and I take it!
You recently released your debut EP. Can you tell us a bit about the EP and how the response has been to its release? In my debut EP New Blood we go through different topics from confidence and women’s sexuality ownership in ‘Little Bird’ to loneliness and love hopelessness in ‘Lonely Hunter’, anxiety and low self esteem in ‘Never (Is An Awfully Long Time), tragedy in ‘Phaedra’ to finally end up on healing and hope with the last track ‘Dance In My Arms’. I believe in our society there are still too many taboos about these issues and I don’t think this is healthy that’s why I like to sing about it. I modestly try to untwine some tongs on these topics.
The response has been very exciting so far! Got a few plays on radios such as Boogaloo Radio and Surrey Hills Radio. A 8/10 review in Powerplay Rock and Metal Magazine. A page in Blues Matters! and a double page in a French magazine called Nouvelles d’Arménie. That’s for the promo, for my audience I have their constant support and what more could I ask for!
Do you have any plans on any future releases? In the rest of 2021 I’m planning on going back on stage (fingers crossed). I am also focussing a lot on new collaborations for a new album. So a lot of songwriting, recording, promoting and gigging hopefully! I am currently working on songs with my usual base of blues while keeping my rock influences. I also might want to twist some with Soul and a pinch of Rhythm and Blues. Something to sing my guts out anyway, so stay tuned!
Over the past year with all the lockdown and restrictions to live music. How have you been keeping busy creatively? I know it was very hard for a lot of people and I truly felt for them so I need to be honest as these times weren’t very complicated for me. I had the huge chance of keeping my everyday job by working from home. It sucks big times that we can’t play live or rehearse etc but I’d rather focus on what I can do rather than on what I can’t. So that’s why you’ve got an EP you can listen to today! A Covid baby we could say…and the release of an EP for an independent musician is extreme work haha! So between this and my full time job I don’t have much time to think about the situation. Also, even if I’ve been alone an important amount of time since the past year I’ve got great people in my life like my family and my close friends. Virtual calls are never the same but they were good enough to keep me sane.
How would you describe your live shows and what have been some of your favourite gigs you’ve played so far? I properly started gigging again a few months before the Covid situation, so now a year ago. During this time I worked a lot on my music and defined what I wanted to do or how I wanted to perform when things get back to normal. So I guess you’ll just have to come see me live if you want to feel the real experience ahah!
Finally If you could recommend other up and coming artists right now who would you choose? I recommend you check out Rosin. She released a beautiful single ‘Honest’ on the same day of my EP (26/03/2021). I highly recommend you check her out cause she’s got big things coming up. I also recommend you to keep an eye on Daniel Borschel. He’s the guitarist and producer on ‘Lonely Hunter’. He’s got big projects he’s working on at the moment and trust me you would want to hear it.
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