We’ve featured Addie on here before. A French pianist singer/songwriter who is extremely skilled at creating beautifully enchanting melodies, she says her music is “Inspired by the moon and its halo”. Addie’s beautiful album ‘Leitmotiv’ on her Bandcamp page. Addie is also on Facebook and Twitter.
EP: Can you tell us little about yourself and your music?
A: I’m French. Music has always been a part of my body, at least one. First the piano, as a little girl, and years ago, I started composing the album I called ‘Leitmotiv’. My music is not really different from who I am, so I guess the answers are in it, in some ways. More than a choice, it came to me as obviousness and then never left me.
EP: What first inspired you to write music?
A: I don’t remember it because it hit me like an emergency. As far as I can recall, all I know is that I unconsciously found myself in music more than anything else.
EP: How do you feel your French background has influenced your musical style?
A: I feel like it did not. I almost stopped listening to music while composing and writing. Of course, some French artists (not much really) who are musicians as much as poets are probably somewhere in my DNA without me knowing it. Most of them are dead now. But they delicately chose their words, each one of them, while singing.
EP: Who are your musical heroes?
A: I’m not sure I have one of them as a hero, per say. I am extremely moved by some of them, of course. Bach, Scarlatti, Radiohead, Kate Bush, Björk…
EP: You have an album out entitled ‘Leitmotiv’. Can you tell us about that?
A: A Leitmotiv is a lot of things. First, imagine that every morning you see a rope, a wire, leading to somewhere. It’s here for you to grab and follow where it’s taking you, because you know this is the right place you need to go to. At first, you have no idea where it is going to take you, but this is stronger than any other energy around you. A Leitmotiv also as a precise point, far away fro now, that you ‘re showing with your finger and has to reach.
EP: Your lyrics are beautifully haunting, what message or emotion would you like listeners to take from the album.
A: I think I don’t have to, those who listen and react your way know what I need to tell them all. They write me back me that it penetrates them, and makes them want to lower their weapons, whatever they are. I have a lot to say to them, but I can not be as accurate as in the album. My listeners accept that emotion is not weakness, if it is, this is the strength of the sensitive people.
EP: There is some lovely instrumentation on ‘Leitmotiv’, we particularly likes the use of the cello, how many instruments were used in total? How many do you yourself play?
A: I am playing piano and singing, and the cello and percussions meet me and we start communicating, as delicately as possible. Percussions with cajon and cymbals and other additional percussions.
We are three on stage.
EP: How do you like to spend your time away from the music?
A: You tell me! Would love to sometimes. Need the sea as much as possible, and being away from music is currently complicated.
EP: In an ideal world, is there any artist would love to work/collaborate with?
A: It’s up to us to make it ideal… let’s work on it, generally speaking. As far as artists are concerned, I can tell you about Neil Hannon, Kate Bush, Tori Amos
EP:What are you plans for the immediate future?
A: Working on the tour dates that are coming, finishing a soundtrack I composed for a theatre play and make the album ‘Leitmotiv’ go everywhere, as far as it can. I have no idea how long the rope or wire is. Life will tell, or show me. I continue to write and compose of course.
EP: If you had to describe yourself and your music using only one word. What would that word be?
A: Bluemooned
