[Interview] Suzane, a singer who is not afraid of words at Solidays 2018

Suzane is one of our latest discoveries and a real favorite. Between French song and electro music, we met this frank and friendly artist at Solidays 2018. 

Smiling in her blue and black jumpsuit, Suzane is a young woman full of life, exciting and involved. In love with words and dance, she gave herself to us in all simplicity. A real pleasure to be able to exchange with her face to face.

We discovered you not long ago through the 2 clips you released: L'Insatisfied and La Flemme. First, could you tell us who you are?
Suzane: I'm from Avignon, I have a slight accent (laughs). I discovered music through the body because I started with classical dance at the conservatory in a dance study course ; It lasted a few years. That's where I fed on music. After that, I've always loved singing, but a bit like that. I sang in the corridors small tunes in broken Italian; I found it very pleasant.
And then the dance wore me out, the routine side, necessary for dancing, but restrictive : the weigh-in on Wednesday… I was a teenager and you start to take shape when you're a woman and I felt like you shouldn't. It's complicated… But that's not what made me give in…
I lost a dancer friend who was in the same class as me in contemporary. He died of a ruptured aneurysm. I was 17 and it was hard to lose someone so young. It's mainly that the adults around reacted very badly by telling me that I was not working enough to deserve to go to my friend's funeral. At that time it marked me a lot. That's when I told myself that adults were saying anything. I stopped listening to them and left.
The rest is a bit crazy: it was strange not to get up to go to the same place every day. I went from ballet to club dance. I went out a lot at that time. That's when I started discovering Daft Punk, Vitalic, Justice, Boys Noize… More electro. I recognized myself in this music and it made me want to dance strangely again because I felt freer to do what I wanted… No "Feet outstretched… ", "You're not in a good place… ".
It was a fuzzy time, but where I found myself and started writing. Not in song form: I've always loved words, I've always loved reading. I was a waitress next door, I still am. And it went from there! Music and dance have always been in my life.

What are you listening to?
Lots of things! I listened to Piaf, Barbara, Brel, Renaud… for the French language, for words. That's what fed me when I was younger. I still listen to a lot of them. Electronic… I really like rap also for the more incisive writing. I love Orelsan ! He inspired me a lot and I always get these words in my face (his latest album is excellent). He is frank and has a lot of humor. It's ironic and he plays it: I like this kind of character and this type of writing. I really like Vald too; it looks completely High Trip. I find that the lyrics evolve in French song today. We may be a little less poetic but more realistic.

I have the impression that you are a kind of columnist of everyday life in your way of telling things. Very spontaneous and very poetic. What do you think?
This writing is quite natural I think. I like to tell stories. As a waitress, I watch people a lot, I listen to conversations (the waitress always hears everything). Sometimes there are topics that make me angry or others that I agree with. I wanted to tell the real life of real people, because I'm part of it too. I wanted us to receive the story as if I were telling it to you like that. If it works it's great! When I write, I talk a lot at the same time. I reread my sentences to make sure it's really being told. I'm quite frank in life and I wanted to be as much in my songs, even if it can be disturbing. The important thing is that the message reaches the recipients.

We really appreciated your clips, the dancing side participates in the story telling I think…
Everything is connected with what I sing. It is true that even bodily there is always a different vocabulary for each song. On stage I try to bring the same thing, that there is a way to move on each song because we do not express ourselves the same when we are angry or when we are happy. I think that the body transcribes exactly what my texts say. It's also important that visually, there is this thing.
I was very very well surrounded with Nicolas Huchard, with Neels Castillon who directed the first 2 clips and certainly the third. We will keep the same team because they understood what I wanted, this refined side where we put the bodies forward. I didn't want too much decoration everywhere and especially that dance makes sense in places like that.

It's also very graphic what you offer… How did you arrive at this aesthetic?
I think it's my ballet side, the very square side, very aligned, straight. When you watch a ballet it's very graphic.

Laziness, you use a lot of Manga code. Are you a fan?
I'm not necessarily a fan of Manga, but for this clip I wanted something K-Pop. I was also inspired by Tekken, a video game that I played a lot with my brother when we were little. I wanted something colorful and video game. I wanted lightness. It was assumed to have so many colors. When I saw Jussieu, the place was beautiful to do this kind of thing: it was the perfect combo. We will surely have a totally different atmosphere in the other clips. On La Flemme it was fighting laziness!

Do you consider yourself a geekette?
I'm a geekette in my own way. I love going to Google to search for stuff ; I can move from one subject to another, to another etc. I geek a lot, for my music… I've played The Sims, but I'm not a gamer.

When you write, do you project a little the images that you will have behind?
Not all the time, it's going to depend on the songs. Most of the time I write that I am at the restaurant, after the service. The Dissatisfied was after serving a guy who complained all the time because his meat was overcooked or undercooked… I wondered what I was doing there. I picked up that feeling, took it home and made a song out of it. It is after that the images come. Mehdi Baki who plays in the clip really had a perfect vocabulary to interpret this kind of character.
When I write I have images in my head that I describe. I describe what I see and imagine. After that there is a whole work of refining.

For the moment we only know 2 titles…
There are plenty more to come

Are they connected? How did your musical project come about?
I think these moments of life are quite interconnected. I can't wait to get my other songs heard. I'm kind of in every character; There is a connection with me and my life.The next song is called Suzane and I talk about my story, why and how I'm here.

When is it planned?
I'm thinking about back-to-school. We're talking about the clip and we're almost there!

Suzane

How did you manage to be programmed at Solidays with only 2 singles?
Sincerely? I can't answer that question… I am as surprised as you are to be here. That's crazy! I think I am very well surrounded: I signed with 3ème Bureau in September. We also work with an excellent turner who is Wspectacle. Solidays kindly opened its doors to me, despite my youth in this environment. It's just a crazy opportunity for me, even though I'm very scared. I admit that I have stage fright!

Among the artists present at Solidays, there are some that you particularly like?
Romeo Elvis, whom I wouldn't be able to see because he plays at the same time as me. But I like his character, he has a lot of humor.
I like Mr Oizo, Arnaud Rebotini too… There are so many!

Solidays is a committed festival. Are there causes you support?
The fight against AIDS, of course; I find it impressive that the festival has been around for 20 years. And then there is a lot of human here, it shows in the way I was welcomed. I think it's great that we defend causes in general in this atmosphere. I am very proud to be part of the programming and to represent this struggle in a certain way.
There is also the feminist cause that touches me. I wanted to speak as well. I wrote a song, which will definitely be part of the album. We have too often suffered, as if we were educated to live this way, accept to be annoyed in the street, belittled to work … The equal pay problems that I personally suffered…I think it's very good that languages are loosening: artists, girls in the street. As an artist it's important to take a stand even in our songs. To talk about something is already to take a stand. I am very happy with what is happening and let's continue. This is a first strike and I hope that the girls will be united enough to come together, make their voices heard and move things forward together… Especially for the next generation.

You are often compared to Stromae, what do you think?
I'm delighted because he's a huge artist who I think has influenced a lot of people. What I like about him is his DIY side: that everything is possible even by doing it alone.His videos inspired me and made me think, "You can try it too." It's not as easy as you think but at least it gives the momentum. I know that I am also compared to Christine and The Queens and she is a girl who imposes and who does not impose anything on her. I feel like she's pretty free in what she does. I think she's a very beautiful artist and I'm flattered to be compared to her. After that, I hope that I will take my path too and that I will not always be stuck sandwiched between two references. I hope to show who I am through my songs and convince!

Find the postponement of Suzane's concert at Solidays 2018

Suzane's faceboook page