Orouni Interview Part Two
The following is the second part of a three part interview submitted to French musician Orouni by email. Click this link to be taken to the first part of this interview. In this part of the interview, Orouni talks more about current favorite musicians and bands as well as the music scenes in Denmark and France in general. Orouni also discusses why he chooses to sing lyrics in English instead of French.
Kirstiecat: Do you remember when it was that you made the decision to become a musician? Did you feel that it was a conscious choice or that it was just who you were born to be?
Orouni: Considering the answer to the previous question, you can see that I was not born to be a musician. And I don’t think there was a day when I solemnly said “I’m going to be a musician”. I guess it was progressive. It was a sequence of important steps: the ones I mentioned before, and also when I bought a multitrack recorder when I was about 17. It was an expensive machine, so if I bought it, it meant I had to use it. Nowadays I don’t use it anymore, but after all, that day was really important. And yes it is conscious, because there is nothing I love to do more than this, so I must have said to myself “if this is what you fancy, go on.”
Kirstiecat: I know you’ve spent a bit of time in both France and Denmark. Can you talk a little bit about the differences between the music scenes in these countries? For instance, are different genres of music more popular? Are people more overall receptive to music in one country over another?
Orouni:Well this is a tricky question, because I can only compare the Aalborg scene with the Paris scene, since they are the only cities I know for that matter, and I don’t want to draw conclusions that wouldn’t be appropriate. Still, what I can say is that you have the same kind of behavior: you have “underground” places that are very active (Studenterhuset and 1000FRYD in Aalborg, Pop In, La Flèche d’Or and Ground Zero in Paris, for instance), and at the same time each of them is “the place to be”, so you always see the same hipsters, who often pay more attention to their hair and clothes than to the music, and this definitely gets on my nerves. I think in Paris, it’s even worse, and as it is the city of fashion, concerts really look like fashion shows.
But let’s speak more about music: Aalborg is a small city, so I got to know some bands of the local scene, but I was very happy because I also saw Chumbawamba (I’m a big fan of WYSIWYG) in 1000FRYD and The Raveonettes (big fan of Chain Gang Of Love) in Studenterhuset. Both happened by chance. I was hanging around in the city center, and I saw posters, so I bought tickets. And I feel the same in Paris. If you are not in the right networks, if you don’t hang out here and there, you will not be aware of anything. Maybe I would have missed the Islands concert if my bandmate hadn’t told me, or I could have missed any other great gig because I was not on the right mailing list… It’s weird. Some people seem to be everywhere and you just need to be friends with them, and doors will open, while others strive and have a hard time because they don’t play the hipster game. So I would say both scenes are active, but snobbish. Maybe in Denmark people are a bit more into electronica and metal.
Kirstiecat: I’m also wondering a little bit about your decision to sing in English vs. French. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Orouni: I will take the example of the song “Here Comes The Sun” by George Harrison, on Abbey Road. I love this song. However, I’m quite sure that if the lyrics were in French, I would hate it. Why? Because I would understand them, because I would find them stupid, because they would be dissociated from the music.
When I hear a tune sung in French, I don’t really hear what I call a song. I hear music, and apart from it, some lyrics. Both don’t form a single stream. To me, this is very unpleasant. That’s why I listen to very few French speaking music. Right now I think about Têtes Raides, who are very talented musicians, (they use lots of instruments). I really love some of their songs, but in others I can’t help being distracted by the words. And I don’t want to hear music plus lyrics. As I said, I want to hear a flow.
In order for me to hear this single stream, lyrics in French have to be very well written. Yes, I’m very demanding. So basically, it has to be poetry. In poetry, you don’t have a direct contact with words. They don’t touch you intellectually, but they rather speak to you in terms of emotions. And for me, that’s ok, since music acts on the emotional level. For instance, songs by Alain Souchon or Alain Bashung really work that way (maybe you need your first name to be Alain to write such lyrics). It’s so well written that you don’t understand the lyrics, you feel them. Unfortunately, such lyricists are very rare, so I almost don’t listen to any French speaking music. But I have to say that I am moved by Vincent Delerm or Carla Bruni, for instance, and I don’t really know why. For Vincent Delerm, maybe it’s due to the fact that his lyrics involve a lot of humor, and though he sings them in a very particular way (he almost speaks them), I feel like I’m listening to a song. Maybe that’s also because he tackles themes that move me, or tells things in a way that moves me. On top of it all, the music that goes along with it is fabulous. As for Carla Bruni, I can’t explain why I’m sensitive to her songs.
That’s why for me it is more natural to sing in English. I think it is a language where you can say things in a light way. In French, I feel everything is heavy. Everything is awkward. Besides, as it is the most international language, it is a way to touch people everywhere, because I don’t want my songs to be only listened to in France and the few other French speaking countries. It’s very nice to receive mail from Turkish or Brazilian “fans”. So I see every advantage in singing in Shakespeare’s language.
Still, I’m very curious to know how I would perceive songs sung in English, if I were a native speaker. Maybe I would hate it and I would sing in French!
Official Orouni site
Visit Orouni on myspace
Listen to The Lampost
Orouni Interview Part One