The singer-songwriter, director, musician, and graphic designer Woodkid, whose real name is Yoann Lemoine, was the headliner on July 17 at the Nice Jazz Festival. He opened up to us during this interview.
Nearly two years after the halt of cultural activities, how do you feel after your stage performance?
“I was expecting a very strong emotional charge, but no, it’s quite pleasant. There’s a lot of joy, lightness. I tend to infuse everything with emotion, to always think that things are heavy. I seek power, politics in everything. I thought this tour would be somewhat overwhelming, but in fact, no, everything is quite fluid, cool, and light.”
Speaking of emotion and feeling, the theme of solitude often appears in your songs…
“I find solitude very inspiring. Every time I’ve tried to make light, emotionless songs, I feel like they’re a bit vain, useless. Yet during the lockdown, I listened to a lot of music with light themes. But when I’m in the studio, I can’t do the same. My second album talks a lot about solitude.”
Between the first album “The Golden Age” (2013) and the second “S16” (2020), seven years separate them. Why such a long silence?
“A lot of things happened. It took me time to digest the first album; it was an intense time of self-reflection. I had to understand what was going on. And mainly, at the core, I am a director, and my DNA is to work for others. I started to tire of being the center of everything, all the time, seeing my face everywhere. I wanted to take less of that risk and instead take risks for others. Let my work be in service of others! So I did five or six years of successive collaborations.”
Do you feel more comfortable as a director or a singer?
“If I have to choose, I would be a director. In a film, I could always bring in the musical dimension in one way or another. On stage, I always have a ticket to bring my director’s stature since visuals are needed.”
You also used a lot of visuals during your concert. How did you create them?
“I used the software Houdini to create these digital visuals. A kind of contemporary art frescoes that illustrate the songs and create an illusion of immersion for the audience.”
Satisfied with the audience in Nice?
“Very satisfied!!! Seeing them sing the lyrics of my songs is a source of pride!”
After the Nice Jazz Festival? Any other projects?
“I have a big project that I’ve been working on for two years. For now, a lot of touring but also a little getaway to the Tokyo Olympics on August 8.”
