La Grande Sophie composes “Modern Life” – RFI Musique

He has the humility to show humility. In her fifties, singer, musician, author and photographer La Grande Sophie makes a comeback with rock and folk songs. modern life. An ode to a turbulent, sensual and melancholic life. If her lush melodies are still as complex as ever, Grande Sophie’s voice has never been more subdued and close to her listeners.

RFI Musique: You composed and put it online Together the first day of imprisonment. Why open three years later modern life with this title?
Sophia the Great: Because I cared about this song that I wanted to give courage to people. He helped me find the color for this record, and I wanted to go back to the acoustic guitar. I am the one who comforts and gives “courage” (a reference to the title of one of his most famous songs, editor’s note) from the one who holds his secret in life. I want my whole record to have the color of this beautiful song that brings people together.

In what context did you write this album?
I imagined myself around a bonfire, which we repeat on stage, in concert, with modern neon lights for every song. I also dug a little photos of the past, some of them like this mountains of memories. Can Gazi, the artistic director of my previous three CDs, called me one evening. He wanted to make a record that I would do alone. His call made me want to write, I knew he had great taste and would guide me. First I did all the arrangements at home and then in the studio. Then I needed a real drummer and a real bass player. We recorded together in small studios, it was very much a family.

Your voice has never been so close to the listeners…
Because I’m in charge and I’m doing a lot more on this record than usual, it’s probably more natural for the voice to come forward. I love this single instrument, the elegance of the voice, the breath.

Active Wild your voice is particularly loud…
I sing there with my head voice. I was lucky enough to have a head sound and a chest sound. My voice came to the disc The place of the soul with Susanna. At first I had a hard time accepting it, I played it mostly on backing vocals. Today I find songs suitable for him. Being able to change expands the spectrum.

In The power of fictionyou imagine “a mermaid, an acrobat, or cupid regattas in the constellations”. What does imagination bring you?
This is a form of capital freedom. Being able to project yourself somewhere is absolute freedom. In wild, I say a moment when I look at a point in the distance and get lost. In a fast-paced society, you need to take time to escape. These are emergency exits.

Speaking of exit, there are metaphors of stairs and elevators Staircase…
I like to see how the song is understood by the public. I think it appeals to a society that marginalizes older people. This record speaks volumes for him. I need the words of the old and the young, I don’t want people to leave. That’s why I study there “You’re Gonna Get Swept Away”. And I feel like people want to push me because of my age.

Really?
Of course, for example, with events that I am no longer invited to because I am over fifty. The music industry is so young, it’s a pretty brutal business for that. I have a deep admiration for careers. The split between the two eras is also on the record, because I’m in the middle and I want to bring what I have to bring at my age. But I am given very little hope! If we look at female artists over fifty, there are few female singers…

A novel and modern life accurately evokes the passage of time. Is this ninth album a kind of balance sheet of a 25-year career?
I don’t like the word balance. I write what I am when I live. I’m not counting, this is not a “coming of age” record. Rather, it is approaching today with the force of what happened. A novel it also touches on impatience. Because I’m a very impatient person and because I love life, I often arrive early to meetings because I’m happy to be there. But people are often late!

modern life is an indictment of digital madness. “We look like heroes, we don’t come close anymore, we’re all numbers”, you read. Paradoxically, you are active in social networks. Is it a choice or a limitation?
These are new, free tools. Not using them means losing independence. Thanks to this, I can make people aware of my work! But it’s like a third job. I like Instagram, I put humor there, but not my life. The danger is the time we spend there, thinking only of this and that. But I don’t want to live out of time yet (smile). I want to know these tools. So my cover with a selfie mixed with one of the first photography techniques. Mixing them means that I belong to these two worlds, like an ID card.
This album talks a lot about passers-by. Is city life important to you?
I rarely go out with headphones on. In general, I like to hear the street, other people’s discussions, birds. It’s a way to not stay in my bubble.

How are you going to play this record on stage?
It will be the same team as before covid but with a new show. I’ll be playing the new album there, but I’ll also be wearing the old titles Courage his arrangement is very old. There are winks, stories I tell. I used to be a real rocket. Now I like to take the time to make people feel very different emotions.

Sophia the Great modern life (Barclays) 2022
La Grande Sophie official website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube
April 12, 23 at the La Cigale concert in Paris