Nicolette

MAA : Massive Attack’s fans were lucky to discover you in 94 with "protection" with the tracks "Sly" and "Three". How did you meet the band?
Nicolette : they heard my latest single at the time “wicked mathematics” and got in touch with my then manager, asking if i would work with them on some tracks. i was really surprised because musically we came from two different worlds! but i was very happy to do it because i respected them a lot as musicians, and also because i knew it would be a challenge for me to work on something so different than what i was used to. so they brought me over to bristol to meet the band, we hit it off, and that was that.

MAA : What memories did you keep from collaborating with them?
Nicolette : they were very kind to me, that is my biggest impression. they were very concerned about my wellbeing, and that i was comfortable. also i remember how leisurely everything seemed. because with shut up and dance i was used to working very fast in small studios, we’d be in and out in a day! but with massive attack we working in these expensive studios, with lots of expensive personnel, in a very leisurely, and for me then, luxurious fashion!

MAA : Do you have some anecdotes to tell us concerning this collaboration?
Nicolette : when we went to new york to shoot the video, i arrived there a day later than everyone else. i called 3d and we both went out looking for hot dogs. i was really excited to be in new york because i’d never been there before and i wanted to taste a real new york hot dog.

MAA : Another collaboration with Massive Attack is possible according to you or all of this is just behind you?
Nicolette : i think that was a unique moment in time, my collaboration with massive attack, and try to recreate it would be artificial.

MAA : We were lucky enough to interview Stephan Sednaoui a few months ago, he is the director of the video "sly", how was the shooting? Did you like doing it?
Nicolette : stephan is a lovely guy, really sweet, very appreciative. he really made it easy for me to relax during the shoot. the shoot was fun! it was like playing make-believe as a child, but with better costumes! it was almost like a film set, there were so many personnel and extras and costumes. two people had to hold my arms while i walked and sometimes i had to be carried because i was wearing these geisha sandals that only have a very thin edge to walk on...you didn’t see them in the video but they added some kind of authenticity to its energy that stephan was looking for.

MAA : You have made several vocal participations with other artists, who are they?
Nicolette : well plaid of course, they’ve produced some of my songs, and i did vocals on one of their songs, “ extork” on their “not for threes” album. they are the gentlest guys in the world and good friends of mine. then there’s banggang, basically my friend bardi johansson, we did a song “contradictions” together, it’s on his “something wrong” album. then i did something with the french artist “le tone”, a song called “lately”.

MAA : Your third album "life loves us" has just been released, could you tell us more about it?
Nicolette : “life loves us” is continuing on from my last album in the sense that my last album was about asserting your freedom, and “life loves us” is kind of expressing what you do with that freedom. so “life loves us” is kind of luxuriating and rejoicing in the fact that i now know i’m free. therefore it’s quite sensual and a bit wild. this time, i programmed and produced it myself, so the sound is more homogenous, my style has completely emerged from it. i love this album with all my heart.

MAA : What are the differences, similitude with ’Let no-one live rent free in your head’ and ’Now is early’
Nicolette : well the differences...’now is early’ was really about the dawn of discovery of oneself, the wonder of that discovery, and part of that discovery is how you realise that you’re not separate from the rest of the world, you are part of the wonder and beauty of it, like a blackbird with it’s glorious yellow beak, or a flower smiling. ”let no-one live rent-free in your head’ is moving on from that discovery to deeper place where you explore the beauty of your own humanity and reject anything that prevents you from experiencing this fully.
the similarities...well ‘now is early’ and ’let no-one...’ are both about freedom. to me freedom is the ultimate goal in life, because it leads to joy. and joy is our birthright; if anyone tells you any different, they are lying!

MAA : How do you write and compose a song? What inspires you? Which subjects really matter to you?
Nicolette : well sometimes the songs just come to me almost fully formed, for example i dreamt the song ”wholesome’ (on my current album) almost in it’s entirety. more often, a phrase with a melody will pop into my head (it usually ends up being the hook or the chorus of the song), if it doesn’t go away, i’ll sing it, record it, and build a backing track around it. once i’ve done that, i’ll improvise verses, a bridge etc. until i get it right. but it’s very organic; any musician will tell you that it’s really that the songs visit you and coax you into following them out of your body. you have to follow them; if you try to lead, it’s disastrous. so, i never know what my songs really mean until i’ve finished them, and even then...maybe three or for years later!
what inspires me is how wonderful people are. we are just amazing. and i really, really want people to know that. so i think really my music is about singing the praises of people. hymns to humanity!

MAA : Your voice is such a bliss for the ears. What’s your secret?
Nicolette : well that’s a lovely thing to hear! really there’s no secret..i just open myself completely. singing gives me tremendous joy, it’s a joy to give of myself like that, maybe that’s what people can feel when they listen to my voice.

MAA : Will you tour to promote "life loves us"?
Nicolette : yes, we have are having a launch party for the album here, february 15th, after this we’ll be touring for most of the year.

MAA : If so, will we have the chance to see you in France?
Nicolette : i am sure you will, we are trying to arrange this as we speak.

MAA : You’re also a dj, some dj sets planned soon?
Nicolette : i haven’t dj-ed since august of last year, because i have been so busy with things connected to my album. but i intend to start doing some dj gigs from march this year. i love djing so much!

MAA : Your musical past is very rich, would you tell us more about it? (Especially for those who doesn’t know you so well).
Nicolette : when me and my siblings were growing up, music was part of the fabric of our life, this was normal to us. both my parents were really fond of music, especially my father, music was always playing in the house, day and night. if there was no music playing, it didn’t feel normal. even when we were playing by ourselves we would invent music and songs. so to us, creating music was a very natural and normal thing. my father encouraged this tendency further by making us learn a vast amount of songs, to harmonise to them, to play around with them. he was a natural musician himself (though not by profession) and would accompany us on guitar and piano. he played to us and taught us, jazz, blues, western classical music, gospel, showtunes, traditional african music, modern african music, george formby, english folk music, music he himself had written, etc; i really can’t emphasise enough the incredible variety of music we heard and were taught. in addition my mother loved motown, soul, pop, and so we loved those too. then all the seventies pop on the radio then really influenced my style as well! my father also made us take piano lessons (although i can’t play now!) and perform for my parents friends and neighbours. later on, in my teens i really got into dancefloor funk, then heavy metal, then the beatles, then later on eighties electronica. i also got into quite abstract electronica like electric phoenix. but this is just to give you a limited overview. there’s so much that influenced me, for example i really, really love mediaeval music like josquin des pres; and madrigals send me into ecstasy! and i love free music like the los angeles free music society’s.

MAA : I heard that you spoke french? Does this interview could have been done in french then?
Nicolette : yes you could have done it in french, but i am more articulate in english!

MAA : You’ve created your own label "early records" in 98, what are your motivations? Which artists are part of your label?
Nicolette : i wanted to create a place where artists could feel free to express themselves and still be considered commercial. ie a place where unusual artists could express themselves without inhibition, but still be treated as part of the mainstream. also a place where artists of all kinds could meet and exchange ideas and services and just inspire each other. it’s a place dedicated to getting rid of this idea of a “norm”. and a place to be relaxed and true to yourself.
with regards to artists, we have some in development but not ready to release just yet.

MAA : What’s on your decks at the moment?
Nicolette : at this moment? plump djs “creepshow “ remixes, and my song ‘single-minded people”.

MAA : Just a little word in french for your fans, please?
Nicolette : j’aimerais bien vous rencontrer.