It’s fresh, it grooves, it swings, it waltzes, it “rocks” and it also soothes. But who is this original duo? To answer this question, dear internet users, we invite you to a “first meeting” with these artists in the simplest of forms!
A group or should we, rather, write a couple! A man and a woman (no, no, it’s not a line from the famous Claude Lelouch film)… a man and a woman who sing about “the multiple troubles and joys surrounding the life of a couple with contemporary words.” It’s fresh, it grooves, it swings, it waltzes, it “rocks” and it also soothes. But who is this original duo? To answer this question, dear internet users, we invite you to a “first meeting” with these artists in the simplest of forms!
Nice-Premium: Please, Naturalibus, take a seat on your “sofa” and tell us how it all started? How did this “wonder” come to be?
Guillaume Farley: It came from a desire to sing love songs, so we embarked on a series of conversations between a man and a woman that would be different for each track. It was only natural to ask Hélène to sing with me since we have always sung together.
N-P: This is not the first time that you have been together on an album.
Hélène Mittet: In fact, we’ve sung in several groups that performed exclusively on stage like Pareil Mais Plus, Ich Bin Wallou with which we recorded even if the CDs weren’t really distributed (well, they were! distributed to friends!) We play alongside Valery Boston (album to come). Guillaume participated in Paco Sery’s album where I did backing vocals. We never miss a good occasion to sing together!
N-P: So, you know each other very well, precisely, Guillaume Farley, introduce us to the one you never call “sis”?
Guillaume: It’s Hélène, our parents have been friends for a long time, and we have grown up in a relationship of cousins, friends, lovers… Depending on the moods and the periods. We are different from each other but we come from the same culture, the same education, have the same number of siblings, the same birth year, and the same astrological sign.
N-P: And you, Hélène Mittet, who is this “friend” who whispers words to you on your album cover?
Hélène: Uh… don’t know.
N-P: Guillaume Farley, you have been a bassist and guitarist for Youssou N’Dour, Faudel, Booster, Sandra Nkaké, Paco Sery… what memories do you retain from these musical experiences?
Guillaume: There are many memories, especially with Sandra, Booster, Paco, and of course Juan Rozoff with whom I played for a long time and my friend from Nantes, Albert Magister. It’s been an experience… to learn, understand, recognize who we are and assume it.
N-P: You also compose for other singers, notably Amel Bent.
Guillaume: Yes, I co-signed the composition of “Quand elle chante,” I wrote about ten tracks for a young singer who appeared on Nouvelle Star named Gerome Gallo. And currently, I’m in charge of the songs and production for Cécilia Cara.
N-P: Hélène Mittet, you have also accompanied many artists with your magnificent voice, how does it feel to sing for your own release?
Hélène: It’s a real joy to interpret Naturalibus’s songs and to know that everyone can make them their own, sing them because they represent us all, I believe. For us, it’s obvious to sing them together but it must be said that they are Guillaume’s compositions.
N-P: In fact, in this album, do you reveal yourself “in a natural way”?
Hélène: Well, actually, for me, it’s not always natural but it’s a proposal, sometimes a little scene and I love to play along! And then, as Guillaume said, we share a lot of things, so we open up naturally and we try to share our humor and everything that touches us with the public.
Guillaume: We call ourselves Naturalibus because it means “state of nudity” in Latin. We wanted it to be stripped down, without artifice, without an outfit that would date or overly typecast the duo.
N-P: Well, we’ve done the introductions, and if now, you give us a little interlude, just while I look for more questions to ask you.
Guillaume: Hélène and I, we’re going to give you our complementary grimace! Are you looking closely?… There it is.
N-P: Thank you, that’s nice! Speaking of interludes, there are three on your album. Original and trivial!
Guillaume: Thank you, that’s nice!
Hélène: I would say these are slices of life that everyone may have experienced, we try to make them visible, so we recorded them with a microphone and a MD to have the apartment’s atmosphere, the proximity.
N-P: By taking part of the title of one of your songs, I get the feeling, after hearing this album, that you enjoy singing!
Hélène: I would add that life is a muse! (and that I’m a fool!) But of course, music is fun!
Guillaume: This text “If you think it amuses me” is really men talking to women, like an unlikely encounter with two people telling each other straight truths at the start of a relationship.
N-P: You opened for Vanessa Paradis, a great tour!
Guillaume: What a welcome! It was incredible to be in the presence of Vanessa and Matthieu and to be received in such a way. We were very well welcomed by the audience.
Hélène: It was new to play in front of so many people! And it’s a very beautiful gift that they gave us by inviting us to share such beautiful stages.
N-P: Any projects in sight for “the rebels of the couch”?
Guillaume: Yes, we want to squat on Vanessa’s couch that she has on stage every night! No, but we’d like to do as many stages and radios as possible to promote this album, we will soon see if we make the second album right away, or if we return to our personal projects.
N-P: Shall we end with a tango?
Hélène: Rather a pogo!
Guillaume: Ah! Three-way tango! That’s rock n’ roll!
N-P: No, I propose you borrow my pen and become, for one question, editor-in-chief: what article topic would you put on the front page of our web daily tomorrow?
Hélène Mittet: In this cold weather, let’s make sure no one sleeps outside, let’s give people shelter, let’s not leave them without a bowl of soup, let’s not leave anyone out.
Guillaume Farley: Of course! “People are talking, people are listening, people are recognizing each other… The time of ‘every man for himself’ is over!”
Now, we propose you listen to their song on their Myspace: https://www.myspace.com/naturalibus
